Hello all!
As some of you may know, back when I was in high school and college, I volunteered with a wonderful organization (Simply Smiles) to volunteer on the Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux Reservation during the summer to help rebuild homes and run a summer camp for the kids in the town of La Plant (see images circa 2014/2016 of my trips on my profile!). Well, this summer I am returning to the Cheyenne River Reservation in July, but this time with a different wonderful organization, the Fund for Animals, an affiliate of the Humane Society, which runs the Rural Area Veterinary Services program.
RAVS provides no-cost spay/neuter surgeries and preventative/wellness care to the local population of animals that might not be able to receive these services otherwise due to lack of veterinary services in this region. All of the donations we receive for our trip help pay for these services that we do (for free!). For example, here are some of the services that your donation could cover:
$10 = one vaccine for a dog or cat, $25 = life-threatening treatment for tick-borne illnesses, $35 = anesthesia and surgery supplies for a spay/neuter, $75 = life-saving treatment for parvovirus for a puppy in need, $100 = vaccines, wellness care, and spay/neuter for a cat or dog, $250 = surgery/treatment for emergency cases brought in.
As a veterinary student, this trip will not only help me gain more skills as I continue with my education, but it will help me give back to a community that I care for deeply. I look forward to returning to the reservation this summer and meeting some new favorite pups like the one pictured snoozing on my page! I hope you consider donating to help support this amazing program!
Fund for Animals, Inc. wrote:
In July of 2019, RAVS staff and volunteers will travel to South Dakota for 10 days of field clinics on the Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux Reservation. The team of roughly 30 veterinary students and 15 professional volunteers will offer free spay/ neuter and wellness care to more than 1,000 animals in these remote communities where regular veterinary care is not available. In addition to wellness services, RAVS’ volunteers will care for animals with a wide range of health concerns including puppies suffering from parvovirus and distemper infections and older animals suffering from multiple infirmities. We will help animals with old traumatic injuries and festering wounds, returning them to a happier life with their family. While providing this care, our volunteers and staff will be educating the family on animal care and public health, helping to make the community a better place for the animals and the people of Cheyenne River. http://www.crtribalventures.org/ourres.html (Image courtesy of Daniel Hedden)
