Meet Mary Malarkey and Olive
Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Mary Malarkey, A Champion for Special Needs Dogs
Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary is fortunate to have wonderful volunteers like Mary Malarkey. Mary grew up in Washington, DC, and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1981 with a degree in Microbiology. After graduation, Mary embarked on a career for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), serving the public proudly for over 32 years. Mary has always been drawn to the water, and after falling in love with Charleston, decided to make it her permanent home in 2021. Mary now resides on Johns Island with her rescue dog Milo Louie, and her Partner, Rob. Mary is a proud stepmom, Grandma Mary to six, Oma to one, and has recently welcomed her fourth great-grandchild.
Mary’s lifelong love for animals was deepened by her 15 years of volunteer experience at a rescue group in Maryland. Upon retiring, Mary wasted no time getting involved with Hallie Hill and has become a valuable member of our volunteer team here at the Sanctuary. Special needs dogs hold a special place in Mary’s heart. She finds it incredibly rewarding to connect with and see these dogs open up after all they have endured. One such dog is Olive, a sweet and shy soul who came to us from an overcrowded shelter. Olive struggled at first and was very timid around people. With Mary’s tender love and care, Olive has begun to open up and make tremendous progress.
Mary’s enthusiasm extends beyond the animals – she cherishes the relationships she’s built with other volunteers and has described it as a privilege being able to work with such caring folks. Thank you Mary for your unwavering commitment to Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary, our animals, and our team.
Jennifer Middleton is a certified animal welfare administrator and serves as the Executive Director. Her passion for Hallie Hill’s mission explains her abundance of enthusiasm and a “no quitting” attitude. Jennifer grew up in the Hollywood area and found herself rescuing animals of all kinds throughout her childhood and into adulthood. Whether it be orphaned opossums or dogs from the roadside- she could not turn away from an animal in distress.
Daisy McKenzie is an animal care provider and also assists with maintenance. Daisy distributes medications, feeds, cleans, and grooms. Daisy But this girl isn’t afraid to get dirty- and can also be found mowing the grass and running the tractor. Daisy grew up in a farm like environment, caring for not only dogs and cats, but horses, goats, rabbits, chickens, and more. Her love of animals is unsurpassed and she has a very special way with our feline residents. Daisy completed the Fear Free Shelter Program, graduated from West Ashley High School and lives in Adams Run with her four-legged children: dogs named Gator, Ginger, Sugar, Sybil, and Maggie and cats named Delta, Fred and Candy.