Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 9, 2020 • GIVING GUIDE • Hartford Business Journal 13 GOALS • Expand expert, compassionate veterinary services statewide. CHS provides care to owned and homeless pets through its three locations, reduced-fee Fox Memorial Clinic, and free, traveling wellness clinics. In 2019, CHS served 11,559 pets, with 7,372 treated through community medicine programs. CHS reached a 96% successful placement rate (with 2,836 adoptions). • Keep more pets in homes and out of shelters. While rescue operations, spay/neuter and adoptions will always be needed, preventative efforts are growing through: — Reduced-fee veterinary care at Fox Memorial Clinic for owned pets in need, which is more important than ever due to impacts of COVID-19. — Three Pet Food Pantries — distributing 23,000 lbs. of pet food annually to families in need — and by providing pet food to human food banks. — Programs preserving human-animal bonds: traveling community wellness clinics, training classes and animal behavior help. — In-person and virtual educational opportunities for all ages. • Strengthen collaborative partnerships. CHS provides pro bono veterinary care and adoption services for municipal and private shelter pets (1,709 in 2019), and professional development for animal welfare workers. • Advocate for policies at the state level that improve lives of animals and families and ensure all pets are treated with compassion and respect. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your organization? How have your organization's fundraising efforts, giving opportunities and volunteer opportunities changed as a result? Pets at CHS have already gone through a tough time in their lives — they don't need to know the difficulties happening outside their doors, too. That's why CHS is doing all it can to continue keeping pets in need happy, entertained and loved during the COVID-19 crisis. When COVID-19 restrictions began, CHS moved 77 pets into volunteer foster homes, allowing for fewer pets and staff in the building. Pets remaining at CHS were actively receiving medical treatment. Adoptions changed to include social distancing, online applications, adoption counseling sessions via phone, and appointments to meet pets. CHS' reduced-fee Fox Memorial Clinic focused on urgent cases, rescheduling routine exams. Community members are facing crises like never before, which means more pets risk losing their homes. Donor support of monetary gifts, spreading the word of pets in need, and organizing Pet Food Pantry collections are so crucial today. How have the services you provide to the community changed in response to COVID-19's impact? Have you developed new and far-reaching services/ support? Some services expanded to serve more community members as COVID-19 impacted their employment, such as CHS' Pet Food Pantry. CHS moved forward with free Pet Wellness Clinics in communities across the state, altering them for social distancing measures. As more people stayed home, CHS also pivoted its in-person education programs to the Internet. Free PETtalk webinars for children cover everything from animal welfare careers to dog DNA. For adults, topics include pet enrichment activities, small animal care, and more. ABOUT US Year established: 1881 Annual revenues (most recent fiscal year): $10,745,832 Total number of employees: 86 GEOGRAPHIC SERVICE AREA(S) Statewide, with locations in Newington, Waterford and Westport. TOP FUNDING SOURCES Investment Income: 44.23% Private Contributions: 43.74% Program Service Revenue: 9.25% Grants: 1.78% Corporate Gifts: .58% Event Revenue: .41% Other Income: .01% Vice-President Gretchen Dale Loftex Industries Secretary Dr. William A. Haines Hartford Veterinary Hospital Secretary Steve Parker Independent Media Consultant Treasurer Jo Ann Roberts, Esq. Connecticut General Assembly (Retired) Peter Cable Physicist (Retired) Eric Lopkin The Modern Observer Group Jim Basquil ESPN Executive Director James Bias President Ellen Sharon CompetitivEdge, Founder/ President Connecticut Humane Society 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111 | 800-452-0114 CThumane.org OUR MISSION: The Connecticut Humane Society is the leading resource in the state for companion animal welfare, enriching the lives of families and communities through adoption services, medical care, education, and prevention of cruelty. CHS is not associated with the government or any national animal welfare groups. BOARD OF DIRECTORS I visited CHS in 2011 and adopted a kitty, Callie, who's still with me. I learned about the Pet Food Pantry and was so impressed. Keep pets where they belong — with their loving families. Not only does it help the pet, it also helps their parents. In 2012, I held my first pet food drive. People were extremely supportive. It became my tradition every year. Donations increased so much, in 2019, I collected 700 lbs. of pet food, plus toys, blankets and monetary gifts. The pantry's an important resource for the community and I'm happy to contribute. — Brigitte DiBenedetto , president/designer, iGRAFIX creative solutions, Collinsville Dr. Kelin Maciejewski and veterinary technician Emma Delgado with Lucky at a Connecticut Humane Society free Pet Wellness Clinic. Cookie, a Chihuahua mix, in the Connecticut Humane Society's Pet Food Pantry in Newington.

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