Helping Our Pets Cross the Rainbow Bridge at Home

SUGAR’S GIFT™ PROGRESS REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2024

RECAP OF 2023

2023 was one of the busiest years Sugar’s Gift™ has had so far…thank you for your donations to help us help so many pets and their families!  Your generosity is what keeps us going and keeps us successful.  We helped several people in areas we usually cannot – West Bradenton, Venice, Northport and surrounding areas thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and donations from people like you!

Our Jupiter, FL location with the help of Dr. Blair Dack and the Lifetime Veterinary Center also helped a record number of pets and their families.  We are strong in Jupiter and the East Coast of Florida in large part thanks to the Knopf Family Foundation and their generous donations to us each year.  Our operations on the East Coast survive because of their generosity.

We helped over 200 people and their Little Angels between the Sarasota/Manatee County operation and the Jupiter/East Coast operation in 2023.  As you know, it costs us between $600-$1200 for each pet that we help, so the funds we raise from you and others like you, are what keeps us going...

2024

2024 is already on track to be even busier than 2023 for us here in the Sarasota/Manatee County area.  The phone calls still come to us at a rate of 10-15 calls per day, but we are scheduling many more this year.  We also receive a lot of calls daily from other areas of the country where we do not have a presence yet.  If only we had an Angel or 2 (hint, hint, in case you know of someone….) we could branch out nationally and help even more people and their pets.  If you or someone you know has the means to help on a large scale, please ask them to contact us, or let us know and we’ll initiate a conversation.  We are the ONLY 501(c)(3) organization in the country who does what we do, and once people hear about our services, they do support us because we are so unique and we provide a compassionate, dignified, peaceful service for our babies – and for us.

MATCHING FUND OPPORTUNITIES IN 2024

Many of you have asked, and we do have 3 wonderful matching fund opportunities where your dollars go even further when you donate to Sugar’s Gift™:

1. 2024 GIVING CHALLENGE – presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County
   1. Are you ready to be a part of the Giving Challenge? It’s a 24-hour opportunity to celebrate all the good going on in our communities.
   2. The date is noon (ET) April 9, through noon (ET) April 10, 2024
   3. All donations received during those days will be matched DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR for donations from $25 - $100. (SOOO, if you have a few extra dollars, this helps us a lot!)
   4. Link to Donate:  https://www.thegivingpartner.org/organizations/sugar-s-gift-inc
2. 2024 JULY BONUS DAY – through our fundraising partner, GlobalGiving
   1. The date in July will be July 10!
   2. This is our BIGGEST FUNDRAISING DAY EVERY YEAR!
   3. Please mark your calendars when we give you the date.  We have various percentage of matching dollars, depending on the amount of your donation. 
   4. All donations from $100 - $1,000 will receive a matching contribution!     
   5. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
3. 2024 GIVING TUESDAY – December 3, 2024
   1. This is the second largest fundraising day of the year for Sugar’s Gift™
   2. All donations will receive a match, depending on the amount of contributions we receive that day.
   3. It is a one day event and happens annually.
   4. More to come the closer we get to that date….
   5. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
4. 2024 MONTHLY MATCHING – yes, this is still in place for the entire year!
   1. If you donate monthly to us, up to $200 per month, for 4 months in a row, we receive a matching donation from our GlobalGiving partners of 1 extra month!
   2. Donating monthly to us helps in so many ways – it helps with cash flow and we receive extra money from the bonus donation - we appreciate your support so much.  We have a number of people who donate to us this way and it really helps!
   3. CLICK HERE TO DONATE

HELPING THE LITTLE ANGELS – WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW!

In the Sarasota/Bradenton area we receive at least 10-15 calls per day.  Not all of those people need our help right away – some simply want information for when the time comes.  But, realistically, we could be helping 8-10 pets per week if we had the funding. 

As you know, we do not advertise, or spend your generous donations on overhead such as paying people, rent etc.  We are proud of the fact that between 92-96% of all your donations go directly to our mission of helping babies cross the Rainbow Bridge from home.

Thank you again for your understanding with not being able to help everyone we would like, as quickly as we would like.  We try to help within 3-4 days, and sometimes, dependent upon the location, we can help within 2-3 days.  We try very hard to help everyone we can and the amount of babies we are helping is increasing…it is so hard to tell people no, but occasionally, we must.

With all that said, we are still busier than ever and helping more babies cross the Rainbow Bridge from home than ever!  In fact, we want to help more of you, but we do need more donations in order to do that!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

THANK YOUS – WE CAN’T TELL THEM THANK YOU TOO MANY TIMES….

With the challenges we face, we are still getting so much support from all of you – and believe me, we need it!  With the rising costs due to inflation in every sector, we are no exception in having our costs to do business increase.  We received some very generous donations during 2023, and have again in 2024 already, and please let others know of our wonderful work. Spreading the word is our only real source of advertising.

