We're so excited to bring you our first feature article!
Get cozy, settle in, and get to know our great friends.
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| Sara, Julian, & Maurice |
My name is Sara Villines, and I am a 30 something health care professional living in SouthWest Missouri with my two amazing Havanese boys; Julian age 2 and Maurice age 1. If I could pick one word that has defined my life it would be "Compassion." When I was growing up, compassion is something my parents strived to instill within me... I was the child who wanted to donate my entire piggy bank to organizations like Feed the Children, and who gave my toys to the less fortunate.
It was no surprise then when I graduated high school and immediately began volunteering my time for a non-profit in Haiti, where my parents had adopted three children just a year prior. What started as a volunteer project trying to find homes for three orphans, grew into a 501c3 charity with three orphanages, a school, and many humanitarian projects. Here I found my first career. From 2002-2008 I assisted with international adoptions and humanitarian aid until the economy crashed, and the Hauge Convention outlawed independent adoptions.
Health care was something I had never considered until a friend was able to help me find a job in the field. I started out working with individuals with developmental disabilities. Something just seemed to fit in my new field, and so I furthered my education in the medical field. I have worked in many different specialties, each one enriching in a different way. I think that is perhaps my favorite part of health care, the ability to learn, grow, and experience new things daily, all the while helping others.
Julian and Maurice each have their own unique stories of trials and tribulation. Julian is a pesticide poisoning survivor, and I rescued Maurice via Craigslist from severe abuse and neglect. It was going through these journeys with both of them that inspired me to launch HavaHeart as a way to pay it forward for all of the blessings in our lives... We want every dog, and their family to be as fortunate as we are. "...Freely you have received; freely give." Matthew 10:8
HavaHeart, opening on May 29, 2015, sells top quality homemade treats baked with only the best cruelty free and organic ingredients. We also sell boutique items, many of which are also hand crafted in our home. We take a holistic and homeopathic approach to meeting your pets nutritional and health related needs, because they aren't just pets, they're family... 10% of every purchase is donated to an animal related charitable cause. You can find us online at: www.hava-heart.com
