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Our Good for Santa Barbara Nonprofit Section gives all of the sources it’s worthwhile to donate this vacation season!
In this interview Noozhawk spoke with Susan Park, Executive Director at Spark Rescue to study concerning the nonprofit’s mission to offer care and shelter to animals in want.
Spark Rescue Santa Barbara
Question: What is the title and mission of your nonprofit?
Answer: Spark Rescue is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit charity animal rescue organization, based in February 2014, in Santa Barbara, CA. We are a foster primarily based rescue that depends on folks opening their home and hearts to saving animals in want.
Q: How lengthy has your nonprofit been in service, and who’re its founders?
A: Spark Rescue has been in service since November 2014 and acquired our willpower letter from the IRS February 24, 2015. The founder and government Director of Spark Rescue is Susan Park.
Q: What was the inspiration behind your nonprofit?
A: I grew up and attended St. Raphael’s School in Santa Barbara, the place my ardour for animals blossomed. Regularly visiting our native Animal Control and Humane Society, I might usually depart with my backpack stuffed with kittens or young cats, pushed by my deep love for them. This continued all through highschool, the place I made it a mission to rescue underaged kittens every time I might.
My household performed a significant position on this endeavor, dedicating their time to bottle-feeding and caring for the kittens till they discovered their ceaselessly houses. We had been dedicated to following up with each adoptive household, guaranteeing that the animals had been spayed or neutered and settling properly.
After ASAP fashioned I continued to assist solely probably the most pressing of cats and kittens.
The passing of the Hayden Act in 1999 introduced a way of safety for animals in California shelters, which was a major step ahead.
However, in 2011, I got here throughout a distressing on-line submit concerning the LA County shelter in Lancaster, CA, euthanizing animals. This deeply saddened me and introduced again reminiscences of the uncared for and discarded animals I had witnessed in my early shelter experiences. Driven by compassion, I felt compelled to take motion.
I made a decision to go to the shelter in Lancaster with my son, and what I noticed there was heart-wrenching. Neglected and deserted animals tugged at my heartstrings, igniting a spark inside me. It was from this wellspring of compassion that Spark Rescue was born.
Our journey is rooted within the core worth of compassion. The distressing realization in 2011, as we walked by these buildings in Lancaster, witnessing the struggling of harmless animals, struck a chord deep inside our souls. It reignited our dedication to creating a distinction and impressed us to create Spark Rescue Santa Barbara.
Spark Rescue is greater than only a rescue organization. It embodies the assumption that each life deserves care and love. We are pushed by a real love for these creatures and a agency perception that no animal needs to be left behind. Our journey is a testomony to the enduring spirit of compassion that guides us.
Together, we attempt to create a world the place no animal is forgotten or uncared for, and the place each coronary heart is touched by the heat of empathy.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded and what are your biggest wants?
A: We drastically respect the assist we obtain from our adoption donations and funds raised by Facebook fundraisers performs a major position in protecting the prices of medical therapies, meals, shelter, and different vital provides for the rescued animals.
Furthermore, the yearly grant from the May and Bill Allison Foundation has been instrumental in supporting our rescue efforts and guaranteeing the general well-being of the animals in our care.
However, because the demand for our providers continues to develop, we acknowledge the necessity to safe extra funding. This will permit us to rescue extra animals and supply them with the mandatory medical care, rehabilitation, and assist they require.
To obtain this, we’re actively in search of partnerships with different organizations, exploring varied fundraising initiatives, and interesting with our neighborhood to boost consciousness about our mission and the significance of animal rescue and adoption.
By coming collectively and supporting our trigger, we will proceed to make a constructive affect within the lives of numerous animals. Your assist in reaching our extra annual fundraising purpose of $80,000 will allow us to maintain our rescue efforts and be sure that extra animals discover their approach to loving houses.
Thank you for contemplating supporting Spark Rescue. Together, we will make a distinction within the lives of those deserving animals.
Q: In what methods does your nonprofit make the most of its funding?
A: Our funding performs an important position in supporting our mission to rescue and supply important take care of animals in high-risk areas. Thanks to the beneficiant contributions we obtain, we’re capable of allocate funds in direction of a variety of significant providers that make sure the well-being of those animals.
One of the important thing areas the place our funding is utilized is within the transportation of animals from high-risk areas to safer environments. This course of permits us to take away them from difficult conditions and provides them an opportunity at a greater life. Once they’re in our care, we offer complete medical consideration, together with therapy for inner and exterior parasites, thorough temperament testing, spaying or neutering, microchipping, and vaccinations.
In addition to those important providers, our funding additionally helps cowl the prices of diagnostic assessments for ailments akin to giardia, parvo, FLV, and FIV. These assessments are essential in figuring out and addressing any potential well being points, guaranteeing the animals obtain acceptable medical therapy.
We perceive that uncared for or sick animals could require emergency veterinary care, which may end up in substantial payments. Our funding can be used to help with these sudden bills, guaranteeing that these animals obtain the pressing care they should recuperate and thrive.
While we attempt to assist as many animals as doable, the fact is that our sources are restricted.
As an organization, we deeply perceive the urgency and significance of offering medical take care of animals in want. However, the prices related to intensive medical therapies might be substantial, and it turns into difficult for us to cowl these bills with out adequate funding.
