This author spotlights a modest, somewhat reluctant woman, to be interviewed, for this document. She has demonstrated a passion which has resulted in a better life for the dogs and kitties of the Perry, Iowa area.

Meet Joyce Conklin VanKirk a graduate of Perry High School.

In 1975, as the Vietnam War raged on, she took her first stance against the war. In conversations with her State Representative, then Speaker of the House, Andrew Varley, she would later be appointed by then Governor Bob Ray to be a commissioner on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. She served as a commissioner on the DNR Board for 8 years, as an advocate for clean Iowa waterways.

She had many ideas and thoughts on her career decision tree, including the desire to own a flower shop. Her father, a Perry businessperson, encouraged Joyce to spend time in another shop, to determine if that was really what she wanted to do. After one year she became the entrepreneurial owner and designer of FLOWERS AND GIFTS BY JOYCE. During that same period, she served on the Perry City Council for 8 years.

In 1995, because of several life changes for her, she met and fell in love with Pete VanKirk. Life was good for their combined marriage, each bringing three bonus children to the union. The happiness was short lived, as Pete unexpectedly died in 2016.

She admits she had not paid much attention to financial affairs, but following his death, she sought the advice of a financial investor/planner and learned she was financially sound. She accepted and noted that all 6 of their combined children and their families were doing well. Her late husband Pete always encouraged and prioritized giving locally. She summoned the words of Warren Buffet saying, “If possible, invest in charitable giving, while you can observe how it is being used”.

Joyce credits her mother for the genetic tendency to care for and nurture animals. As a young girl she recalls finding a nest of baby mice in the pasture and brought them home and fed them with an eye dropper. She and her 4 sisters all consider themselves as genetically predisposed “animal people”.

She became aware of the Perry City Pound, and the horrible conditions endured by animals who existed there. In 2006 we organized and became the Humane Society of Perry. The animal loving volunteers had garage sales, and bake sales, and $50,000 was generated. When asked, she often estimated they would need $100,000 to build a rescue. They were impatient.

One day as discouragement crept in, she decided to just get this done!

She and her sister began visiting animal shelters and identified the various components they wanted in the new facility. The list included a shelter that was free of foul odors and would last for at least 40 years. The engineer-architect determined what they desired would cost 2.5 million dollars.

But harkening on the words that “gifts are not gifts, but an investment” and being advised that she was financially stable enough to see the project completed, ground was broken in 2018. In May of 2020, the shelter for 17 dogs and up to 50 cats was opened.

The Raccoon River Pet Rescue has seen an influx of animals’ post Covid. Joyce believes many people secured pets when isolated at home, and then as they returned to work, their pets became a problem.

Joyce’s 2 sisters, one daughter, the Mayor of Perry, the Police Chief, and two friends compose the Raccoon River Pet Rescue Board. She has enlisted her son, an attorney, to do the legal work, and one board member does the bookkeeping. Her daughter’s partner is a veterinarian and donates his time to cover spay/neutering and medical emergencies. Her sister, Jill does social media marketing of the pets, while her daughter does photos that encourage adoption.

They embrace volunteers from the Woodward Academy five days a week, and other volunteers cover the morning and evening shift to complete caregiving and cleaning. A full-time coordinator is on the payroll to ensure additional care for the pets.

Joyce and her family are a wonderful example of the Starfish adage, all the starfish on the beach cannot be returned to the ocean, but for the one that they just threw back, it made a difference.

If you enjoyed reading this article about Joyce and Raccoon River Pet Rescue, see their Facebook Page at Raccoon River Pet Rescue.

Joyce Conklin VanKirk, thank you for being a Woman who Made a Difference.