Each year, our success is wildly driven by some of the most passionate and dedicated supporters we've ever seen. The Fluffball Foundation is proud to bring one of those incredible donors out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight.
Meet Robert Barr!
Robert's Story
Robert has supported Emmanuelle Vaugier long before The Fluffball Foundation was born! In 1996, Robert went to see a show in Canada where the cast introduced a character Noella, portrayed by Emmanuelle. It wasn't long before he learned how greatly Emmanuelle cares for animals.
"This may sound bad, but unfortunately, there are a lot of charities out there that are not what they appear to be," Robert said. "When you see Emmanuelle auctioning off everything from wardrobe to her incredible paintings to signed pictures, you can't help but know that both she and The Fluffball are the real deal."
Robert's childhood pets had always come from either breeders or shops, but once Emmanuelle's passion for animals taught him the idea of "adopt, don't shop", he has taken in only rescue animals. He’s even known to welcome in strays. There have been many times where Robert provided food and water to strays that had wandered up to his home, and they'd end up staying and becoming pets.
Raising funds, raising the bar
The Fluffball is incredibly thankful for Robert's passionate participation. So far, he has raised over $2,000 for the 2016 Fluffball. The majority of Robert's fundraising is driven primarily from his own hard work and sacrifice. In addition to working normal scheduled hours at his job, Robert works overtime, others' shifts and, occasionally, 70 hours a week. He has also taken to working odd jobs and selling items he no longer needs.
When Robert has days off of work, he turns to social media. The Fluffball utilizes Twitter as another way to raise money and awareness, and Robert has taken full advantage of this avenue. He reaches out to friends and followers and encourages their involvement because he has no doubt that every dollar sent is going to do exactly what The Fluffball says it will do — save animals.
Overall, his goal from the beginning has been to help in any way possible. He hopes that his donations are able to rescue at least one cat or dog and help give it the life it so deserves.
Hopes for The Fluffball
In Robert's eyes, the ultimate accomplishment for The Fluffball would be that it was no longer needed. In a perfect world, all animals would live free of fear, with bellies full of food and hearts full of love. As a realist, Robert understands this may not happen any time soon, but with our great organization and amazing supporters, the world gets one step closer.
