Grief is a Community Action
Led by Alexis Telfair-Garcia & Brittany Szalkiewics, of Austin Pets Alive! this conversation addresses the critical need for communal support to help staff, volunteers, and the wider community navigate the profound sorrow of the loss of a shelter animal. We will explore the framework for a robust community action plan focusing on three core pillars: structured support groups, heartfelt remembrance celebrations, and practicing empathy to foster collective support.
With a focus on community and a compassionate approach to animal loss, together we strengthen the social fabric, ensuring no individual grieves in isolation. We will discuss how to model transforming disenfranchised grief into a recognized and supported community experience. This model elevates the well-being of the APA! community, proving that grief, when shared, can be a powerful force for connection and healing.
About Community Conversations:
Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly hour-long Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, discuss uncomfortable topics, connect with peers in the industry, and more, all while sharing a common goal of preserving the human-animal bond.
This call, recurring each Monday unless otherwise posted, is for executive directors, animal well-being leaders, shelter workers, pet support professionals, volunteers, and rescue organizations.
The registration link is: https://maddies.fund/CommunityConversationsRegistration2025
All calls are recorded and uploaded to the Community Conversations page on Maddie’s Pet Forum https://forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Enter for a chance to win up to $10,000.
Each month, Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants. You can enter to win each time you attend a call or watch on-demand during the month by completing the giveaway drawing entry forms shared in the chat during the calls.
Please Note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie’s Fund.
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