Rising Stars: Meet Ashley Wilson and Debbie Ruttenbur

We’d like to introduce you to Ashley Wilson and Debbie Ruttenbur. She and her team share their story with us below:

Pennies for P. A. W. S. originated in a dream. Co-founder Debbie Ruttenbur literally dreamt of a nonprofit called Pennies of Paws and then asked her good friend Ashley Wilson to join her.

Together, they worked out the details of “paws” and settled on “pets, animals, and wildlife services” or P. A. W. S.

The mission of Pennies for P. A. W. S. has always been to support animal welfare and spread awareness. The original plan was to collect literal pennies (think coin buckets at cash registers and penny drives at schools), but the pandemic hit and cash was no longer king. So, now we have a small presence on Facebook and Instagram and a group of faithful followers and donors.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Considering we thought of a nonprofit that relied on people to donate to their spare change in February 2020 and tried to actually launch it in the summer of 2020, you could say that we began on quite a bumpy road.

Once we finally got off and running, it still was no smooth ride. We were both high school English teachers at the time, and it was difficult to find time to give Pennies for P. A. W. S. sufficient energy (really any energy). “Teacher tired” has always been a real thing, but Pandemic Teacher Tired took our brains to another level. So, PfP fell to the wayside for a while.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We (Debbie and Ashley) both have always had a heart for serving and making a change, with community, education, and animals at the core. We began as 8th grade English teachers working side-by-side in 2011. Our friendship developed over the years, and here we are over a decade later, neither of us teachers anymore but best friends and co-founders.

We are most proud of the difference we have made in the lives of animals through donations we’ve collected from our followers and then donated to animal rescues, shelters, and rehabs.

What sets us apart from others is nothing at all. We aren’t special; in fact, the true heroes of animal welfare are the volunteers doing the footwork behind the scenes day in and day out. There are many nonprofits just like us, and our hope is to contribute—no matter how small that may be— to change and betterment.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The best lesson we’ve learned thus far is to not get our feelings hurt when friends and family don’t open their wallets and donate endlessly or when our insta post gets only five likes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @penniesforpawstn
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/penniesforPAWStn
• Other: https://www.paypal.me/penniesforPAWStn