Helping Hand
Alumna Jessica Naberhaus helps pets in need The fi rst time Jessica
Naberhaus pulled up to Bea’s* home in a rundown neighborhood in Denver and climbed the dilapidated steps to her front door, Bea refused to answer. Naberhaus, a Senior Social Worker for Adult Protective Services, kept returning until one day a frail hand opened the lock. An oxygen tank by her side, 90-year-old Bea invited Naberhaus in. Naberhaus wasn’t sure how
she could reach Bea and gain her trust. As they moved to the living room, even Teddy, Bea’s Chihuahua-Dachshund mix, eyed her suspiciously. “I understood her reluctance to get to know me. Her house
was falling apart. She wanted to keep it up, and she’d hired several contractors. She had paid them, but they never did the work. She’d been burned so many times,” Naberhaus says. Naberhaus decided to earn Teddy’s trust fi rst. She and her
husband, Troy, had fostered rescue dogs for years, so she felt comfortable coaxing Teddy to her side. Over time, Bea opened up to her. Naberhaus learned that Bea’s husband had died 15 years before. The rest of Bea’s family still lived in the Philippines, her home country. Now it was just Bea and Teddy. Bea, on oxygen, didn’t have the energy to go up the stairs in her
home. She was confi ned to the downstairs, and could not even go to the grocery store. One day, Meals on Wheels arrived to bring Bea a hot meal, and Naberhaus learned it would be her only meal of the day. As
photo by Penpa Dolma
Naberhaus stood by, Bea lovingly took the food and divided it into two portions--half for her, half for Teddy.
Naberhaus told Troy the story.
They decided to take action and opened the non-profi t Animal Haus in 2012. Animal Haus works to prevent pet homelessness by providing temporary support to pets and their owners. Run entirely by volunteers, the group’s primary program is the Animal Haus Pet Food Pantry, a mobile pet food service. Every weekend, volunteers use their own vehicles
and gas to deliver food and other essentials to pets in need. With the motto of “Pets are Family Too,” Animal Haus has
distributed over 30,000 pounds of pet food in the Denver Metro Area. Animal Haus also collaborates with other area groups. The Denver
Dumb Friends League provides free spay and neuter vouchers. Local doggie daycare centers serve as food donation drop-off s as well as temporary emergency shelters. Animal services in Denver and surrounding areas regularly refer people to Animal Haus. Naberhaus’s training in helping others began when she attended
Eastern. In 2001, she graduated with a degree in psychology and sociology. Andrea Bradford, Jessica’s sister, graduated from Eastern in 2003 with a degree in psychology and sits on the Animal Haus board. Originally from Michigan, their parents relocated to Colorado in 2013
and regularly volunteer to deliver pet food and supplies. 3 —Kaci Yoh
*Name has been changed.
Did You Know? D
id you know that women’s basketball has been played at EMU for more than 100 years? In fact, the
1909 Michigan Normal team was hailed as “Champions of Michigan” after going undefeated with two wins over Central Michigan (then Mt. Pleasant Normal) and wins against Hillsdale, Detroit Western and Detroit Eastern. The team was coached by Mrs. F. C. Burton and included guards Hazel Reed, Adelaide Inman and Nora Goodrich;
forwards Ina Marie Mathews, Bess Harrington and Edna Dickinson; and center Della Colvin, Della Junkin and Lavonia McIntyre.
*In a previous issue of Eastern Magazine, it stated that Kathy Hart started the women’s basketball program at EMU in 1976. In fact, Kathy Hart was the women’s basketball coach when EMU transitioned to NCAA play in 1976, adding to EMU’s established basketball legacy. 3
Eastern | WINTER 2016 39 Eastern | WINTER 2016 39
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