‘Relentless’ Vancouver animal shelter volunteer faces cancer, pushes for largest fundraising team

Jenna Deml
·2 min read

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After a recent cancer diagnosis and treatments, a dedicated volunteer at a Vancouver animal shelter is helping out behind the scenes and will cheer from the sidelines for the largest pet-friendly fundraiser in the community.

Susan Immer, a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), was diagnosed with oral cancer last October. While treatment has been successful, it has also prevented her from participating in the event itself. However, her new goal is to get 100 walkers for her fundraising team, Cats Rule, to support HSSW’s Walk/Run for the Animals event in May.

Should Immer make her goal, this would be the largest Walk/Run team in the event’s history, according to Sam Ellingson, HSSW’s Director of Communications.

Two-time ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ winner Jinkx Monsoon to headline Portland Pride

  • After a recent cancer diagnosis, Susan Immer, a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), is working to create the largest team in HSSW's history for a walk/run fundraising event. (Courtesy: HSSW/WazMixPix)
    After a recent cancer diagnosis, Susan Immer, a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), is working to create the largest team in HSSW’s history for a walk/run fundraising event. (Courtesy: HSSW/WazMixPix)
  • After a recent cancer diagnosis, Susan Immer, a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), is working to create the largest team in HSSW's history for a walk/run fundraising event. (Courtesy: HSSW/WazMixPix)
    After a recent cancer diagnosis, Susan Immer, a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), is working to create the largest team in HSSW’s history for a walk/run fundraising event. (Courtesy: HSSW/WazMixPix)
  • After a recent cancer diagnosis, Susan Immer, a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), is working to create the largest team in HSSW's history for a walk/run fundraising event. (Courtesy: HSSW/WazMixPix)
    After a recent cancer diagnosis, Susan Immer, a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), is working to create the largest team in HSSW’s history for a walk/run fundraising event. (Courtesy: HSSW/WazMixPix)

“Susan is a relentless force of a fundraiser,” added Ellingson. “She’s well known for her hallway recruitment at the shelter, non-stop button making, and her dedication to making Cats Rule one of the top Walk/Run teams. I can’t think of a better way to honor Susan’s commitment to the animals and her decades of service than by helping her reach 100 team members.”

In her decades volunteering for HSSW, Immer is known at the shelter not only for her creative fundraising, but for making buttons, cat toys, blankets and cat-ear headbands which she sells to raise money for the shelter. Additionally, she has fostered kittens, volunteered extensively with the shelter’s cats and founded HSSW’s volunteer sewing circle.

Last McCormick & Schmick’s in Portland to close Monday

“She is an incredible advocate for the animals and has been an essential supporter in so much of our work supporting the feline population,” said Ellingson.

If you would like to register for Cats Rule, click here.

Walk/Run for the Animals begins at 8 a.m. on May 4 at the Downtown Vancouver Waterfront. More details, registration information and more can be found at the link.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.