ORANJESTAD – Megan Rojer has different facets to her life: entrepreneur, model, actress and volunteer at various foundations, among which, Nine Lives Aruba Foundation dedicated to the rescue of cats. She says that help is always welcome at a foundation.
Rojer was born in the United States, but from a young age her parents brought her to Aruba and she was raised here. She completed secondary school (HAVO) and decided to find her way at first in the Netherlands and then in the United States, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts & Creative Writing and began working in marketing.
Currently she is focused on her own company, Floria Creative House, where she assists other businesses and projects with their creative development and marketing strategies. “If it’s something creative I love it. I like having creativity in my life and helping people develop in this area, guiding them in the right direction with their project to make it more attractive and more beautiful,” she says.
Aside from always being present in creativity, Rojer also serves as a volunteer at different organizations, one aspect of her life that began when she was a teenager and belonged to the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a non-profit international organization for service and leadership for young girls in Aruba. “There I was introduced to the world of volunteering and I liked it. When I do it I feel really good that I can help people one way or another, or help a cause like animals,” Rojer said.
She has been a volunteer at Nine Lives Aruba Foundation since 2019. The foundation is dedicated to saving the life of street cats, and sometimes they also rescue some dogs. They promote the humane treatment of animals to prevent cruelty and abandonment.
She also tells us that she volunteer at Aru Coder Dojo, a computer club for kids at the National Library of Aruba once a month. She also participates in other projects for artists in need, like ArtFashion, in the production of a short film called “Bis’e of no bis’e” (To tell or not to tell), in video shoot for clothing brands, and tour companies, among others.
She considers that “volunteer work is something that needs to be done from the heart” without expecting anything in return. “The person is supposed to have a good heart, and when you commit to something, you have to do it 100%. I have been in situations where people are supposed to help in a project or as a volunteer and they just leave and you’re left with the work of two people. You’re doing it to help the group, but don’t let people down. If you want to volunteer do it all the way.”
From her time in Nine Lives Aruba Foundation, what she likes the most are the cats, which are her favorite animal. She also enjoys spending time with the other members of the foundation, who are “amazing. They have their strong character, but all for a good cause and I like that. Nine Lives Aruba Foundation is the only foundation focused on cats, if I’m not mistaken, they rescue, foster, and I always feel bad that people leave the street cats forgotten,” Rojer said.
She feels that being a volunteer has helped her develop as a person as well, someone who doesn’t understand that there are people who mistreat animals. “Just feel compassion, for others, for animals. The foundations are always the ones in most need of help, and regarding this, Nine Lives is always at full capacity for fostering cats. They always need more people to foster and help is always welcome. If someone is interested in helping and doesn’t know how to start, just contact the foundations.”
In closing, Rojer has a message to our readers: “Life will always have its ups and downs and I think it is super important for you as a person to remember to prioritize your mental health throughout your journey. This can mean to be aware of the people close to you that you consider your support system, time to properly unwind and de-stress, and also to do fun things that make you laugh. You achieve a lot more when your mental health is well taken care of.”
