Personified

Spay Arkansas works to reduce unwanted births

Sally Baker Williams Spay Arkansas Executive Director
Sally Baker Williams Spay Arkansas Executive Director

Sally Baker Williams

Spay Arkansas

Spayghetti and No Balls

Who: Spay Arkansas

What: Italian buffet, drinks, silent auction, live music

When: 3-7 p.m. today

Where: Fred’s Hickory Inn in Bentonville

Tickets: $50

Attire: Casual

Information: (479) 756-1100 or spayarkansas.org

Executive Director

Tell us about your organization:

Mission: To reduce the number of unwanted and stray animals entering our shelters by offering high quality, affordable spay and neuter services, to reduce the number of animals euthanized in local shelters and to promote responsible pet ownership and care.

Services provided: Spay and neuter services for dogs and cats, core vaccines, canine heartworm and tickborne disease testing, feline snap tests for heartworms, feline leukemia and FIV disease. These may be done at the time of surgery along with basic deworming, and flea/tick preventatives. Microchip insertion with lifetime registration. Pet food and supply pantry.

Service area: All of Northwest Arkansas, surrounding counties in Missouri, Oklahoma and the River Valley.

Average number of people (animals) served per year: 4,750 spay/neuter surgeries annually and 2,100 animals vaccinated via our Saturday clinics.

How is our organization's mission unique? We take a two-prong approach to reducing unwanted animals and shelter euthanasia. Our primary mission is to prevent unwanted litters. By providing easy access to low cost spay and neuter, we reduce those unwanted litters. By providing access to routine care for vaccines and parasite prevention, we are enabling lower income households the opportunity to be responsible pet owners, regardless of their budget constraints.

Why do you work for a nonprofit organization? Do you have a personal connection to the mission? If so, what is it? I was brought up with many examples in my family of nonprofit work and volunteerism. As a child I rescued many kittens and dogs. My initial career pathway was healthcare as a licensed practical nurse. Animal welfare seemed a natural fit for my next chapter. I am passionate in my belief that animal welfare advocacy is a social justice issue. All people, regardless of their socioeconomic status deserve the unconditional love of a pet and access to resources to be a responsible pet owner.

What part of your job fills the most of your time? Resource allocation, whether it be ensuring we have enough staff/volunteers for clinic days or fundraising to assist in reducing costs for those that cannot afford our base rates.

What challenges face your organization? Since opening in 2011 we have performed over 32,000 spay/neuter surgeries. We know we have made a lot of progress, but still have a long way to go. Transportation is an issue for people in outlying communities, especially among the working poor. If we could assist with getting the animal to us for services it would make a huge difference. Finally, despite being here for seven years, there are still many people that are unaware of us, or do not understand what we do.

Are there volunteer opportunities in your organization? What are they? Yes! We could not operate without volunteers. We have a small paid staff for core functions, [but] all other work is done by dedicated volunteers. There are opportunities on a weekly basis to do clerical work, laundry, instrument and equipment processing/sterilization, kennel clean up, monitoring animals postoperatively, assisting with vaccine clinics, education, fundraising and special events.

-- Carin Schoppmeyer

cschoppmeyer@nwadg.com

NAN Profiles on 06/03/2018

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