WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR BIG ANNUAL FUNDRAISER IS RAINED OUT?

EDITION OF FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024 [PetPowellPress] Let’s talk rain. No. HANG ONE THERE A SECOND. We talked enough rain last weekend.

I’ll let someone affected by that rain tell you about these two dogs in a moment. Bambi’s on the left and Nova’s on the right.
Our topic for this edition is overcoming rain and triumphing on behalf of animals. Hail Euless Trinity GAP Rescue and Trinity Girl’s Awareness Program, legends on and off the high school campus.
Here’s the deal — the big Trinity GAP Rescue fundraising Walk-A-Thon, a tradition for many, many years, was washed out by Saturday’s deluge.
So, what do you do? You look at the landscape of the future and hope it’s dryer than expected? Kind of. And you do a little hustling-up of donations in the meantime.
GAP Rescue is at the point of needing financial help since the annual source, the Walk-a-Thon, was doused into cancellation by Saturday’s deluge on the grounds of Euless Trinity High School.
[LARRY ASIDE: You might say, ‘These people are going to need a miracle to get out this hole.’ But, as observers of the GAP Club know, the Euless Trinity High School Girls’ Awareness Program (founded 2003) and its non-profit offspring, Trinity GAP Rescue (created in 2013) are built on a foundation of creative and confident determination and, now and then, a miracle or two.]
So you’ll know who’s getting the donations and why, we’ll cite this explanation on the GAP Club page:
“The mission of the Trinity GAP Club is to give these high school girls a positive outlet for their time and show them positive alternatives for their lives. Their community service project is volunteering with the Euless Animal Shelter and sponsoring as many shelter dogs as funds allow to provide spay/neuter, shots, and other vetting costs.
“Since a high school club has limitations as to the support they can provide the Euless Animal Shelter, TGR was formed as a 501c3 charitable organization to support the GAP Club and provide services beyond their capabilities. TGR and the GAP Club meet at the Euless Shelter once a week to interact with the dogs and obtain information and pictures for networking sites to help these dogs find homes.  
“All funds collected by The GAP Club and TGR sponsor vetting and/or boarding for these shelter dogs. There are no [city] funds for dogs who come into the shelter sick or wounded.  All vet fees are paid through donations to TGR and the GAP Club.  TGR and The GAP Club work hard to raise funds to keep adoption fees low and competitive to help these dogs find homes quickly since this is a municipal shelter with limited space.”
And there’s this from the GAP site: "The Trinity GAP Club and TGR have made a huge impact in lowering the euthanasia rate of the Euless Animal Shelter and The Trinity GAP Club has won many local and state awards including ‘The 2009 Youth Volunteer of the Year’. Trinity GAP Rescue is proud to partner with the Trinity GAP Club!”
[LARRY ASIDE: Why aren’t there more of these save-the-animals clubs on our high school campuses? Seems like a natural….OK, back to facts.]
The Trinity GAP RescueClub was “launched by Steffenie Vela on behalf of her daughter’s desire to form a new club for female students.” And Steffenie, instrumental in founding the original Euless Trinity Girl’s Rescue Program, has long been a guiding light for the Rescue arm.
Thus, since GAP Rescue’s biggest fundraiser of the year was rained out, Steffenie has been hustling to replace the money that, so to speak, didn’t make it through the flood to the donation box.
Donations to GAP Rescue can be made through http:// trinitygaprescue.org. Click on the “donate” button on that website and you’ll find other ways to contribute to the GALT Rescue efforts.
You may also send a check to Steffenie Vela, President, 1509 Smoketree Drive, Keller TX, 75248.
Before the rains came, the GALT Rescue website explained, "Trinity GAP can only continue to help dogs in need at the Euless Animal Shelter thru your donations. The enormous amount of puppies, sick dogs, and inflation of everything in general has taken its toll this past year.  We must replenish our vet fund to be able to meet our obligations.  We sponsor all vetting for dogs at the Euless shelter to help them become more adoptable so they can find their 4-ever loving families.  The shelter is constantly at capacity and we work hard to find foster homes to make space for more incoming. The cycle never ends and we never give up!  Help us meet these challenges with a donation—and/or adopting a dog and/or becoming a foster parent! So many ways to help and support us. 
“Check out our website to see all pets in need:  http://trinitygaprescue.org/  Contact us for info on any pet posted:  [email protected] ." [LARRY ASIDE: That cat is the very relaxed Koi, a Euless shelter ready-to-adopt cat.]
Please follow GAP on Facebook at:   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trinity-GAP-Club/106566479427513 .
[LARRY ASIDE: We don’t have a forecast for the 2025 WAlk-a-Thon except for this: Yeah, they anticipate having one next year.]
And, in a later note, Steffenie wrote of this unfortunate rain episode, “It really bummed us out also. People can see all of our dogs on www.Trinitygaprescue.org under our pets. 
We are currently doing raffles for various gifts, a homemade quilt with a dog theme, and our online auction.  
“We would really like to promote Bambi or Nova because they are both older and have been in the rescue quite a while. Bambi is a 9 year old senior and Nova is 6 and both have had pretty bad past lives. They are both on our website and also have recent good reels posted on our Trinity GAP Facebook page.  
"We appreciate all of your help and promotion over the years. This is first time in over 15 years we have been rained out.” 
—- Offer FUNDRAISING ADVICE or EMOTIONAL SUPPORT for these people and the animals by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —-