Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Meet Claudia Bruno of Calliope Rescue Store

Meet Claudia Bruno, Captain and fearless leader of the ArtistsForAnimals team! 
Claudia's interview is the 4th in my series of interviews with my ArtistsForAnimals teammates. Read more about the 1st three interviewees Carolyn,  Allison and Jan  by clicking on their names.
 

Congratulations Claudia on an amazing 2011! Claudia's tiny rescue organization saved the lives of 100 cats and kittens!
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your shop.
I am the President of Calliope Rescue,501c3, a Boston-based rescue group.

What inspired you to open your shop?
 
The ArtistsforAnimalsTeam! Although I started this team a year ago with my jewelry shop, I noticed how many rescues had their 100% charity shops and I decided to open one for us as well.
GO TEAM!

What do you do when you aren't designing & creating things?
I bottle-feed homeless kittens, dig through jewelry supplies for my other shop CalliopesAttic, make artisan jewelry for ClaudiaBruno, eat and sleep whenever I can. LOL
 
Junior is Claudia's most recent bottle baby. How cute is he?!
Where, who, or what does your influence come from? 
Beeblecat and Mad Scientist who listed ACEOs in their shops to raise money. Thank you Joyce and Mad!

What inspires you to be creative?
 
Life.

When did you first discover that you were or wanted to be an artist?

Since I painted my entire nursery with apple sauce at the age of 1
What inspired you to get involved in charity work/rescue?
 I started as a volunteer at the Ellen Gifford Shelter, the first no-kill, cageless shelter in the country. Founded in 1888. Within two years, I became one of the managers. I was mainly in charge of 87 volunteers and of the adoptions. As of today, I have conducted 810 adoptions and trained 437 volunteers! WOW.
I met my angel friend Brenda and together we started Calliope Rescue. I have to say that my rescue group was named after Calliope, a Calico who suffered from depression. Brenda and I took 4 months to get her adopted but we did it. Calliope represents every we do: rescue - rehabilitation - rehome.

What charity/cause are you promoting right now? Please tell us a little about it and where we can find out more.
My own, callioperescue.org also my teammates Donna and Wendy with CLAWS (visit their charity store here), I also help Tuscaloosa K-9 dog camp with their amazon wishlist since the tornado devastation.

Who are your favorite shops to browse on Etsy?
I honestly don't have tons of time to browse since whatever time I have, I dedicate to this team. All of your shops, of course!

What other shop owner would you like to learn more about?

Oh, man. Everyone on this team, of course!

Where else, other than Etsy, can you be found on the net?

callioperescue.org on petfinder.com

Thank you, Mad! Thank you team for being a part of the solution. We are surrounded by angels on this team and seeing all of your comments, your shops and your charities makes me want to be a better person.
xo ~ Mad

9 comments:

  1. Congratulations and THANK YOU for all you do to save kitties, Claudia!

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  2. Great work! I confess when I first read the headline I thought it would be an interview with Carla Bruni but it's somebody far more effective. Thank you Claudia!

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  3. You are the best!:) Thank you for all the time and love you give these babies. You have helped so many. Big Hug!

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  4. Great interview and amazing to hear how much you have accomplished and the cats and kittens you have helped. I'm the proud owner of two old rescue cats, Misty and Smokey.

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  5. Claudia for President! Oh wait, you already are ;)A fearless leader indeed, but also a kind and caring person AND a very talented artist!
    The things you do for cats and other animals, the way you care for any team member, your witty sense of humor...just makes me wanna say: love you bunches!!!
    HUgs!

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  6. Yay for Claudia and Mad:) They are the best!
    We love our Claudia....and Junior:)

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  7. Hat up for Claudia our wonderful Captain !
    And for Mad who made this interview !
    And for Artists 4 Animals'members who are fantastics persons which make the difference in animals lifes !!!

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  9. From Karen Carpenter:

    I've known Claudia for 20 years and she's always had a passion for creating art and for helping animals. Let me also say that she's been an amazing friend too. She met me at the hospital in 2009 the day I went in for my cancer surgery. She grabbed my hand outside Brigham and Women's, and held it until I was called to pre-op. She bought me Hello Kitty jammies to wear while I was in the hospital and lent me her treasured Mickey Mouse ears, which I wore with pride when I had to get out of bed 5 times a day to walk the halls of the surgery unit. It made everyone smile. That's what Claudia does, she bring light into our lives and into the lives of these helpless creatures. Thank you Claudia for all you've done for me and for all you do to end the suffering of our feline friends.

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