Thelma Zwirner was a mother and an animal lover, and essentially shaped today’s Orphans of the Storm. Her hard work, dedication to the mission of Orphans of the Storm and strong leadership helped to make Orphans of the Storm one of the largest and most effective animal shelters in the country.

Before Orphans of the Storm
Thelma Zwirner was born in 1908 in New York City and developed her love of animals at an early age. As a child, she was raised with dogs and became a life-long dog lover. Later, she adopted and became fond of cats. Thelma was married to Henry Zwirner and they had 2 sons. During the Depression, she bred and sold German Shepherds professionally and ran a boarding kennel in order to supplement the family’s income. In the process, Thelma became aware of the indiscriminate over-breeding of dogs and cats and the resultant thousands of stray and abandoned animals prevalent in major urban areas in the United States.

While still in New York, Thelma Zwirner became interested in and dedicated to the humane care of stray dogs and cats. She became the principal officer responsible for the Westchester County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (WCSPCA) for many years. At that time, she wrote and led lobbying campaigns for the humane treatment of animals, including the humane slaughtering of food animals. Thelma also founded and directed a registry, the Animal Owners League, Inc., to help locate and return lost dogs and cats to their owners. The Registry was very successful in reuniting animals with their owners throughout Westchester County and the Hudson River Valley north of New York City. Her work also included investigating animal cruelty cases and obtaining both peaceful and court-ordered relinquishments of neglected and abused animals.

After the family moved to Illinois, Thelma Zwirner befriended ‘Kay’ Maxwell of Highland Park, owner of Kay’s Animal Shelter, Inc., then located in Morton Grove. She lent her name and considerable expertise to improving the humane work at Kay’s Shelter.

Thelma Zwirner becomes President of Orphans of the Storm
In early 1969, Irene Castle, founder of Orphans of the Storm, died. The then Board of Directors was unable to locate a qualified person to manage the shelter, and therefore proposed that it be closed. An individual familiar with Thelma Zwirner’s work in Westchester County referred the then Chairman of Orphans’ Board to her. Rather than see the shelter close, Thelma Zwirner took on the project and devoted the remainder of her life to rebuilding and developing Orphans of the Storm. She worked tirelessly in the early years, as many as 60 hours a week, always without any compensation whatsoever.

At that time, Orphans of the Storm maintained only 46 dogs in indoor runs and even more modest numbers of cats and kittens. Adoptions to the public had not been emphasized during Irene Castle’s declining years, with the result that adoptions were very low indeed. Under Thelma Zwirner’s management, the facilities were expanded, humane care of the animals was emphasized, and the adoption program was publicized and grew dramatically. Today there are over 94 indoor/outdoor runs housing up to 190 dogs and an entire building dedicated to up to 500 cats and kittens.

Thelma Zwirner had a profound effect on Orphans of the Storm through her strong will, good character and love and sensitivity for animals. After her death in 1994, Thelma’s son Richard established a memorial fund called the Thelma S. Zwirner Capital Improvements Fund. The fund will be used specifically for the construction of and major repairs to the buildings, kennels, treatment facilities, offices and grounds at Orphans of the Storm. In the future, monies will be solicited separately for the Fund, and earmarked for these types of capital projects. Here’s how you could help.