About Us
Adopt. Volunteer. Donate.
About Us
Annex Cat Rescue was founded in 1997 when several residents of the Annex neighbourhood, located in downtown Toronto, joined together to care for a local feral cat colony. We are a 100% volunteer-run, not-for-profit registered charity (871653945 RR0001) that does not operate an office or shelter. We receive no government funding.
Over the years, ACR’s service area, both for cats and volunteers, has grown to span the city. We now have several managed colonies stretching from Dixon Road in the west to Scarborough in the east.
We also endeavour to assist members of the community via our feral/stray email outreach program, founded in 2011 and answering requests for help for homeless cats and kittens in various situations. Through advice, referrals, and medical/trapping intervention where possible, we work to empower community members to become involved in cat care.
Since its inception, ACR has provided compassionate cat rescue work in Toronto forging partnerships to help the most vulnerable cats in our city. Our strength comes from our network of volunteers and our work is only possible due to the generosity of our donors and supporters who work tirelessly to improve the lives of community cats in our city.
OUR MISSION
Annex Cat Rescue is dedicated to eliminating cat homelessness in Toronto. Until that time, we care for cats and kittens in a variety of ways including (but not limited to) daily feeding and colony management, medical/dental care, socializing, fostering, adopting or, in the case of feral cats, spaying/neutering and returning (TNR). ACR remains 100% volunteer-run with nearly 90% of monies raised helping cats in partnership with veterinarians who provide services at reduced rates.
OUR VISION
A city where all cats – whether they are feral, stray or owned – are loved and cared for.
OUR VALUES
• Compassion • Cooperation • Respect • Dedication • Integrity
ACR Board of Directors
Meet Annex Cat Rescue’s Volunteer Board of Directors for 2022-2023
Sydney Shapansky
Chair
Since 2012, Sydney has been a passionate volunteer, advocate, and foster home. Her fostering journey started in Montreal, and she quickly went on to volunteer at events and manage adoptions as well as serving as Adoptions Chair on the board of the rescue there.
When Sydney moved to Toronto, she wanted to foster with an organization that valued the care of all cats and made an impact. She has fostered dozens of ACR cats and kittens in the years since! Her most recent fosters are Shrimp and Lobster, two young kittens who had severe eye infections at a young age and unfortunately needed their eyes removed. She unofficially specializes in socializing dog-friendly kitties with the help of her dog and foster brother extraordinaire, Gourdo. Sydney works in the fundraising sector and is excited to bring her extensive experience in the area to the Annex Cat Rescue board and continue to bring awareness and comprehensive care to the street cats of Toronto.
Michelle Vinokurov
Treasurer
Michelle is a certified fundraising executive with over 25 years of experience in development and philanthropy, both in Canada and internationally. Prior to joining ACR, Michelle sat on the Association of Fundraising Professionals GTA and Canadian Foundation boards where she served as VP, Professional Development and member of the governance and revenue committees. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Business Administration. She also practices karate, is working on her black belt, and has a strong affinity for coffee, bourbon, and wine, not necessarily in that order. Most importantly, she has two cats named Starbuck (from Battlestar Galactica, not the coffee) and Maze a.k.a. little demon (from Lucifer) because all cats should have kick-ass female character names.
Kim Hughes
Member-at-Large
A long-time volunteer, Kim has performed many roles within ACR, including feral colony feeder, fundraiser, blog coordinator, writer and more. Kim served two terms as Chair beginning in summer 2017 as well as two terms as Vice-Chair and one term as Member-at-Large prior to that. An entertainment journalist-editor by trade and two-legged caretaker to rescue Sunny (plus Fue and Mister Hister, R.I.P.), Kim is a lifelong animal advocate who hopes to one day see cat homelessness end for good.
Elva Ma
Vice-Chair
Elva is a small animal veterinarian working in downtown Toronto. She has volunteered with ACR as a foster parent since 2011, and has a great interest in shelter medicine, community sheltering, and initiatives to help reduce animal homelessness. Elva has a soft spot for senior kitties and has welcomed several into her home over the years, with her current resident being a sweet black kitty named Ivy. She looks forward to working with and learning from the dedicated team at ACR as a board member, and helping to improve the lives of homeless cats and community cats across the city.
April Campbell
Secretary
April got involved in cat rescue by accident, as most people do. She has been a volunteer community trapper for many years and started volunteering with Annex in 2020. April traps hundreds of cats each year for TNR and rescue. April also assesses, socializes, and fosters. April dedicates much of her free time to helping Toronto’s street cats and educating the public about TNR and spay/neuter. April is a law clerk and when she isn’t working or out trapping, she spends her time with her family, their dog, and their own resident feline overloads, including two formal ferals who can’t go back to their colonies and who April is convinced love her, but they just don’t know it yet. April hopes to use her time on the board to continue to advocate for Toronto’s most vulnerable cats and the volunteers who care for them.
Katie Phillips
Member-at-Large
Katie has been a volunteer with Annex Cat Rescue since 2015 and is responsible for coordinating medical care for ACR’s ongoing roster of foster cats. This involves everything from routine vaccines and spays to after-hours emergency care. Katie holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology, a Master of Environmental Science, and is a Certified Energy Manager. In her professional life, Katie is a project manager with a focus on net-zero emissions building retrofits. In her personal life, Katie enjoys hiking, reading, rock climbing, paddle-boarding, and spending time with her two black rescue cats, Neville and Spencer.