Pennsylvania SPCA, Philadelphia, PA

Good Cause:

The Pennsylvania SPCA has been dedicated to promoting the well-being of animals and enforcing laws for their protection since 1867. As the second oldest humane organization in the United States, The Pennsylvania SPCA has a long history of progressive programs benefiting animals, including a humane law enforcement department, a low-cost veterinary clinic and an adoption center

Great Results:

We helped to design the Pennsylvania SPCA’s initiative to prevent animal cruelty and promote the human-animal bond through education, outreach, and development of strategic partnerships. Based on a public health approach to violence prevention, the initiative emphasizes the use of data to define the problems to be addressed, assumes the participation of partners from diverse sectors, and includes strategies designed specifically to address primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Other great results include:

• Conceptualizing and writing proposals, letters of inquiry, and assorted overviews of the education initiative that, over a period of six months, were used to obtain grants totaling $135,000.
• Designing and writing a successful grant proposal to support a comprehensive Pet Retention Program.
• Partnering with Drexel University to provide innovative education programs designed to improve the well-being of Philadelphia residents and change community norms regarding the treatment of pets. In partnership with Drexel and Girls, Inc. we piloted In Our Own Hands, an experiential leadership and social justice program that transforms the lives of middle school girls by involving them in animal rescue. This work is the cover story in the fall 2013 edition of the Latham Letter.