Thank you to all of you who donate on Facebook, as well.  We don’t always know who is donating, and we don’t always know if you have fundraisers for Sugar’s Gift™, but please know that we appreciate all of what you do to help us! 

And, we want to give a big shout out to Belspur Oaks Crematory in Sarasota, FL.  Barbara and Ray Bounds are our Angels in the Sarasota/Manatee areas.  They are so trustworthy – we are asked many times from pet owners who we trust for our cremations.  We love Belspur Oaks and want to give a big thank you to them!  And also, a great big hug and thanks to Cheryl Brady and Vet Care Express - they do help us so much.  Thank you, Cheryl and company!

We would like to also thank the Veterinary Medical Center and ER of Lakewood Ranch!  Although we worked with them consistently before they had their ER, they do try to fit us in with their mobile veterinarians when they can.  We understand they are very busy and we thank them for what they can do for us.

Drs. Wendy and Kyle are our true Angels in the Sarasota/Manatee county area!  They will bend over backwards to accommodate us and our pet owners as much as possible.  We have been so busy this year and getting busier even now, and we know they have their own clients to serve…..but they always manage to make room for us in their schedule.  Thank you and we love you!  (and our pet owners do, too)

And, thank you Dr. Dack and the Lifetime Veterinary Center in Jupiter FL for all they do for us.  Safe Passages, our crematory on the East Coast, is helping us find other vets on the East Coast, too! 

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Nikki is available and willing to speak to any group – over-55 communities, fraternal and social organizations, networking groups, etc.  She can speak about Sugar’s Gift™ and also about Pet Trusts in a workshop fashion, or as an informational session.  Let us know and we can get you on the calendar for your group – and please spread the word because she wants to talk about the benefits of our organization and educate others about us.

WE NEED AMBASSADORS

So many of you ask us how you can help…we need Sugar's Gift™ Ambassadors to help us spread the word and help others know what we do, as well as hear your stories.  We will be having a Town Hall meeting soon and we will send out a notice for those of you who have expressed interest in helping us.  We need funding, and the more people who know of us and can hear the stories you have to tell them, the more likely we can increase our funding.  We will arm you with what you need to help us – don’t worry!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

KEEP US IN MIND FOR YOUR ESTATE PLANNING!

Many people ask us if they can include Sugar’s Gift™ in their estate planning.  We are very appreciative of that gesture.  If you have a Will or a Trust and wish Sugar’s Gift™ to receive funding upon your demise, we thank you for thinking of us.  Your gifs will keep us sustainable for many years to come!  If you need help or have questions regarding this issue, please contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss options for you.

OUR MISSION – WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

Our mission is always worth repeating:  Our mission is to provide euthanasia and end-of-life veterinary services for terminally ill pets in their own homes.  We at Sugar's Gift™ do not charge for any of our services to help your terminally ill baby.  Why?  Our mission from the beginning has been all about the Little Ones, not about how much money someone has.  We don't charge you on a sliding scale.  We don't charge you based on your income.  We believe this:  Every one of you who has a terminally ill pet has something in common with all of us - the love for our pets, our companions, our Little Angels and the need to have them pass in the most comfortable surroundings.  That is something sacred to us.  We share that love and respect you for that love, as well.  That is why we do not charge you for our services.  It is the last Gift you can give your baby, and it is Sugar's Gift to both of you.

OUR PET OWNERS AND THEIR MESSAGES TO US….

Pet owners across this great country of ours describe Sugar’s Gift™ as “Bringing lasting peace to pets and their owners after a life full of love.”  We offer a life-changing experience...our services extend far beyond the time and scope of the services we provide for you and your pet. We are here as a resource, an ear or a shoulder to cry on, an organization that will always be here for you and your furbabies. Some of our pet owners have described our client care service as unsurpassed. Read some of our testimonials here.  

LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, THREADS – AND PLEASE RECOMMEND US ON NEXT DOOR, TOO!

We are trying to stay up to date on all the social media channels – but it is difficult!   Thank you to all of you who have encouraged others to like us on Facebook….we have increased our followers to almost 1,600 as of today.  We want to build even more Facebook Likes, so go here to Like Our Page and share this newsletter with your friends!  We especially appreciate all the recommendations we receive on Next Door!  If you can tell 5 people about us, and they can tell 5 more people about us...well, you get the picture....exponentially, it can make a huge difference to us!

