Volunteer Spotlight - Rhonda King

Rhonda loves pets & pets love her

Lending a hand at the Furr Ball

Rhonda King 

Rhonda is a familiar face at MHC. She's a passionate animal rescue advocate and loves helping out in any way she can. She's volunteered in practically every capacity and she's pretty good at whatever she sets her heart and mind on doing! Needless to say, we're very lucky to have her on the MHC team! 

Thank you for your time, Rhonda!  

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MHC Volunteer since: 4 years 

Volunteer position/s?   I have volunteered in many capacities at MHC. 

• I started with walking and caring for dogs at the  adoption center then moved over to cats. 
• I worked on socializing cats and let them get out of their kennel. I adore my cats and I feel most people want to help dogs and I think cats deserve more attention.
• A friend and I headed up a pet supply and money drive for animals affected by Hurricane Harvey. We ended up with 5 truck loads of supplies and over $5,000. 
• I volunteered at many shot clinics and eventually managed them.
• For two years I managed the Hot Dog Run, bringing in a little over $22,000 last year.  We also had 355 runners.
• Danielle Piatt and I manage the MHC Adoption Blanket Project and have for a year and a half. Each animal that gets adopted takes an adoption blanket home.
• I have volunteered for the Furr Ball for the last three years.  I have volunteered at about every event that MHC has been in the past three years.

Fun Facts:
I grew up in Odessa, left to go to school at Texas Tech, and swore I would never be back in West Texas.  Love does crazy things to you, so I ended up in Midland and married Kevin.  We have two sons, 21 and 24 years old, and seven four legged children.  

I started playing racquetball when I was 18.  I played for years until I had my boys. Kevin and I met through racquetball tournaments. We traveled the state playing in tournaments.  At one time I was ranked in two divisions in Texas.  I was ranked 23rd in my age bracket and 49th in Women’s A.  I am beginning to play again to try and get in better shape. 
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I coached 8th grade girls in Odessa and taught for 18 years in both Midland and Odessa. I now am an Information Systems Consultant at Region 18.  I support district software for 18 districts in our region. I also submit school district’s PEIMS data to the state of Texas.  I have been at Region 18 for almost 9 years. 

​Got pets?

• Weasel, Monster, and Crazy were born in our house to a cat we rescued. I fell in love and kept them. They are five and a half years old. 
• I brought Fraggle home from Midland Humane Coalition tow and a half years ago to foster.  I am still fostering her today.  
• We decided Fraggle needed a friend and adopted Gucci from Midland Humane Coalition.
• I rescued Paris, a Havanese mix, from a rescue in Abilene. She is two and a half years old.  We decided she needed a friend since she drove Gucci crazy trying to be his friend.
• We adopted Izzy a year ago December 1. She looks like a full blood Llasa Apso. She is my soul dog.  Our furbabies are our family, too.

Why do you volunteer with MHC? What motivates you to stay involved?
I started volunteering because I wanted to save cats and dogs.  Little did I know, they saved me.  Not only have I fallen in love with many cats and dogs, I have made life long friends along the way. I love hanging out around the adoption center with Steg and Cheryl.  They have been with me when I needed friends the most. We share the same passion for pets. I have learned so much from them and from MHC. Midland has a huge stray problem. Way too many dogs and cats, around 300 a month, are euthanized at the animal shelter.  I know we are their voice. If I do not help them, who will? My goal is to get many more Midland people involved in this community problem. Everyone can do something, but most people do nothing.

In your opinion, what is the most important work that this organization does? 
The most important work MHC does, hands down, is literally saving the lives of hundreds of cats and dogs

Has volunteering with MHC had a positive impact on your life?  Tell us about a time/incident  that was especially meaningful for you while volunteering with MHC.  
Volunteering has had a huge impact on me. It has taught me that we are all in this together. We are in everything together, whether you sit at home and do nothing or if you spend time volunteering.  

If you could encourage someone else to volunteer with MHC, what would you tell them?
Our community has a huge problem with cats and dogs. As long as our shelter is euthanizing close to 300 cats and dogs a month, we have a huge problem. Many people are uncaring, unkind, and simply do not care. We need better laws and they need to be enforced. Anytime you volunteer in your community, you are helping yourself along the way.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering with MHC? 
Looking into an animal’s eyes, believing that they know you have tried to save them, is a feeling you will never forget. Saving a life, or helping these dogs and cats to flourish and blossom back into the life they should have, can be life changing.  As I said earlier, you are helping yourself along the way. You will find more kindness, generosity, love, and self fulfillment than you ever believed possible.


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Looking into an animal’s eyes, believing that they know you have tried to save them, is a feeling you will never forget. Saving a life, or helping these dogs and cats to flourish and blossom back into the life they should have, can be life changing.