P.O. Box 410303 Kansas City, MO 64141 816-353-0940 www.snkc.net SNKC SCOOP WINTER 2014
CHIEF VETERINARIAN & CLINIC DIRECTOR MEET DR. McDERMOTT CHIEF VETERINARIAN & CLINIC DIRECTOR Why did you leave private practice to join Spay & Neuter Kansas City? After graduating from Iowa State University with a DVM in 1996, I was in a corporate veterinary practice for 13 years. I began to feel that something was missing. I wasn t as fulfilled in my work as I needed to be. I was aware of SNKC and their mission, and after learning more about it I realized it was exactly what I needed to re-energize my passion for veterinary medicine. I became a full-time team member in December 2011. Was your family OK with that decision? Absolutely! Brian and I want our sons to find work they love and are passionate about, and my move to a not-for-profit said loud and clear that we believe it s OK to take a job that maybe pays less if you are making a difference in the world. They love to hear stories over the dinner table about all the pets and their owners that we are able to help. Many of these pets had never been to a vet before entering our facility, and many of the clients would not have had their pet spayed/neutered if SNKC hadn t provided the education and/or financial assistance. I think my experiences here help all of us grow as more compassionate and caring people. What s a typical day at SNKC like for you? Since December 2011, I have performed around 21,850 spays/neuters. When I first started, I could perform about 20 surgeries a day. I now average 40-50 surgeries per day. It is fast paced and high volume, while at the same time we give every cat and dog entrusted to us the highest level of care. It is an exhilarating challenge. Fortunately we have a great staff, both in the clinic with me and those who run the front desk. We take tremendous pride in what we do and how well we do it. At the end of the day, I take great pride in knowing that not only myself, but the whole team at SNKC has truly made a difference in the lives of our clients and patients. Beyond the daily schedule, I periodically attend CE to keep current in the field of veterinary medicine, and enjoy researching new methods and ideas for improvement. I enjoy providing our staff with monthly education presentations, so that they have the tools to educate our clients. I believe that I am saving and improving the life of each and every pet on which I perform surgery. Tell us about a recent pet or client situation that touched your heart. One recent situation that had all of us in tears was the turn-around we witnessed in the life of a sweet pit bull. Our Outreach Team came across Blue and his family while on a neighborhood canvass. He was not neutered, not vaccinated, and lived outside only a very lonely life for a dog. After talking with the family, we learned that Blue had belonged to someone who moved away. The family didn't want Blue to end up in the shelter, but didn't know how to care for him. They even confided that he was living outside because they were afraid of him because he's a pit bull. Our Outreach Team educated Blue's new owners about the importance of neutering and vaccinating, what wonderful dogs pit bulls can be and the importance of keeping pets indoors. We then went the next step of securing funding for his treatments through our Sponsor Me Monday program. Thanks to those who donated, Blue was altered and is current on all vaccinations. He is now living the good life as inside-only dog with his own comfy bed and his own human brother that he plays and cuddles with every single day. Blue Bringing a nonjudgmental, caring attitude to every situation is one of our core values, and our Outreach Team proves over and over how effective that can be. We see every day that often all a pet owner needs is education and understanding (and a little financial support from our wonderful donors!) to be a great pet owner. Although our mission is spay/neuter, it is incredibly gratifying when our efforts to improve EVERY aspect of an animal's life have such dramatic results. I smile on these cold mornings, thinking of Blue waking up in his warm bed. I AM GROWING AND DEVELOPING EVERY DAY TO BE AN EXCELLENT LEADER FOR SNKC
Date: February 20, 2015 Time: 5:30pm Place: Union Station 30 West Pershing Road Kansas City, Missouri 64108 Reserve your table! Master of Ceremonies Lara Moritz, award winning News Anchor at KMBC 9 Event leadership Ilyssa and Brian Block Dinner provided by Brio Tuscan Grille Carnival Party Silent Auction Live Auction & Fund A Need Presentation Dancing For more information: To learn more about sponsorships, donating an auction item or basket or simply helping with event plans, please contact Ilyssa Block, ilyssa@snkc.net
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR On behalf of the SNKC staff and board members, and the thousands of animals and owners that we have helped in 2014, I want to thank you for making this our best year ever. What does success look like for us? In 2014, we: Performed nearly 10,000 affordable spays and neuters on dogs and cats a record number! Treated 6,000 pets at our low-cost wellness clinics Helped keep pets in their homes by assisting 500 needy families with pet food and basic pet supplies Spayed/neutered and vaccinated 1,700 feral cats through our Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) program Launched a new Street Team program of volunteers to greatly expand our reach into our communities Helped establish Professionals for a Humane & Safe Kansas City, a coalition of the metro s animal sheltering and welfare organizations, focused on a legislative and policy campaign to better understand each metro city s unique public safety and animal welfare issues and subsequently effect change. Your generous donations have made all of these things, and more, possible. Thanks to you, our annual Spay-Ghetti and No Balls Benefit and this past summer s Challenge Grant were successful, allowing us to continue to promise that