WHAT WE NEED NOW FROM YOU

1. We are still getting calls in our Sarasota/Bradenton location at the rate of 10-15 pet owners per day to help their beloved pets cross the Rainbow Bridge from home.  It is wonderful that we can help so many, but that takes funding.....so we need more generous souls like you to help us pay for the expenses of each euthanasia and cremation for all these Little Angels. We need approximately $150,000 -$200,000 per year to pay for our largest expense each year:  our wonderful veterinarians.  Let us know if you or someone you know can help with our needs. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
2. Consider a donation up to $200 per month to help us help more Little Angels cross the Rainbow Bridge from home.  Click here to go to the Monthly Donation Tab Page.  We receive a 100% match on your first month’s donation after you donate for 4 months in a row!
3. If you work for or with a Corporation or Foundation, let us know.  We would love to talk with them to form a partnership and help the Little Angels together.  It would also help to know if they match employees' donations. (We are happy to speak with your Human Resources Department, if you would like us to inquire about this for you)
4. We are looking to add experienced Members to our Board of Directors and to our Advisory Board.  If you are interested, or know of someone who is, please email Nikki at nikkistewart@sugarsgift.org.  You must have experience on another Board of Directors, preferably with a non-profit organization.  There are other qualifications, but please email or call if you are interested.  We are accepting applications nationwide.
5. We need volunteers to help answer phone calls, deliver ashes back to our pet owners and help with our administrative needs….please let us know via email at nikkistewart@sugarsgift.org if you can help us.  We need you!

WE ARE COMPILING A BOOK OF STORIES!

The pet owners whose pets Sugar's Gift™ has helped are giving us stories - either written stories, poetry, songs, about their pets' lives.  We want to publish those stories and let others know what wonderful people and pets we have helped, and how we have helped them through their experience with Sugar's Gift™.  If you are one of our terrific pet owners and we don't have your story yet.....get those pencils (or iPads) working overtime!  We want to publish the first volume this year!

So, when we say every dollar counts…..EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS.  CLICK HERE TO DONATE

REMEMBER….

Sugar’s Gift™ is the only non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization in the country whose mission is to help terminally ill pets cross over the Rainbow Bridge from home with comfort, dignity and peace. 

Please give generously.....monthly, annually, whatever suits your budget. We REALLY need your help right now!  All the other Little Angels need us....and we need you.  Thank you.

We apologize, in advance, if you receive a duplicate of this report.  We are sending this through our email server, too, so you may get 2 of the same reports.  Just simply forward one to someone  you feel would like to read it!  Thank you.

Links:

• Our Home Page
• The Rainbow Bridge Poem
• How Do I Know It Is Time?

THANK YOU AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL SUPPORTERS AND DONORS!

This is not a solicitation, nor a fundraising drive, nor a plea for matching funds donations…

Rather, this is a great big virtual hug and a giant THANK YOU for all your support during 2023 for Sugar's Gift.  We were more successful this year than any other, thanks to your generosity and kindness….and belief in our mission.  2024 will be another break-out year, so stay tuned!

We had so much support on our 2 fund-matching days in 2024 - July 20 and Giving Tuesday on December 28.  And, many of your donate monthly to us, which not only gives us bonuses, but helps us with cash flow every month.  Thank you, as well, for all of your wonderful reviews on Google, Next Door and other places - from the bottom of our hearts:)

As always, to those of you and others who lost their Little Angels in 2023 (or before), remember when you are sad:

1. They live in your heart forever.  That thump, thump, thump that you have deep in your heart sometimes is just our babies’ tails wagging hard, telling us they are still with us.  You may feel sad, anxious, tearful, and that thumping gets extra loud.  But they are right there with us, telling us they love us, and they will always be there for us, just as we were always there for them.
2. Look at pictures you have taken of your Little Angels.  It can seem painful sometimes, but the tears we shed are also happy tears to see their bright, shining faces once again.  We can remember good times, how much seeing those tails wagging when we walked in the door brightened up the whole day and how much those kisses in the morning, through the day and at night meant to us.  And, yes, we wish we could feel those again.  But we will.
3. Think of them now, at the Rainbow Bridge with all of the other Little Angels, waiting for that special person – YOU – while they play again, healthy, happy, running and jumping.  But, yes, they are sad, too, because they miss you so much.  But they are waiting for you.
4. Don’t dwell on the sad times at the end of their lives when they were not themselves any longer.  Instead, know that you did everything you could to help them and keep them healthy for as long as you could.  If you feel you kept them around just a little too long, think of it like this:  As much as your baby loved you, he or she knew that you also needed to have their Rainbow Crossing stretched out a little bit since you weren’t ready for them to go yet.  They knew that.  They loved you no matter what.
5. Last, we all second guess ourselves and say, “Did I do the right thing?”  Let me reassure you and tell you that YES – you did the right thing.  Please don’t live your life thinking that you should have waited…maybe this is just a “glitch” and she’ll come around….what if she isn’t as bad as I think….etc.  None of wants to think that our babies have a journey to the Bridge.  That is the hardest part of having a Little Angel.  You did the right thing.  Your baby relied on you to make those decisions for him or her, and they trusted you to the end of their life.  You knew it was time.  So, Yes, you did the right thing.

To all of you, go hug those babies of yours and give them one extra one from us!  Have a wonderful, SAFE, peaceful, prosperous 2024!

Woof Woof!

Links:

• Our Home Page
• The Rainbow Bridge Poem
• How Do I Know It Is Time?