<div>Hello, my name is T’Marie, and I am the founder of 4Paws4Claws, a nonprofit organization created from a lifetime of resilience, healing, and an unwavering love for animals.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My journey began with hardship. My mother had me at sixteen and later struggled with addiction and alcoholism, leaving her without the support or capacity to raise me. Throughout my childhood, I was passed between relatives and family friends until I was nine, when I went to live with my father and his new wife. Unfortunately, that home was not a safe or loving environment.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I experienced emotional and physical abuse and grew up feeling unwanted, like a responsibility no one truly wanted to carry. I was isolated from other children. I couldn’t play outside freely, visit friends, watch television, or experience a normal childhood. At school, I was bullied because I lived differently from other kids. I became shy, withdrawn, and filled with shame.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>By the age of sixteen, I had attempted to end my life twice. I was a deeply sad and lonely child searching for comfort and connection.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The one place I found peace was with animals.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Dogs and other animals became my safe space. I would sit with them for hours, talking, playing, and finding comfort in their presence. While our pets were often kept outside and not always treated kindly, I felt a deep bond with them because, in many ways, I understood what it felt like to be neglected and unheard.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As I grew into adulthood, my connection to animals only deepened. I found myself naturally drawn to helping vulnerable creatures, stopping to feed stray dogs and cats, rescuing injured birds, rabbits, and squirrels, and caring for animals whenever I could. Animals have an incredible ability to sense energy, kindness, and intention, and I have always felt that they recognized something gentle and healing within me.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Despite my childhood experiences, I refused to let pain define who I became. I chose to be a giver, a caregiver, and someone who leads with compassion.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In 2015, I met the love of my life. We married in 2017, and tragically, I lost my husband to COVID-19 on March 16, 2020, at only 47 years old. His passing left me grieving and searching for purpose again. After years of working in corporate America and pursuing a few unsuccessful business ventures, I reached a point where I asked myself a powerful question:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>What is my true purpose before I leave this world?
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>That answer came to me in January 2026.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>A stray cat had been living in a sewer near my home. I began feeding her daily, and two weeks later, I discovered she had brought her four kittens into my backyard. Out of compassion, I took them in even though I was renting and could not keep them permanently. I carefully vetted families through the Nextdoor app, successfully adopting two kittens into loving homes and placing the others in a no-kill shelter, where they were adopted within 48 hours.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Through a Trap-Neuter-Spay-Release program, I was able to have the mother cat spayed. I named her Gypsy Girl because she loves to roam. Bringing Gypsy home changed something inside me. She is one of the sweetest souls I have ever encountered, and I truly believe she came into my life for a reason — at a time when I needed healing most.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Gypsy inspired my vision for 4Paws4Claws.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My mission is to rescue stray and abandoned dogs and cats, rehabilitate them medically and emotionally, groom and train them, and transform them into emotional support and companion animals for individuals and families who need comfort, healing, and connection.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I want to give neglected animals a second chance while also helping people who struggle with loneliness, grief, trauma, disability, or emotional hardship experience the unconditional love only an animal can provide.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>This is more than a shelter.
</div>
<div>It is a healing bridge between people and animals.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I am seeking community support to purchase a commercial building where rescued animals can be rehabilitated, trained, and placed into loving homes. While some people doubt this dream or laugh at the idea, I believe God did not bring me through everything I have survived just to fail now.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I believe this is my calling.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you feel moved by my story or believe in the power of compassion, I humbly ask for your support — whether through donations, sharing this fundraiser, or simply following the journey.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Please follow and support our mission:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Facebook: My Furry Valentines
</div>
<div>YouTube: Enlightened
</div>
<div>Website coming soon :)
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I invite you to be part of this journey,  to help turn once-forgotten animals into beloved companions and to bring healing to both animals and people alike.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for believing in 4Paws4Claws and in second chances.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>With gratitude,
</div>
<div>T’Marie
</div>

Anonymous

Join 4Paws4Claws: Giving Animals and People Second Chances

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Join 4Paws4Claws: Giving Animals and People Second Chances

Still $15,990 to go. Help us build momentum.