Our Team

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue, our amazing team is an all volunteer group, committed to helping animals. 

Terry G.

President, Founder
Terry is the founder.  She has been a Registered Nurse for almost 20 years, 18 have bee spent in the ER.  She has been an animal advocate for just as long.  Her background began with small animals and exotic rescue.  She has also volunteered in the shelter setting and spent time caring for horses at a local barn, although she admits her talents with horses are mainly limited to petting them and mucking stalls. shelter setting and spent time caring for horses at a local barn, although she admits her talents with horses are mainly limited to petting them and mucking stalls.

Leslie S.

Executive Director, Board Member

Leslie grew up on a farm in rural

 Oswego, IL, she was surrounded by cats, dogs and horses.  Her compassion for animals started at a young age and only grows stronger.  Her true passion over the past 25+ years, has been dedicated to helping the homeless stray/feral cat population through TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, return) projects and finding fur-ever homes for the adoptable kittens/cats in Kendall County and neighboring small towns.   Cats seem to find her wherever she goes!   In addition to felines, she works with Raptors (birds of prey) that are injured and need to be to relocated to a rehabber. 

Renko Animal Shelter was established in 2016 as a 501(c)3 rescue. It first became an idea when the founder adopted a dog that was rescued from a large dog fighting ring.  It brought to the forefront the suffering and need that sadly exists worldwide.

Our goals include:

• Saving as many treatable and rehabilitatable animals as possible
• Promoting animal-friendly legislation and ordinances
• Educating the community on proper pet ownership and care
• To relieve the city and government-funded facilities and
• To aid the community in keeping animals in their home, which may include assisting in the case of hardship
•  Raising funds to build or buy a building in order to create the first no-kill shelter in Kendall County.  To create a community place; somewhere people can come when they need guidance on pet ownership and care helping pets stay in their existing homes, adopting out animals in need and being an asset to the community by serving as a resource for all things related to being a pet owner.

Being a no-kill rescue and furthering the no-kill mission is a significant part of Renko Animal Shelter. To us, no-kill means saving all treatable and rehabilitatable animals; euthanizing only in cases of irremediable suffering - never for space.