"THE CRITTER COALITION ... 
A Kinder Answer"

"Thru my years of working with animal rescue here in the desert, I found that certain themes were repeated among the people and pets that I was called upon to help. One of the saddest of these was that of the Senior Citizen who, because of a meager, fixed income, was unable to pay for a Vet visit for their animal friend. Too frequently the pet was also a "senior" and needed special care to stay comfortable during its last days ...care that was just too expensive. Once told of the circumstance, I was usually able to call upon someone who was willing to help financially. Or, at the least, I was able to arrange for the Vet to take small payments, rather than let the pet (and the person who loved it) suffer. Still, in our society, it is the old animal that is most neglected ... perhaps, in a way, a "mirror" to how we treat the Elders among us in general.

Knowing of this and then hearing from a volunteer at Animal Control one day about how many Seniors have to give up their pets to the shelter when they have to go into the hospital temporarily simply because there is no one to care for the pet while they are away or while they are getting well, I became passionate about creating a solution to at least these two problems. Thus, with the loving and determined support of my partner, Dr. Terre York, our non-profit 501C3, "The Critter Coalition", was born.

 I must also acknowledge dear Madelyn Hinsvark for helping us make what will soon become an important and humane community service a reality. Madelyn's love for abandoned, needy animals is legend here in our desert and it should come as no surprise to anyone that she is also capable of expressing great kindness toward people as well...and frequently does.

Responding to these needs of our pet loving community, "The Critter Coalition" created a memorial fund that will help our Senior friends and their pets. This came out of a tragedy that occurred on Thanksgiving Day 2001. A special friend, Jan Morosoff, was killed by a drunk driver that evening on her way home from having Thanksgiving Dinner with her Mother and Son. Her death was instant and we who loved her were devastated by it.

Jan was love incarnate ... everyone who knew her was better and blessed by that "knowing" and everyone who knew her also knew that Jan's love for the animal kingdom was profound. Lost dogs and cats seemed to always find her "light" and her kids told me their home was always filled with at least 3 or 4 "critters" of one kind or another that Mom had adopted or was caring for until she could find a loving home that needed this newest little fur friend.

Just a week before her death, Jan and I had talked about the need for a Senior Pet Assistance Program in our desert and we had planned to go to lunch after the holidays to sit down and map it out. Jan was going to be on the Board of Directors of "The Critter Coalition" and both Terre and I were delighted.  We never had that lunch ... but it was natural to form her memorial fund around the program that she would have worked so hard to make happen. I am proud to say The Jan Morosoff Senior Pet Assistance Fund will be a permanent part of "The Critter Coalition" and in this wonderful woman's name, great good will be done.

The other "wing" of our foundation, Media Production/Education, also comes from my personal recognition of something that needs changing here in our valley. We have a terrible pet over-population problem here in the desert. Thousands, (yes, thousands ...) of homeless dogs and cats, puppies and kittens are killed here every year ... if not by dying of heat exhaustion or being hit on our long, dusty roads while looking desperately for a meal or a drink of water, these lonely, frightened creatures are euthanized by our city and county shelters ... and our kill rate statistics vs. our adoption numbers are appalling. Frankly, I consider them obscene.

Knowing that the only way to change this horror is to educate our desert population to the vital importance of spaying and neutering their pets, "The Critter Coalition" is committed to producing educational videos for television, recording Public Service Announcements (PSA's) for radio in both Spanish and English and publishing (again, in both Spanish and English ...) pamphlets that will be distributed free of charge to our desert community. We will also work with  organizations like Animal Samaritans on raising money for their No Cost Spay and Neuter Fund and we will educate the community to the availability of this program as well.

Simply put, "The Critter Coalition" was born out of a deep need.  With the heart of the desert's animal loving community beating behind it, that need will be met, I promise you. I believe that in the end, how kind we were to one another and the living creatures who make our lives so much richer by just being a part of them will be what matters. With this sincere effort, the lives of thousands of animals and the people who love them will become a kinder place. And for me, this makes my world a true blessing.  Thank you for caring,  Kate Porter  

Feel free to email Kate at CritterKindness@aol.com  for more information