Name: Heather Potteiger

Position: Special Events and Database Manager

Joining our team in October 2021, Heather is an organizing mastermind who can be found planning our special events year-round or organizing and pulling reports from our databases to maximize the efficiency of our everyday work. When she’s not in the office, she loves spending time with her beloved dog Avery and enjoying relaxing pastimes such as diamond art.

We asked Heather a couple of questions to share with the community.

Pets at home: Avery, a 12 year old Yorkie.

What kind of events do you coordinate at the shelter, and why are they so important to ARL’s mission?

I help coordinate a variety of events, big and small.  We have two large annual events, Mingle at the Museum and Festival of Trees, which require a lot of coordination throughout the entire year leading up to the event.  We also host smaller events like our Pet Portraits FUNraiser, and we are working to expand our Kitten Yoga program in 2023.

While these events are VERY different, they are all so important to reach our community. Our larger events tend to be a way to network with our supporters and connect people in our community with each other. Our smaller events are an incredible resource to connect one-to-one with people and provide us the opportunity to let people know about all the programs and resources we have to offer them and the animals in our community.

The ARL’s Festival of Trees just took place this past December. What is the Festival of Trees, and how does it support animals at ARL?

Festival of Trees is such a fun way to start the holiday season and is our biggest fundraiser of the year.  Local companies and organizations donate decorated themed trees that attendees can win – we had 26 trees this year!  My favorites this year were Wooden Wonderland, a variety of handcrafted wooden pieces by a local artisan, and Season’s Eatings, a variety of gift cards for local restaurants. Attendance tickets, raffle tickets, and sponsorships all directly support the animals in our care.

Check out the photos (taken by our amazing volunteer Randy Westley) from Festival of Trees here!

Tell us about a shelter animal you won’t forget.  They are all unforgettable, but of course, my very own Avery has to be at the top of the list. We adopted her from the ARL in 2011 and she is the best companion I could ever wish for.

What do you love most about your job, and what do you find to be the most challenging?   

I love seeing the kindness and generosity of donors who support us each and every day. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own “stuff” and all the things we have to get done, or didn’t get done, or the things that might not have worked out the way we wanted them to.  And then you get a note from a supporter thanking the ARL for all their hard work, or you get a picture of an adopted pet in their new home. And for a moment, all that other stuff doesn’t matter.

What is the most challenging? Getting it all done! We have an amazing staff with big hearts, and everyone has a lot on their plate.

If you could cross one thing off your bucket list right now, what would it be?   

I’m not really a bucket list person, but I would love to do a shark dive – middle of the ocean in a cage. I did the “swim with the sharks” at the Camden Aquarium and it was amazing; they truly are majestic creatures. Or I would love to sing on stage with one of my favorite musicians.

How can our community get more involved with the events at ARL?

There are so many ways!

-You can serve on an event committee – there is a lot of work that goes into making an event successful. Having more committee members would allow us to have more “helping hands” to get things ready for an event, expand attendance at events, and bring new ideas to event planning. (Contact me at heatherp@berksarl.org if this sounds up your alley!)

-You could ask your employer or organization if they would like to be a sponsor at an ARL event. Sponsorships are so important as they defer costs for events and maximize the monies raised to go directly to helping the animals in our care. It doesn’t have to be a big, intimidating ask! You can send them our 2023 corporate sponsorship package and let them know how much our mission means to you and go from there.

-Attend an event! I know that sounds so simple, but attending our events really does help support the work we do. Check out our events happening in 2023 here.