Meet Lauren Shell, Onya Roehrig, Maya Meheidli, and Lindsay Malloy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Shell, Onya Roehrig, Maya Meheidli, and Lindsay Malloy.

Hi Lauren, Onya, Maya, and Lindsay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
We started as three passionate, animal-loving dog moms who met through various volunteer efforts at local rescues in the Detroit area. Due to COVID- 19, the shelters closed, and volunteering came to a halt. We quickly came together to brainstorm a solution to continue to help homeless animals. There were so many animals who needed homes, medical attention, and love.

In August 2020, Peace Love and Paws Rescue (PLPR) was born. We started raising funds through selling merchandise, fundraising, donations, and supporting local community events. All funds raised went directly to emergency medical needs, establishing a nonprofit status, and finding shelter animals their furever home.

Heading into the winter months Covid-19 extremely limited our fundraising options. One of our supporters came to our rescue with an AMAZING fundraising idea. Maya personally collected and returned over 26,000 cans, raising over $2,600 for PLPR. We knew she was a dedicated philanthropist and immediately asked her to join the team in January 2021.

The last year has been a roller coaster. PLPR has seen the best and the worst of mankind. We continue to grow by the day and have funded over $55,000 in emergency medical funding in 2021.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We are not going to lie; it has been a bumpy road with a lot of learning as we go. From getting the rescue up and running, obtaining our 501c3 certification, learning how to trap a dog, helping our first hospice case, and learning how to work together as a team, just to name a few. Rescue is hard and draining, but we would not change a thing. Each life we save shows us how much of an impact we are making and encourages us to do it all over again. Rescue work is happy and sad, but coming together as a team and saving lives is exactly why we started PLPR to begin with.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Our backgrounds range from procurement, finance and accounting, financial technology, and social worker.

Lauren: Lauren studied Merchandising Management at Michigan State University. Lauren currently works as an Assistant Purchasing Program Manager in the automotive industry and has over 15 years of experience in procurement and logistics.

Lauren has loved and rescued pets her entire life. She currently lives with her four dogs (Marley, Peanut, Lola, and Sammy) and her husband, Drew. She is very passionate about raising money and awareness for animals in need. If she could, she would save every homeless and neglected animal she came across.

Onya: Onya is a graduate of Wayne State University with a double major in Accounting and Finance and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Onya has worked in the finance and accounting field for over 16 years.

Onya’s passion for dogs began in 2013 when she and her husband adopted their first greyhound, Chase, from Motorcity Greyhound Rescue. Since then, both Onya and her husband Jeff, have adopted two more greyhounds and fostered numerous dogs. They volunteer in several capacities, including working various events to educate people of the breed, assisting in fundraising activities, and conducting in-home visits for potential adopters. Onya also volunteers her time at her local humane society and a community rescue.

Lindsay: Lindsay graduated from Western Michigan University with a BBA in Advertising and Promotion. She is a Customer Experience and Product Development leader in the electronic payments industry with over 12 years of experience in Operations and Product Management.

Lindsay lives and works with her husband Ryan and their two Yorkie-Poo’s; Ralph and Stewart. Lindsay has a knack for research and enjoys sharing info on pet safety and natural pet products. She is passionate about supporting small and local businesses and has volunteered with Detroit Animal Care and Control since 2019.

Maya: Maya is a graduate of Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and is currently attending Villanova University to earn her Master’s in Public Administration. She is on the St. Clair Shores Statler-Maloof Dog Park Committee board and has spent the last six years working in various roles to assist those in need through research, fieldwork, and quality assurance. Maya always had a passion for assisting the less fortunate and has always loved animals, despite her allergies to most. Maya and her husband, Steve, rescued their Husky, Rook, and their German Shepherd, Knight.

What’s next?
Our future plans are all focused on scalability. In order to help more animals, we are looking to expand our foster base and bring on additional dependable volunteers who share our vision. We are growing at a very rapid rate and in order to keep up with the needs of our community, we need more help. We look forward to 2022 and what is to come.

Contact Info:

• Email: peaceloveandpawsrescue@gmail.com
• Website: www.peaceloveandpawsrescue.com
• Instagram: peaceloveandpawsrescue
• Facebook: facebook.com/peaceloveandpawsrescue

Image Credits
Jessica T.
Haj Photography