Aug 28, 2015 By Allison Duratz 3 min read

While volunteering for an animal shelter can be sad, disappointing, smelly and tiring, for Jo Ann Lugar it is the best part of her week.

The Upper St. Clair woman has logged more than 4,000 hours toward helping homeless cats and kittens find their forever homes, an effort that has earned her the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteerism. The award was presented to her at Animal Friends on Aug. 16.

Issued from the office of the President of the United States and signed by President Obama, the award recognizes citizens who have volunteered more than 4,000 cumulative hours with the same approved organization. For Lugar, that organization is Animal Friends. a no-kill shelter in Pittsburgh that is funded completely by private donations. Each year, the shelter finds homes for approximately 2,500 cats, dogs and rabbits.

“I have been with Animal Friends for the past four years, doing cat adoptions at the off-site location at the Bethel Park Petco,” said Lugar, who volunteers with adoptions one to two evenings a week, caring for six cats at a time. “During that time I have helped over 400 homeless cats find new homes. We have approximately 120-140 adoptions per year from this site alone.”

The goal, she said, is to match the perfect cat and human together. Sometimes, adoptions are especially meaningful. “Often we help someone who has lost a pet gain a new companion.” Lugar, who is a supervisor of Patient Services for Quest Diagnostics, added that she recently helped a family friend find a cat companion for their autistic child. “Many children respond very well to animals and form a strong bond.”

Not only does Lugar help felines find homes, she has opened up her home as well. “I have fostered more than 50 cats that are waiting to be adopted. Sometimes the foster cats come from hoarding situations and neglect situations and need some extra TLC,” she explained. “I will foster the cats for one to three weeks and work with them daily to overcome bad experiences. Some have been through terrible situations and still are so loving and trusting.”

As a volunteer with Animal Friends, Lugar’s duties also include transport, laundry, scheduling and making “thank you for adopting me” bags filled with sample food and toys.

For Lugar, the hard work and extra time are worth it.

“There is nothing more heartwarming than seeing the joy on someone’s face as they adopt a new friend.”