Who we are
The Charles and Valerie Quenneville Foundation was born out of a deep commitment to compassion and resilience, forged in partnership with The Olena Kalaianova Foundation in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. This powerful collaboration began in 2022, when Valerie Quenneville and Olena Kalaianova co-founded the Ukrainian foundation in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion. While the war changed everything, Olena’s dedication to rescuing homeless animals had already been a defining part of her life for years. Together, she and Valerie turned that dedication into a lifeline—not just for animals, but for people caught in the chaos of war.
Since its founding, The Olena Kalaianova Foundation has become a source of hope in a devastated region. With courage and determination, the team has delivered food, medical supplies, and support to families in need, a local orphanage, a hospital, a nursing home and a homeless shelter — helping thousands survive the unthinkable. But the mission didn’t stop there.
In 2023, through their tireless animal rescue work, Valerie and Olena founded the “House of Paws” animal shelter in Mykolaiv—a beacon of compassion in a city scarred by conflict. Since then, they’ve saved hundreds of animals from the streets and war zones, many of whom were abandoned during mass evacuations from Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumi, and Donetsk regions. These animals often arrive injured, traumatized, and desperately in need of care.