Our Team

We are an all-volunteer, foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue serving Kendall County, Illinois. OurWe are an all-volunteer, foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue serving Kendall County, Illinois. OurWe are an all-volunteer, foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue serving Kendall County, Illinois. OurWe are an all-volunteer, foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue serving Kendall County, Illinois. We are an all-volunteer, foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue serving Kendall County, Illinois. 

We are an all-volunteer, foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue serving Kendall County, Illinois and surrounding communities.

Terry G. President, Founder
Terry 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

Raised on a farm in rural Oswego, she grew up surrounded by cats, dogs, and horses—an upbringing that shaped her lifelong compassion for animals. For more than 30 years, Leslie has been deeply dedicated to helping homeless stray and feral cats through TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return) projects and to finding loving, forever homes for adoptable kittens and cats throughout Kendall County and neighboring communities.

Cats have a way of finding Leslie wherever she goes, and she has made it her mission to be their advocate. Beyond her work with felines, Leslie also works closely with a licensed wildlife rehab and assists injured raptors (birds of prey).

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
• 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.