Happy New Year from the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation!

The new year brings feelings of reflection and hope as we embrace another year of service and partnership with veterinary professionals and pet owners throughout Texas.

This new year marks a special milestone in the history of the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation (TVMF), which is celebrating 40 years of service to the Texas community in 2018. We invite you to join the Foundation’s 40th birthday celebration, which will be a year-long commemoration chock full of exciting events and unique ways to support the Foundation’s mission of caring for animals, educating the pet-owning public and furthering the advancement of the veterinary profession.

The Foundation was founded in 1978 by a group of veterinarians who had a vision to care for animals, provide free education programming for the pet-owning public and lend support to the veterinary profession for both current professionals and aspiring students. Since its establishment as the 501(c)3 charitable and philanthropic non-profit organizational arm of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) in 1978, TVMF has worked tirelessly to develop robust program offerings that give life to our mission to care for animals, serve the pet-owning community of Texas and advance the veterinary profession.

Forty years of commitment. Forty years of service. Forty years of impact.

This 40th birthday milestone is thanks to generous supporters like you. Thank you for believing in our mission and lending your talents, time and treasures to ensure that a vision that was seeded nearly four decades ago continues to flourish, grow and impact animals and people alike.

Looking back through 2017, the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation is proud to share many accomplishments and blessings—none of which would have been possible without our friends and donors.

For instance, the TVMF PALS Program, which provides fundamental health care for animals belonging to homebound community members, continues to experience tremendous growth. This program began with one volunteer veterinarian and 40 clients, and we are so proud to share that it has expanded to service low-income, homebound neighbors in seven Texas counties, including three major metropolitan areas. With more than 1,000 clients and companion animals on the waiting list, TVMF is working tirelessly to accommodate all our homebound neighbors with the assistance of our community partners Meals on Wheels Central Texas in Austin, the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency Meals on Wheels in Bryan/College Station and the Visiting Nurse Association MOW in Dallas. 2017 was a banner year with the expansion of a new service area in Houston thanks to a new partnership with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston aniMeals. We are looking forward to expanding the program within the greater Houston area and are scheduled to launch TVMF PALS in Abilene with the collaborative efforts of Meals on Wheels Plus Pet Food on Wheels in early 2018.

Also in 2017, the TVMF Board of Trustees honored outgoing president Dr. Scott Mellina. During his six-year tenure as president, Dr. Mellina inspired many, pet owners and veterinary professionals alike. Under his leadership, TVMF’s programs continued to thrive and expand, making a difference for animals, pet owners and veterinary professionals in communities across Texas.

In August, we witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Harvey as it wreaked havoc across south Texas. To all the people, businesses, organizations and communities that have donated to our disaster relief fund, thank you. These two words do not adequately convey our gratitude for the incredible generosity we experienced following Hurricane Harvey, but they are extremely heartfelt. The level of support we have received for the animals and veterinarians impacted by Hurricane Harvey has been unprecedented, and our ability to help the animals and veterinarians impacted by this storm would not have been possible without your help. Again, thank you.

TVMF recently launched a new website that we hope will offer visitors a better experience and more comprehensive understanding of TVMF’s diverse program offerings, our innovative education initiatives for pet owners and our advocacy and impact within the veterinary medical profession. Come explore our new online home at https://www.tvmf.org.

What we have built with the partnership of our friends and donors spans four decades in the great state of Texas, and we want to extend our sincere thanks for your belief in our mission. We are deeply proud of the partnership we have built with community members and veterinary professionals throughout Texas. The support of our friends and donors enables us to more effectively advocate for the health and welfare of animals in Texas and reinforce the human-animal bond between pets and their human families.

Look for more details about 40th anniversary events, including the Foundation’s 40 Days of Giving and the annual auction event. Until then, cheers to another wonderful year of collaborations and service throughout the great state we all call home. Let’s make 2018 our most memorable year yet!

Again, Happy New Year from the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation!

To learn more about the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation, please visit www.tvmf.org, or contact Foundation Director Leah Ann Tibbitts by phone at 512/452-4224 or via email at ltibbitts@tvma.org.

Sincerely,

Chad Harris, DVM
President
Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation