The news reached us through Alina, a kind-hearted woman who knew Verginia personally — she had been her teacher in primary school. A woman who once taught her how to write, later became an animal rescuer who inspired through action, not words. After retiring from a life dedicated to educating children, Verginia chose to spend her final years helping abandoned and abused animals in her rural village. Tragically, she lost her life in the fire while trying to save them. Her mother was also severely injured and was placed in intensive care.

What you’d like to be remembered for? It is a question with as many answers as people you are asking.

After a lifetime dedicated teaching children to write and making first steps to become successful, in a village forgotten in time, Verginia plans changed and after retirement, all she wanted was to help abandoned and abused animals. Until the last moment, she tried to save and help them and this is how she will be remembered.

For Alina, her teacher had a different impact, because she likes helping people, too – every year she goes with her husband with car loaded with donations and distribute in roma communities and this year, she distributed ROLDA coloring books too.

Among the flames were the dozens of cats and a dog that she loved and cared for with all her heart. 12 cats perished, trapped in a room that firefighters couldn’t reach in time. The dog also died. However, 31 cats were rescued from the fire and brought to Alina. Sadly, 2 of them later passed away, while 8 have already been adopted. 21 cats are still waiting for their forever home. They are all vaccinated, dewormed, sterilized and have their own medical records.

Life is shaping us from a young age into what we become later on. For the lucky ones, it makes us stronger and focused on things that really matter. Having compassion, being humane and respectful give our life a purpose, no matter if we help other people or animals or both. The values that guided our lives and the ones we want to survive after we are no longer. Legacy is a tool that enables us to choose how we help after what was important to us during our lifetime.

At ROLDA, we always encourage our supporters that family comes first. For many, pets are family, too. For many more, supporting the charities they loved and trusted is a way to keep the dreams alive.
Remember when you wanted to change the World for animals – you still can do this.