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The Emancipet Anniversary Luncheon is always one of my favorite days of the year because it’s a rare chance for us to actually stop and reflect on what we’ve achieved together for animals. This year was especially exciting because we have grown so much in the last twelve months! In the last year, we served almost 57,000 pets and celebrated the 2-year anniversary of our Pflugerville clinic and the 1-year anniversary of our Killeen clinic. We also shared the exciting news that our Killeen clinic recently moved out of their start-up clinic and into a permanent brick & mortar clinic in downtown Killeen, just a few blocks from the Fort Hood gates.

But the most exciting news we got to share was that we have now opened our first Houston branch clinic. Our clinic is now open five days a week in the East End – a neighborhood with no vet clinics and where families struggle just to make ends meet. It’s also ground zero for one of the worst homeless and stray pet crises in the country. At the luncheon I shared that even though we’ve only been open for a few weeks, our work is already transforming the way people can care for their pets in this neighborhood. Our work in Houston – providing low cost spay/neuter and vaccinations, and sharing information about pet health with families who have never been to a veterinarian – is how we will transform this underserved neighborhood into a humane community. Eventually, all pet owners in the East End will have access to spay/neuter and preventive veterinary care at a rate they can truly afford, and taking pets to the vet will become the “new normal” for pet ownership.

The Luncheon raised a total of $256,000 from the 470 people gathered together to celebrate these milestones. But the most important result of this fundraiser will be whether and how we will all respond to the call to join a national movement to build  more humane communities. As I shared with the audience at the event, if we want to change the world for animals, we have to change the neighborhoods they live in. Our part in that is to open Spay/Neuter & Healthy Pet Clinics inside underserved neighborhoods, price our services so they will be affordable, and provide outreach that empowers pet owners. We hope you’ll stay tuned and join us on our journey.

— Amy Mills, Chief Executive Officer at Emancipet

Join us Saturday, June 6th, for the free grand opening of Emancipet’s first Houston clinic!