For more than 14 years, animals in the Norwin area have had a friend in Velma Campbell.

For her continued commitment, hard work and dedication to providing a home for local stray cats and dogs, Velma Campbell has been selected as the 2008 North Irwin Citizen of the Year by the Gateway Newspapers editorial board.

Campbell spends countless hours volunteering with Pet Friends, a group dedicated to recovering stray cats and dogs and providing them with a safe and loving home. Her work for the group includes spearheading its fundraising efforts as well as assisting with the recovery and shelter of area strays.

"Somebody's got to take care of God's little creatures. That's how I feel," said Campbell. Animals have been a part of Campbell's life from the beginning.

She grew up on a farm, and throughout her life she always had dogs and cats as pets. Today, her North Irwin house still provides a loving home to several cats recovered from the woods and streets of western Westmoreland County.

Her involvement with Pet Friends started before Pet Friends existed. Two decades ago, Campbell ran into one of her friends who was selling raffle tickets for a previous group that sheltered strays.

Campbell offered to help, and soon found herself more and more involved in the group's work, selling tickets, assisting in catching strays and finding homes for the animals.

When the first group folded five years ago, Campbell was instrumental in bringing people together to form Pet Friends, said volunteer Ruth Roberts.

"Velma was the one who rallied us and said, 'You can't give up on these animals.'"

Campbell organized the other members and "made phone calls and got people interested," said Campbell. Thanks to her efforts, Pet Friends was born.

One of the primary tasks of the group is its Meet-A-Pet events held at North Huntingdon Town Square. There, group members show the strays they recovered and prospective pet owners can adopt them. But before that happens, the strays receive a full veterinary checkup and series of shots.

It takes money to pay for all of the medical work, and Campbell's tireless efforts bring in the funds to make it possible. She runs the group's raffle ticket sale, collects aluminum cans to recycle and redeem for funds and collects printer ink cartridges for the same purpose.

Group members said they also can count on Campbell for advice and assistance whenever they need it.

"Whenever I need something, I can always count on her to help me out," said volunteer Linda Henderson.

Henderson described how last fall, she had received a report of three stray cats near Greensburg, but she could not find and capture them. She called Campbell, who drove up immediately to assist, and wound up spending an entire week before successfully catching the cats.

"Velma never shies away from a challenge," said group member Becky Vilsack.

Campbell's Pet Friends compatriots have nothing but praise for her.

"We need more like her," said Mike Davin.

"She's certainly someone to look up to for what she's done over the years."

As for Campbell, she said the praise is misplaced.

"It takes everybody in the group to keep it going, not just me," she said.

"I think my jobs are easy compared to theirs."

"I do what I can do, you know," said Campbell. "I was bound and determined when I retired I was not going to be sitting at home doing nothing."

Campbell credits a former volunteer and friend for teaching her the tricks of the trade. "I had a good teacher in Dede Anderson," she said, adding that Anderson passed away a year and a half ago.

But ultimately, said Campbell, it's all about the animals. She said her favorite part of the work comes from "seeing them get a nice home, seeing somebody adopt one and take care of it whether it be dog or cat.

"You get a lot of enjoyment and a lot of little things come out of it."