A New Beginning For An Old Friend.
–by Chrystal Jones
The New Year shows promise for Tampa Bay area pets and Animal Coalition of Tampa (ACT). During Stride for Strays, the non-profit’s largest fundraiser of the year, Linda Hamilton, Executive Director and Co-founder, announced the purchase of a new building. Staff and volunteers will be set- tling in just after the first of the year. The low cost spay/neuter clinic will have double the space with an expansive waiting area, five wellness and diag- nostic rooms, and a dedicated surgery wing. The new clinic connects full circle to where
ACT’s story began, inspired by a stray cat named Blackie. After a few weeks of feeding Blackie, Linda had built enough rapport with him to bring him to a veterinarian for a checkup. Blackie was very ill and the most humane thing for him was to be put down. Linda promised that Blackie’s life would make a difference, and it was in his memo- ry that ACT was born. The very same clinic where Blackie was put to rest is now the same clinic where ACT will now help thousands of animals every year. In 2000 when ACT was launched, 92% of the
animals who entered the county shelter never came out. ACT sought to reverse those statistics through spay and neuter programs, initially work- ing as nomads – borrowing vet offices to perform surgeries on weekends. Eventually they rented their own small building, and were soon bursting at the seams, necessitating a move to a new, larger building. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed by a fire, which also resulted in the death of three precious house cats that night. Eventually, after the shock of the loss began to wear off, ACT relocated back into their first small location. Surviving many years of change and often-
times uncertainty, ACT has become the largest in the Hillsborough County low-income voucher spay/neuter voucher program and the trap, neuter, vaccinate, return program (TNVR), which in its first ten years has reduced the cat euthanasia rate by 60%. As a non-profit, ACT relies on community
support to keep costs low. A “New Beginnings Fund” has been created for donors or sponsors who wish to help support them.
Animal Coalition of Tampa (ACT) 8501 Ladue Lane, Tampa. (Near North Dale Mabry Highway and West Waters Avenue).
ACTampa.org contact Chrystal Jones, Community Outreach Manager:
chrystal@ACTampa.org.
(Left to right): Kelleigh with Zoetis; Jennifer with Big Cat Rescue; Live entertainment provided by the DooDads Band (
DooDadsBand.com)
84 THE NEW BARKER
www.TheNewBarker.com
Tampa
(Left to right): Bear; Nora’s Cookies; Gabriella and Moose. Photographs by Anna Cooke.
Ebony (far left) sings praises for all of the Stride for Strays walkers
Teams of walkers, community partner Hillsborough County Pet Resource and businesses came out to support Animal Coalition of Tampa/ACT.
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