Rachel Herman speaks at AMC’s Vet Tech Conference in October 2023.

On Friday, October 13, our Founder and Executive Director Rachel Herman was the keynote speaker at Animal Medical Center’s first ever Vet Tech Conference. In front of a crowd of veterinary technicians from all over New York City, Rachel shared a video featuring PAWS NY client Ruth and spoke about the mission and the programs PAWS NY provides.

The following week, Carrie Nydick Finch, our Deputy Director of Programs and Strategy, spoke at the 2023 conference from The State Society on Aging of New York in Saratoga Springs, New York. The event, for professionals working in older adult services, was several days long and featured sessions related to health, caregiving, fighting discrimination, and aging in place, among other topics. Alongside Robin Strashun from our partner Search and Care, Carrie presented  a session called “Helping Older Adult Guardians and Their Pets Age in Place Together” on Monday, October 16.

Additionally on October 18, Adrianna Ruiz, PAWS NY Foster Administrator, gave a presentation at Mount Sinai West for social workers and mental health counselors who work at the institution’s outpatient treatment center. The focus of the presentation was on PAWS NY’s new Substance Use Recovery Program and sharing more information about eligibility requirements and how to refer individuals to the programs.

Panelists and moderator at the Animal Grantmakers Conference.

Rounding out our presentations in October, Rachel Herman took the stage again at the Animal Grantmakers Annual Conference in Philadelphia, where she was on a panel discussing Social Services for People and Their Pets. Moderated by Kate Atema, Director of Community Grants and Initiatives for PetSmart Charities, the panel also featured Katie Campbell, Director of Collaboration and Outreach at RedRover; Dr. Bryna Donnelly, Vice President of Pet Programs for Greater Good Charities; and Nathaniel Fields, Chief Executive Officer of Urban Resource Institute.

Last but not least, PAWS NY got into the spooky spirit at the 3^rd Annual Great Hill Dog-Tastic Parade and Costume Competition for Howl-o-Ween in Central Park. From Barbie to astronauts to dinosaurs to rainbows and Kinky Boots, the costume contest was awesome, and our own Adrianna Ruiz served as one of the judges.

The group, which meets regularly with their pups at Great Hill, also collected pet food to donate to the PAWS NY Pet Pantry and solicited donations during the event for our organization. Thank you for all your support!

Thanks again to everyone for inviting us to participate in these wonderful events! Have an event that you’d like PAWS NY to attend? Email Kimberly.Green@pawsny.org.

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On September 6, we joined with many other nonprofit organizations, community groups, and on-campus clubs for the New York University Fall Service Fair. This gave us a chance to meet with hundreds of NYU students who are interested in giving back to the community, and we hope many of them will join us as volunteers in the coming weeks and months.

Later that week, on September 9, the PAWS NY team headed up to Harlem to participate in the first-ever Harlem Dog Fashion Show, hosted by Harlem Mothers & Fathers S.A.V.E. and the NYPD’s Patrol Borough Manhattan North. It was amazing to meet so many pups and see their fabulous outfits—what a day!

We continued our college tour with a visit to the Community Partners Fair at Pace University on September 21, where we had the perfect spot right under some funky lights. This was the first time in several years that this event was held in-person, so we were happy to make some IRL connections with Pace students.

On September 21, we also stopped by the recently-renovated Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, where we set up a table in the lobby to spread the word about PAWS NY among library patrons.

During the month, Carrie Nydick Finch, our Deputy Director of Programs and Strategy, gave several presentations at partner organizations across New York City, including at the Rodney Kirk Center, a social services program in Manhattan with a focus on older adults. On September 20, she presented at the Project FIND Pet Expo alongside our partner Search and Care, connecting with dozens of older pet owners looking for resources.

And then last week during a break in the rain, we hung out at the NYC Office of Emergency Management’s Pet and Service Animal Preparedness Fair on September 28 in Union Square. We spoke with New Yorkers about PAWS NY programs and making emergency plans for their families that include pets!

In addition to all of the September festivities, PAWS NY also participated in the Macaulay Honors College Community Resources Fair on August 21, and we were out and about at The Baroness Bar in Long Island City for their Haute Dog Fashion Show on August 30.

Thanks to everyone for inviting us to participate in these wonderful events! Have an event that you’d like PAWS NY to attend? Email Kimberly.Green@pawsny.org.

The post PAWS NY in the Community: September Events appeared first on Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY.

September 28, 2021—New York, NY—PetSmart Charities has awarded a three-year, $400,000 grant to three New York City-based organizations as part of their Preserving Families Initiative. The grant will support a new partnership between Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY, Animal Haven, and Search and Care. The funding promises to impact the most vulnerable pet guardians at risk of losing their animals due to hospitalizations and other crises. 

While most people see their pets as integral family members, few services exist to help pet guardians facing extraordinary crises. As a result, these individuals often have no option but to surrender their beloved animals to local shelters. With this grant, these three organizations will launch and implement the “Preserving Families in Times of Crisis” project, an innovative collaboration that aims to preserve the bond between pets and their people by offering emergency support, as well as engaging healthcare institutions and community-based programs to join them in this work.

