This is amazing! I really love the idea of utilizing local radio stations in this way! I will absolutely be sharing your email and ideas to our development team. Thank you so much for expanding on how you have been able to spread the word!
Original Message:
Sent: 10-29-2025 07:37 AM
From: Jennifer Vasquez
Subject: Community Conversations - 10/27/2025 - Bridging Services, Strengthening Communities
Hi Jennifer! For the schools, we are still in the beginning phase. We have connected with the High Schools in two districts so far; the Junio National Honor Society students need hours and we've been working with them to complete those hours. We've also connected with the cheerleaders at one school to assist with drawing in more students. Our goal is to connect with the student councils and LEO clubs for more opportunities. Food drives with schools districts are pretty successful. However, downside is you get a mix of foods that cause upset tummies with pets, even when we ask for specific brands to minimize upset tummies. I'm currently working on a penny wars program to pitch to the district.
For TV and radio, we do not pay. We reach out to the local organizations to see if they can assist us in sharing our event. We explain that we are a non-profit providing low-cost services to our community to help them keep their pets safe. Our prices are low that those at local clinics and even across the border. Most are eager to help, just have to ask when they have availability. For TV, we go live with a pet which also helps with adoptions. One news station does "Pet of the Week" with several shelters to showcase adoptable pets and help us get our events out to the community. TV spots get shared on their website and social media pages as well. We now do six TV stations, two are in Spanish. For radio, we visit three stations, five if the other network has time, but we haven't been able to go to that one in several months. Most of their airtime is paid for which we understand. The radio spots that we visit are sometimes live, but get played later in the day as well. The radio spots that are recorded from the beginning get edited by the radio station and aired multiple times throughout the week. Radio in my opinion is more fun because it's a conversation and your not limited on time so you don't feel rushed. I love TV and it absolutely helps us get pets adopted and share our events, but TV is live and the person interviewing us only has a few minutes to talk about what we can talk about for many hours! LOL I'm very grateful for both media outlets. They are always very kind and helpful when we visit. Templates for TV and radio are more in my head because I've been doing them for about two years, but if you'd like two jump on a zoom or call or email, I'd be happy to share more information about the discussions we have on air. My email is development@rgvhs.org
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Jennifer Vasquez
Director of Development
Rio Grande Valley Humane Society
TX
Original Message:
Sent: 10-27-2025 04:38 PM
From: Jennifer Toussaint (she/her)
Subject: Community Conversations - 10/27/2025 - Bridging Services, Strengthening Communities
@Jennifer Vasquez that is so amazing to hear! We have also utilized our public school system to expand the services we are offering, it can be pretty intimidating in a larger jurisdiction given how many schools there are. Have you had any successes getting the word out through public schools that reached every school? I would love to know more about how you have been using the radio to reach new community members! Do you have any templates of what you have used? Are you paying for these ads or is local radio allowing you to publicize for free/reduced cost? I love these ideas!!!
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Jennifer Toussaint
Chief of Animal Control and Senior Director of Community Resources
Animal Welfare League of Arlington
Arlington VA
Original Message:
Sent: 10-27-2025 03:12 PM
From: Jennifer Vasquez
Subject: Community Conversations - 10/27/2025 - Bridging Services, Strengthening Communities
It was a great presentation, thank you for hosting. I think a great way to bridge that gap is to connect with the schools. We host monthly low-cost vaccine clinics for our community and we try our best to connect to those families who need the services. Our regular media outlets are social media which we know not everyone has, TV in English and Spanish, and radio in English and Spanish. Surprisingly enough, the radio is actually what helps us get the word our more, but I would like to connect with the schools a little more to let the younger generations know that these services are available and they can help us connect with their families. We are trying to work with the school districts a little more to help with this. This connection will also help future community members learn at a young age how to help the animal community, and this will help with finding volunteers.
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Jennifer Vasquez
Director of Development
Rio Grande Valley Humane Society
TX
Original Message:
Sent: 10-27-2025 11:57 AM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 10/27/2025 - Bridging Services, Strengthening Communities
Thanks to our panelists, @Jennifer Toussaint (she/her), @Adam Jablonski, and @Karina Swetnam - and everyone who joined us today!
We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: Where can we create bridges to allow our community members to gain access to additional resources working together collaboratively as one animal welfare community?
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Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
Original Message:
Sent: 10-21-2025 10:58 AM
From: Sheila Kouhkan
Subject: Community Conversations - 10/27/2025 - Bridging Services, Strengthening Communities
We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, October 27, 2025 at 11am PT / 2pm ET for "Bridging Services, Strengthening Communities," a presentation by the Animal Welfare League of Arlington team.
Animal welfare is strongest in communities when services don't work in silos but come together to support both animals and the people who love them. This panel brings together members of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington's animal control, community outreach, and shelter services teams to highlight how collaboration drives meaningful impact. Panelists will share real-world examples of how these diverse roles intersect-whether it's animal control officers helping families access emergency veterinary grants, outreach staff providing free grooming services, or shelter and field staff standing side by side at community clinics and food distributions. Attendees will learn how AWLA's community-centered approach creates innovative solutions that meet families where they are, break down traditional barriers, and build a stronger safety net for animals and people alike.
This session is especially relevant for return to home and intake prevention staff, behavior staff and volunteers, field services/animal control officers, marketing and communications staff, operation staff, and animal care staff - but all are welcome!
🔑 Key Takeaways:
Concrete examples of how cross-team collaboration directly benefits both animals and the families who care for them-with an emphasis on bridging animal control and shelter services.
Provide strategies that other agencies can adapt to create integrated, community-centered approaches that strengthen the safety net for animals and people alike.
Don't forget! $10,000 in grants each month! Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants each month! You can enter for a chance to win each time you attend a call or watch it on demand during the month by completing the monthly giveaway drawing entry form.
Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom. If you have not re-registered for the new season, please do so today.
🧠 Got Topic or Speaker Suggestions?
We want to hear your ideas! If there's a topic you're curious about or a speaker you'd love to hear from, please share your suggestions with us on our Community Conversations Suggestions thread.
Looking forward to being in community with you!
#AccesstoCare
#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#FieldServicesandPublicSafety*
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Sheila Kouhkan
Senior Education Specialist
Maddie's Fund
CA
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