Reflective Essay

PAWS of NELA Cameron Ott and Toni Corso

Mission Statement, Service Area, and Location

“To reduce and aid the population of unwanted and lost companion

animals in our community and to support and encourage the positive

interaction between pets and people.”

PAWS NELA operates out of

their home office in Monroe, LA.

Outside of Monroe, they also

serve the following parishes:

Ouachita, Lincoln, Madison,

Franklin, and Webster

Over a Decade of Service ● PAWS is an all volunteer,

501(c)3 nonprofit

organization that was

founded in May 2003 to help

the communities in the

Northeast Louisiana area.

● The organization offers a

number of different programs

to the community including

the Spay/Neuter Program,

Shelter/Pet Rescue, Tag Ur

Pet, and Pet Therapy.

Phone Interview

● Fortunately, we were able to get in contact with

PAWS NELA during quarantine and had a great

conversation with Staci Boyte Choate, the director

of the Spay/Neuter Program.

● Choate informed us that they would use the grant

money to fund their popular Spay/Neuter Program.

● Due to the pandemic, the grants that they have

used in the past to fund the program just are not

available at this time, so they are struggling keeping

the program alive during these hard times.

Why We Need the Spay/Neuter Program

Companion animal overpopulation in the

NELA region is a critical problem.

Approximately 98,000 pets are put to

death every year in Louisiana, with

nearly 6,000 of them being euthanized

at the Ouachita Parish Animal Shelter.

On average, around 25 pets are put to

sleep there every day.

More about the Program...

- PAWS of NELA’s Spay and Neuter program provides assistance to

low-income pet owners in the region.

- As discussed in the previous slide, a vast amount of pets end up being

euthanized for lack of a home. Making the decision to spay/neuter a

pet means fewer pets are in need of shelter that is simply not always

available for them.

On their website,

printable

applications are

available, as well

as a list of the

benefits of spaying

and neutering. This

information is

easily accessible

and beneficial to

the pet owners.

Our Mission Statement

The ULM nonprofit class will ethically

award grants which will empower

nonprofit organizations to improve the

community. We look for these

organizations to be easily accessible

and inclusive for those who need their

services.

How This Grant Fulfills Our Mission

● Improving the Community: Investing in the

Spay/Neuter Program will lower shelter

populations and in turn lower taxes used for

shelter services. This will simultaneously improve

the lives of our animals and put money back into

the pockets of the community.

● Easily Accessible and Inclusive: The Spay/Neuter

Program specifically serves pets of low-income

families that cannot afford the procedure by

providing the operation for free. These families

can easily prove their financial status through food

stamps or other needs-based services.

The

End!