karen duncan, director at large

Karen and Maria Soroski founded VOKRA in 2000 with a mission to care for kittens that needed around-the-clock bottle feeding and treatment. With assistance and training from Dr. Brondwin at Arbutus West Animal Clinic, they were able to make their dream a reality and things grew from there.

Over the years, Karen has seen VOKRA expand with ever-growing teams of people who organize and share the work. She's thrilled the organization now has the Operations Centre, which has enough space to allow for safely housing incoming cats, storage, and all of VOKRA's volunteers. She's also proud of VOKRA's TNR program and low-income spay and neuter which has effectively eliminated the endless flow of tiny kittens from Vancouver streets.

maria soroski, director at large

Maria co-founded VOKRA with Karen Duncan in 2000, after years of volunteering with cats and kittens. While volunteering, Maria saw a desperate need to develop a specific approach to cat and kitten care, as well as a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program in order to keep the feral and homeless cat population down.

After VOKRA’s inception, Maria’s dream started coming true. Local shelters were seeing a dramatic drop in feral cat and kitten numbers in Vancouver – something Maria is proud to have helped with. She paved the way with VOKRA’s founding values and continues to ensure that, as a no-kill organization. The TNR program is one of the best in BC.

With a passion for giving homeless and feral cats a happy and healthy life, Maria always ensures VOKRA uses nutritious food for all cats. With VOKRA keeping her busy, the former prairie gal loves to reward herself with time spent at home relaxing with her cats.

michael sheldrake, director at large

Michael is an avid foster of kittens and moms. With his wife, Viktoryia, he’s fostered more than 35 cats and kittens. He is also involved in learning the trapping process and is keen to become even more active in the organization.

Michael is a local RE/MAX agent and has plenty of experience from building his business over the past 12 years. He is also formally educated in sciences with a B.Sc from UBC. His strengths are problem-solving, transparency and communication.

Sherry work, director at large

Sherry has been a dedicated volunteer with VOKRA since 2022, embarking on a remarkably diverse and enriching career journey. Her professional background spans across government, technology, and non-profit sectors, where she has honed her expertise in finance, administration, and volunteerism. This wealth of experience has equipped her with a diverse skill set, including mastery of Microsoft Dynamics AX, Excel, and web administration, all of which she skillfully applies in her volunteer efforts. 

Her impactful contributions to VOKRA, alongside her volunteer work with the Marine Mammal Rescue Society (MMR) and the Aquarium, truly stand out. Sherry has been instrumental in streamlining operations and bolstering critical services such as scheduling and inventory management, all while passionately supporting vital causes. 

Her career features roles with the City of Whitehorse, the Yukon Government, the District of West Vancouver, and Eclipse Computing Australia, where she specialized in Microsoft Dynamics AX. Sherry’s commitment and expertise shines through her work.

Dania Sheldon, Director at Large

Dania joined VOKRA on 4 July 2005 as a foster, and the organization quickly became a huge part of her life. After relocating to Gabriola Island in 2009, Dania continued to participate in VOKRA fundraising campaigns and to foster cats. She also became the liaison between VOKRA and her local cat rescue group, as well as other rescue groups in the Gulf Island and Vancouver Island regions. At present, she is the team lead for VOKRA’s Adoption Readiness and Support Team.

In 2001, Dania received a doctorate in English language and literature from the University of Oxford, and for the past 25 years, she has been a self-employed professional writer and editor. She brings to the VOKRA Board excellent verbal and written communication abilities; a high level of organizational skills, focus, and self-direction; a very strong work ethic; well-developed interpersonal skills; a collaborative problem-solving approach; and a wide-ranging knowledge of cats and their physical, mental, emotional, and behavioural needs. Her family currently includes ten cats, nine of whom have chronic health challenges and permanent mobility differences, and she is the medical lead for her local cat rescue group on Gabriola.

Dania’s employment history encompasses working for federal and provincial government departments and Crown corporations, including in human resources, corporate security, policy writing, and business continuity/succession planning. As a volunteer, she served for several years on the BC and national boards of Editors Canada, and from 2007 to 2023, she also served on the board of the Vancouver Oxford and Cambridge Society.

In her two decades with VOKRA, Dania has helped found the Walk for the Kitties and the VOKRA Calendar, organizing and creating 11 of the 12 calendar editions, and she looks forward to continuing that work. Back in the mists of time, she started the earliest VOKRA newsletter, the Mewsletter, writing or sourcing and editing all of the content, doing the digital layout, and arranging the printing and distribution logistics. Dania was VOKRA’s first Operations Manager in the years before HQ was moved from Kitsilano to Wall Street, created VOKRA’s first website and org chart, and organized a successful media and fundraising campaign at a critical financial juncture in 2009–2010.

Peggy Sullivan, Director at large

Experience with VOKRA - 15 Years of Dedication

Over the past 15 years, I have dedicated myself to volunteering with VOKRA, a journey that began as the sole Adoption Counselor. Interviewing potential adopters and matching the right cat to the purrfect adopter. A task that I approached with diligence and a deep sense of responsibility.

As the years progressed, I successfully grew my team, which now stands at 10 members, each bringing their unique strengths and passion to the adoption process. My daily interactions span across various key areas within VOKRA; collaborating closely with Foster Coordinators, Fosters, the Contracts team, and maintaining a liaison with the Medical and Behaviour team.

In addition to my primary role, I have actively participated in numerous fundraising events, such as Walk for the Kitties and other events.   My broad experience and extensive knowledge of VOKRA enable me to offer invaluable insights and strategies to support VOKRA's continued growth.

My background has been in the Music Industry, Event Coordinating, Catering, and Accounting in the film industry.