By KEN AND NICOLINA STEWART | VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT
SUGAR’S GIFT™ PROGRESS REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2024
2024 has been an extremely busy year for us! We have helped over 200 Little Angels so far, and with our Grant from Bishop Parker Foundation, we have been able to help more Little Angels than ever before – and in areas we cannot normally serve. And, the busiest time of the year is approaching.
And, thank you to Safe Passages in Indiantown, FL! Safe Passages is helping us on the East Coast of FL and Orlando by partnering with more mobile veterinarians for our continued expansion over there – thank you!
GIVING TUESDAY IS COMING UP…
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR DECEMBER 3, 2024!
One of the largest fundraising/matching day for us is coming up! Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 3, 2024….the more funds we receive that day, the more matching funds we receive from GlobalGiving! You’ll hear more about Giving Tuesday as we get closer to the day with all the specifics, but we wanted to let you know ahead of time that we really, really need your help that day! GlobalGiving has approximately $750,000 to match for non-profits that day and again, the more you give, the more we receive from them. Thank you, in advance, for any donations you are willing to give us on that special day! Here is the link, but you’ll get more notices coming up….
ALL OF SARASOTA AND MANATEE COUNTIES ARE OPEN AGAIN FOR US TO HELP MORE BABIES
We can now service all of Sarasota and Manatee Counties again! We can help pet owners and their Little Angels in all of Sarasota County, including Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Venice, Nokomis, Englewood and even some areas near Port Charlotte. In Manatee County, we can service all of Bradenton – East and West, Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, Palmetto, Ellenton and Myakka City. As always, our availability in any area is dependent upon the schedules of the mobile veterinarians with whom we partner. They always do their best to fit us in – thank you Drs. Wendy and Kyle!
EAST COAST OF FLORIDA AND SOME OF THE ORLANDO AREAS ARE OPEN, TOO
On the East Coast, our service area stretches from Merritt Island/Melbourne down through Broward County. We also have vets in most of the Orlando area. It is always a good idea to call to ensure we have your areas covered. We will do our best! We are working hard to secure more funding on the East Coast, so if you have any contacts with Foundation, Corporations or individuals on the East Coast, let us know. We are very grateful for the Knopf Family Foundation who always helps us with funding for our East Coast Operations. Thank you, Sandy!
FT. COLLINS/LOVELAND, CO IS OUR NEXT LOCATION!
We have a new location that we are launching! Dr. Emilea Burton, a wonderful veterinarian in the Ft. Collins/Loveland, CO area is helping us get started in that area! She is an incredible vet with a great big heart and helps with in-home euthanasias in that area. We are just now getting started, so expect more news from our CO location soon! Thank you, Dr. Burton!
WE DESPERATELY NEED A VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORATIONS AND DELIVERIES
We have tried to reach out to everyone via social media, but so far we have had no luck….we need an SUV or Minivan of some type to help with all the transportations of pets and deliveries of ashes to pet owners, as well as travel to events and back and forth between the East and West Coast of Florida for Sugar’s Gift™. We hope that sending you this in our newsletter may allow you to share our needs with anyone you know who can help. If you know of anyone working for or owning car dealerships or auction houses, or if you hear of individuals who need to increase charitable donations for tax purposes and have a good, solid vehicle to donate….remember we are a 501(c)(3) and their donations are tax deductible to us.
This need has increased even more because we have expanded....growing pains! But we don't want to use donations for this need. We want to keep 92-96% of all of our donations to go toward our mission, only! Please spread the word and help us find transportation!
HELPING THE LITTLE ANGELS – WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW!
In the Sarasota/Bradenton area we receive 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 2-3 days, and sometimes, dependent upon the location, we can help the day after someone calls us. We are never available to help the same day on the West Coast of FL; however, sometimes we are available to help the same day on the East Coast of FL. 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. The only qualification we have in order for us to help is that your pet has been seen by a vet within 6 months of your call to us and has been diagnosed as terminally ill.
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!
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR TEAM – AND WE ARE A TEAM!
At Sugar’s Gift™, we have a very special team of people who work so well together in order to help your babies cross the Bridge peacefully from home. I would like to highlight everyone who makes us the terrific organization we are!
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.
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.
KEEP US IN MIND FOR YOUR ESTATE PLANNING GIFTS!
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 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 over 1,700 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
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 in 2025!
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! OUR EXPANSIONS HAVE INCREASED OUR NEEDS!
In the past, a number of you have told me you were interested in volunteering to help with Sugar’s Gift™. Until this year, we have not needed a lot of extra help. However…..things have changed….again, growing pains! Our needs are growing, so please complete the Volunteer form on the website if you have a special skillset or have extra time on your hands – or email Nikki at nikkistewart@sugarsgift.org. Our website has a few positions listed and we certainly have a need for administration positions, website help, social media help, phone help, delivery help, transportation help….and much more. And, if you just want to join us but don’t have anything in particular in mind, that is OK, too! Remember, though…..all positions are Volunteer, not paid. That is one reason we can use 92-96% of all your donations directly toward our mission. We are very cognizant of our costs. We want your dollars to go to our mission, not our overhead expenses.
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.
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