“Pets have a profound impact on a family — and for the elderly, can often be their only source of companionship,” said Aimee Gilbreath, president at PetSmart Charities. “New York City is home to 1.7 million older adults, and we estimate about 170,000 of them have pets and need some support. A warm greeting from a beloved pet after a hospital stay can build emotional well-being — and stimulate the healing process. The innovative collaboration among these stellar organizations is exactly the kind of work we’re proud to support.”

PAWS NY, Animal Haven, and Search and Care each have extensive experience combining animal welfare and human welfare. The organizations champion the value of human service agencies proactively engaging clients in emergency planning for the entire family, including pets. The new project’s outreach to a network of New York City agencies will highlight not just the benefit of asking about pets and documenting them, but the cost saving that can also occur by helping pet guardians plan for these emergencies.

Overall, Preserving Families in Times of Crisis will support older adults and other vulnerable populations by helping them prepare for emergencies with their pets and providing emergency and foster care for pets while their guardians recover and are ultimately reunited.

“Thank you to PetSmart Charities for supporting this innovative collaboration between PAWS NY, Animal Haven, and Search and Care,” said Rachel Herman, the Founder and Executive Director of PAWS NY. “Through the dual lens of human services and animal welfare, we will develop and implement a first-of-its-kind program that aims to preserve families in times of crisis. Together, we will do everything we can to maintain the beneficial relationships shared between New Yorkers and their animal companions. We are excited for this amazing opportunity!”

“We are excited to be part of this partnership because we get calls all the time from social workers looking for help for their clients’ animals,” said Tiffany Lacey, Animal Haven’s Executive Director. “This three-year grant is a true opportunity from PetSmart Charities to develop solutions that will lift barriers experienced by the most vulnerable and help pets and their guardians before a crisis like an unexpected hospitalization. While our goal here is pet retention, we also hope that the services we offer will allow these pets and their people not just to remain together but to thrive.”

“Search and Care helps older people and their pets age in place together, and our collaboration with these two New York City organizations is both exciting and challenging,” said Robin Strashun, Outreach, PET and Medical Escort Coordinator. “Together we are encouraging social service, homecare, and healthcare organizations to incorporate vital pet-related information during intakes so that both owners and companion animals have every opportunity to remain together. New Yorkers are devoted to their pets and, with the help of PetSmart Charities, we are united in raising awareness about the importance of advance planning for companion animals as they are an integral part of the family.”

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About Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY

The mission of Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY is to help New York City’s most vulnerable residents remain with their pets by delivering critical programs and services through a community of partners and volunteers. Our programs help keep pets in their homes while protecting and promoting the human-animal bond that is so physically and psychologically valuable to our clients.  Thus, our motto: helping people by helping pets. To learn more, visit www.pawsny.org.

About Animal Haven

Animal Haven is a nonprofit organization that finds homes for abandoned cats and dogs throughout the Tri-State area and provides behavior intervention when needed to improve chances of adoption.  Founded in 1967, the organization runs an animal shelter in Manhattan and provides programs, including the Community Engagement Program, that provides support and services to pets and their people in crisis. To learn more, visit www.animalhaven.org.

About Search and Care

Founded in 1972 as a church outreach program, Search and Care’s mission is to seek out vulnerable older New Yorkers who need help managing life’s daily activities or accessing essential services. Having served over 20,000 clients, community stakeholders continue to refer older adults in need (age 60+) to the agency for in-home, fee-free Care Management and complementary services such as bill paying (“Money Matters”), telephonic/virtual mental health support (“Talkin’ It Out”), medical escorting, PET (Pets + Elders Together), and a groups component that fosters virtual communities. Staff members, and a multigenerational volunteer team, try to meet the varied needs of a multicultural and diverse client base regardless of race, gender, religion, creed, sexual orientation, or economic capabilities.  To learn more visit www.searchandcare.org.

About PetSmart Charities®

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps nearly 600,000 pets connect with loving families each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. Our grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter and emergency relief. Each year, millions of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities directly at PetSmartCharities.org, while shopping at PetSmart.com, and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting more than $475 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the past 17 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of rated charities. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

Follow PetSmart Charities on Instagram: @PetSmartCharities
Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc

Media Contact:

PAWS NY: Kimberly Green
212-203-4760 ext. 304
Kimberly.Green@pawsny.org                       

Animal Haven: Shannon Kirkman
212-274-8511
ShannonK@animalhaven.org

Search and Care: Robin Strashun
212-289-5300 ext. 203
strashun@searchandcare.org

24-Hour PetSmart Charities Media Line:  623-587-2177

The post PAWS NY, Animal Haven, and Search and Care Receive Three-Year $400,000 Grant from PetSmart Charities® to Help Keep Pets and People Together appeared first on Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY.