Celeste Morales is a passionate volunteer at The Fur-Bearers who intends to join the Board of Directors this year. Get to know Celeste with us!
Please introduce yourself.
Hello! My name is Celeste Morales (she/her) and I am so thrilled to be applying to join The Fur-Bearers Board of Directors. A little bit about me—I am a proud Latina, dog mom to Harvey and Harlow, and I have been vegan for nearly 10 years. I was born in, and currently reside in, Vancouver, BC which is situated on the stolen, unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) & sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.
I completed my BA in Sociology in 2017 from the University of British Columbia, and my MA in Sociology from the University of Victoria in 2020. I have been working in the human and animal well-being space for nearly four years in various positions with the Vancouver Humane Society, the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, and most recently as the Senior Director of Research and Development at Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (CARE). I consider myself to be a scholar-activist in my work, and I am deeply committed to pursuing social justice-oriented research related to the intersections of animals, people, the environment, and communities.
What inspired you to become a volunteer for The Fur-Bearers?
I am a long-time animal advocate and I have been following The Fur-Bearers for years now—I deeply admire the work that they do. My current work mainly relates to companion animal well-being, which I am so passionate about, but I am also passionate about farm and wild animal welfare. So, I was looking for another way to utilize the skills I’ve learned working in the research space that would allow me to support wildlife and environmental causes. The mission and values of The Fur-Bearers was really a perfect fit!
In what ways do you think volunteering for The Fur-Bearers and other like-minded organizations has personally enriched your life or influenced your perspective on animals?
Volunteering, especially when it’s for a cause you are passionate about, fills your cup in a very special way. It feels so great to be even a small part of a bigger cause. Working in the environmental advocacy and animal welfare space (and even just being a supporter), it’s so common to feel disheartened and burnt out. So being surrounded by people who are just as passionate as you are, and who envision and are working towards the same futures as you, is really motivating.
What advice would you give to someone interested in volunteering to help animals but is unsure of where to start? Could you offer any advice or effective strategies for individuals keen on championing wildlife causes within their communities, even if they’re unable to commit to volunteering?
For those interested in volunteering, my advice would be to do some research about local organizations in your area, check out their websites for opportunities, and then reach out either via email or LinkedIn! It sounds simple but many of these organizations are small and would love to have extra hands to help. Even if there aren’t any opportunities currently, networking and making connections is great, and you can usually fill out a volunteer form to be connected when opportunities arise. CharityVillage.com is a great website to find volunteer positions!
For those who wish to champion wildlife causes but can’t commit to volunteering, there are so many ways to be a supporter and advocate! You can write letters to local policymakers, sign petitions and send them to your friends/family to sign, donate to wildlife-focused organizations, vote for politicians who have environmental and animal advocacy as part of their platform, and follow local organizations and repost their content on social media to spread the word. Then, you can volunteer or attend events whenever possible!
How do you see the future of animal advocacy evolving, and what do you hope to see accomplished in the coming years?
Oof, what a question! So many things come to mind, but I’ll touch on two in particular. First, I do think that the laws and policies related to animal welfare have made slow and steady strides over the past few years, but there is still a ton of work and advocacy to be done. My biggest hope is that that momentum continues and we see more people joining this movement, and more actionable changes being implemented. In my lifetime, I hope to see the end of fur farms and factory farms. I also feel that many people are becoming aware of the fact that human, animal, and environmental well-being are interconnected (for the record, this is not a new concept—interconnectedness is a value within Indigenous worldviews and ways of being and knowing). I hope that this understanding continues to grow in the coming years, as I think this has huge implications for how we understand and approach the climate crisis and other issues.
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