no one is turned away because of an inability to pay. You understand that having a passion for improving the lives of cats and dogs is not enough. It requires dedication, team work, organization, a willingness to do hard work and the financial support of generous people like you. We simply could not do this without you. I hope you enjoy our newsletter, particularly the cover story about our amazing veterinarian, Dr. Jennifer McDermott. From the entire SNKC family, thank you for your continued support! Michelle Rivera Michelle Rivera, Executive Director You can also help by telling others about our life-saving work. Invite them to join you for a morning coffee break tour of our clinic to see your support in action. Please email me at michelle@snkc.net to schedule your visit. I look forward to seeing you! SNKC STREET TEAM The SNKC Street Team is a team of volunteers dedicated to spreading the word about the services that SNKC offers. Street Team members go out into their own communities and offer literature and information about SNKC s low cost spay/neuter and vaccination services. The Street Team does not require any extra time or money from members, because members promote our services and spread our name throughout their regular, everyday activities! Members wear SNKC shirts and hand out business cards at their local stores, gyms, rec. centers, clubs, and even work! They re also encouraged to hang flyers where permitted, and ask friends and family to join the Street Team. There are no mandatory meetings, and members are not required to visit the SNKC facility, so even if they don t live close, they can still join! We simply ask for a $10 donation for a Street Team T-shirt. For more information, and to sign up, visit www.snkc.net/snkc-street-team. Andi Lossman, Call Center Manager BOARD OF DIRECTORS Anne Henry, President Roger Crouch, Vice President Valetta Alberti, Secretary Michelle Rivera, Treasurer ADVISORY COUNCIL Gloria Crouch Fred Embry Nick Langley Pat Pheffer Marge Skikne Jim Stuelke Bill Worley LEADERSHIP TEAM Michelle Rivera, Executive Director Amy Herrington, Director of Operations Jennifer McDermott, DVM Clinic Director Marlan Roberts, Director of Pet Outreach TEAM MEMBERS Yadira Andazola, Courtney Hattaway, Ramona Hayes, Sal Hernandez, Elizabeth Hurst, Scott Jones, Maggie Latta, Pat Lester, Andi Lossman, Perla Parra, Stephanie Pierce, Alica Seerden PET OUTREACH WINTER DONATION DRIVE Donations are being collected to help pets in our program through the cold winter months. PET OUTREACH Dog Houses Dog and Cat Food Collars and Leashes Dog and Cat Toys Dog and Cat Treats 5 Gallon Buckets Monetary Donations (Sponsor a spay or neuter) DROP-OFF DETAILS 1116 E 59th, Kansas City, MO 64110. Monday 8-4, Tuesday-Friday 8-5 and Saturday 9-12. For more information on holding a wish list donation drive at your business, please contact us at snkc@snkc.net. Visit www.snkc.net for our office and clinic wish list. P.O. Box 410303 Kansas City, MO 64141 816-353-0940 www.snkc.net
PAWS FOR A CAUSE MONTHLY DONOR CLUB Join our Monthly Donor Club! Your gift will help ensure that funds are available throughout the year to help needy pets receive the gift of spay/neuter. All Paws for a Cause members will be mentioned on our special Paws for a Cause website page. They will also receive exclusive email updates about activities at SNKC. Paws for a Cause Members currently give us $535.00 a month for surgeries for needy pets. Our goal is to generate $6,000 a month to assist pet owners who cannot otherwise afford the surgery. We are on track to spay or neuter over 10,000 pets this year, but without this additional funding we will not be able to assist all pet owners in need. Golden Bones Silver Whiskers Bronze Buddy Purr-fect Pal Furry Friend $200 or more per month $100-$199 per month $50-$99 per month $25-$49 per month $10-$24 per month 12 x 24" wall plaque in lobby, waiting room or vehicle 12 x 24" wall plaque in dog or cat surgery room 5 x 7" plaque on a large dog cage 5 x 7" plaque on a small dog or cat cage 3 x 3" paw print on Paws for a Cause wall Sign Up is Easy! Please help us reach our goal of $6,000 a month to help needy pets! Sign up today at www.snkc.net/donate -Goal- 20 BRONZE BUDDIES 20 Bronze Buddy Members will spay or neuter over 250 pets a year. -Goal- 25 PURR-FECT PALS 25 Purr-fect Pal Members will spay or neuter nearly 200 pets a year. -Goal- 15 SILVER WHISKERS 15 Silver Whiskers Members will spay or neuter over 350 pets a year. JASONSHOEMAKERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Your support will help pets such as the one pictured here. Nearly 85% of our clients have taken their pets in off the street. If not for these Good Samaritans, these strays could have been euthanized in the shelters. These pets depend on SNKC and your support to receive the gift of spay neuter. Thank you for your continued and generous support. Be sure to Like us on Facebook to keep up with daily posts, upcoming events and happenings within our organization. Also check out our newest video on the life saving work of SNKC: www.snkc.net/media Please join our E-Newsletter mailing list by visiting www.snkc.net
YOUR How DONATION makes a DIFFERENCE in KC Nearly 20,000 dogs and cats will benefit from services at SNKC in 2015 Spaying and Neutering Sponsoring a spay or neuter of a needy pet decreases the surplus of homeless and unwanted litters. Nearly 26,000 dogs and cats will enter Kansas City s area shelters this year. Education SNKC provides vital educational information to thousands of pet owners every year. This information helps improve the quality of life for that pet. Pet Outreach SNKC reaches over 6,000 homes a year by canvassing. The information and resources provided to needy pet owners increases pet retention. Vaccinations Keeping pets vaccinated keeps our community safer and pets healthier. Overall Support Decreases shelter intake Deters animal control calls Increases pet retention Improves care of pets Ultimately Saves More Lives