We constantly discover varied avenues to safe extra funding and search partnerships with different organizations to develop our capabilities. Through elevated assist and donations, we will improve our capability to rescue and supply the mandatory medical take care of animals with excessive medical wants.
We are dedicated to transparency and guaranteeing that each greenback donated is used effectively and successfully to make a distinction within the lives of animals.
By contributing to our trigger, you might be instantly serving to to offer the mandatory sources and medical care that may rework their lives.
Q: Describe your organizations staffing fashions and inner operations. Has something modified because the begin of your nonprofit?
A: Spark Rescue is a nonprofit organization with a tremendous group of volunteer animal lovers who give a lot of their time to assist in danger animals! Most of our volunteers begin out by fostering and transfer into key volunteer positions inside our organization.
The key positions are:
Rescue Coordinator: Works intently with partnered shelters to guage dogs and cats vulnerable to euthanasia. Coordinates transportation to Spark Rescue Santa Barbara and ensures foster houses are available. Provides provides and medical take care of incoming rescues.
Adoption Coordinator: Matches rescue animals with appropriate ceaselessly houses. Responds to inquiries and encourages candidates to think about different adoption choices if not appropriate for Spark Rescue. Works to make sure all candidates are handled respectfully and guided in direction of discovering a rescue canine.
Foster Coordinator: Reviews foster functions, communicates with the rescue coordinator, and updates Spark Super Foster Facebook web page with animals in want of foster houses. Provides assist and solutions questions for foster households.
Adoption Events Coordinator: Coordinates adoption occasions with companion shops, units up shows, and facilitates interplay between foster households, volunteers, and potential adopters.
Fundraising Coordinator: Secures venues and donations for fundraising occasions, communicates with key volunteers and foster households, and promotes upcoming occasions.
Social Media Coordinator: Updates social media platforms and web site with available animals, communicates with foster households for content material, and responds to inquiries on social media.
The rescue has been working on this platform since its inception the one issues which have modified is the quantity of animals we’re rescuing has tripled!
Q: What makes your nonprofit completely different from others?
A: What units Spark Rescue other than different nonprofits is our unwavering dedication to placing an finish to the euthanasia of wholesome companion animals. We firmly imagine in advocating for spaying and neutering as a way of stopping overpopulation and lowering the necessity for euthanasia.
As a part of our efforts, we now have carried out a coverage to make sure that the mom of any rescued litter is altered. By doing so, we not solely forestall future litters but additionally contribute to the general well-being and well being of those animals.
Our method is pushed by compassion and a deep understanding of the significance of accountable pet possession. We acknowledge that by spaying or neutering the mom, we’re taking a proactive step in direction of lowering the variety of animals in shelters and giving every one an opportunity at a loving home.
With sincerity, we work tirelessly to make a distinction within the lives of those animals. By advocating for spaying and neutering, we intention to create a future the place euthanasia of wholesome companion animals turns into a factor of the previous. Together, we will build a neighborhood that embraces accountable pet possession and ensures a brighter future for all animals.
Q: How does the work of your nonprofit get communicated to the general public?
A: Our organization primarily communicates its work by a wide range of channels, together with meet and greet occasions, social media platforms akin to Facebook and Instagram, and our official web site, which might be discovered at www.sparkrescue.org.
These channels play a significant position in maintaining our supporters, volunteers, and most people knowledgeable about our rescue efforts, upcoming occasions, success tales, and methods to become involved. We make the most of meet and greet occasions as a chance for people to work together with our rescued animals firsthand, fostering a connection and understanding of the work we do.
Additionally, our energetic presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allows us to recurrently update our followers with heartwarming rescue tales, instructional content material, and fundraising initiatives. By leveraging the facility of social media, we attempt to build a neighborhood of compassionate people who’re keen about animal welfare.
Our web site, www.sparkrescue.org, serves as a complete hub of details about our organization. Visitors can study extra about our mission, flick thru our available animals for adoption, access sources on accountable pet possession, and discover particulars about upcoming occasions and volunteer alternatives.
We imagine that efficient communication is crucial in creating consciousness and garnering assist for our trigger. Through our varied communication channels, we intention to encourage and have interaction people who share our ardour for animal rescue and welfare.
For extra data, please go to our web site at www.sparkrescue.org or observe us on Facebook and Instagram.
Q: Why ought to donors belief your organization and are there different methods to assist exterior of donations?
A: We are a clear organization who publishes our taxes on varied platforms together with Guidestar.
Q: Can you inform us one short-term purpose AND one long-term purpose that your nonprofit has for the following yr?
A: One brief time period purpose is to include inexpensive software program to make our daily operations a bit of bit simpler. Our long run purpose is acquire business property to accommodate, dogs, and cats that wouldn’t have a foster home able to go to, a place to name home.
Click here to study extra about Spark Rescue Santa Barbara’s purpose to rescue extra animals and supply them with the mandatory medical care, rehabilitation, and assist they require.
Check out Noozhawk’s Guide to Giving for a full listing of nonprofits to donate to this giving season.
If you wish to embrace your nonprofit in our Good for Santa Barbara part and Giving Guide click on HERE.
