Companions For Life

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Overview

Companions For Life was formed to fill two gaps in the animal welfare movement in our community - humane education and shelter outreach. Changing the world is no small job, and Companions For Life is always looking for supporters to help financially and volunteers who can give of their time. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization relying solely on volunteers and donations from the public.

Mission

Our mission is to provide humane education and shelter outreach, in order to elevate the role of companion animals in our society, create a culture of compassion and caring, encourage adoption, and fight apathy and cruelty to animals.

History

Companions For Life was formed to fill the most obvious and significant gaps in the animal welfare movement in our community – humane education and shelter outreach. Organized on 1/1/06, and granted 501c3 status by the Internal Revenue Service on February 22, 2006. Companions For Life does not rescue, shelter and adopt homeless animals, instead focusing our resources and energy on humane education and shelter outreach.

Program

• PETS MATTER – a partnership with the City of Dallas Parks & Recreation Dept., providing humane education videos and workbooks for the City of Dallas Parks & Recreation Department’s 44 after-school programs, serving approximately 3,500 children; humane education workbooks for the Send a Kid to Camp Program, a community-funded initiative that will serve approximately 1,300 children in 2006; and humane education videos for the children’s library at Scottish Rite Hospital.
• KIDS CARE - Kids Care is an ongoing initiative to provide humane education programs to children and adults in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
• TOP DOG SPEAKER SERIES - One evening each month, Companions For Life will host an evening reception for shelter workers and rescue group volunteers where they can hear presentations from experts in various areas of animal rescue and animal welfare. Each event will offer a unique networking opportunity, refreshments, door prizes, and most importantly - exciting, interesting speakers.
• PROJECT HOPE - focuses on the needs of Dallas Animal Services. Our goal is to raise enough money to furnish and equip the new shelter/adoption center classroom with computer equipment, lesson plans, videos, learning games, posters, flyers, and a library full of books on all aspects of pet care and behavior, wildlife issues, the environment, and more.
• DALLAS ANIMAL ADVOCATES - a joint venture between Companions For Life and Metrolex Animal Coalition to support the City of Dallas Animal Shelter Commission’s proposed ordinance changes including mandatory spay/neuter, anti-tethering, pet limits, enhanced dangerous dog rules and more - all aimed at improving the lives of Dallas pets!
• MURRAY’S MESSAGES - providing the public with timely messages that make them aware of ways they can better care for their pets. About once every 3 weeks our Murray’s Messages partners receive a new graphic to distribute to their clients, family, and friends. The graphics are sent via email are meant to be customized and reproduced at will. We encourage business owners to add their own contact information and either post a color version in a counter-top frame or on the front windows of their stores, or to make copies of the black and white version to hand out to their customers.
• ANALYZING ADOPTIONS - a working follow-up program to actually check on the well-being of those companion animals who have been adopted. CFL provides the outline, materials and information necessary to customize and initiate a program to fit any rescue or shelter organization’s purpose, resources, and personality, and includes samples, data tracking forms, and more.

Impact

• Established media presence on Good Morning Texas and in January’s issue of El Lider US, a Hispanic magazine with “Tips For Winterizing Your Pets”; and the February issue of Urban Animal magazine with an in-depth profile of Companions For Life.
• Blogged on developing news regarding tainted pet food from China, providing readers with the latest updates and warnings to help keep their pets safe.
• Teamed up with a DELTA certified dog and volunteer handler to bring kid-friendly humane education lessons to area elementary schools.
• Partnered with Operation Kindness to provide animal cruelty awareness to thousands of attendees at Dog Day Afternoon.
• Debuted a brand new series of seminars for the public, the Animal Sense Speaker Series.
• Provided educational materials, supplies and equipment for Dallas Animal Services.
• Provided humane education workbooks for Send A Kid To Camp – a program of the City of Dallas Parks & Recreation
• Provided humane education videos and workbooks for the City of Dallas’ 44 after-school programs
• Taught pregnant moms and dads how to prepare their pets for the arrival of a new baby
• Provided humane education workbooks, lesson plans and materials, brochures and promotional items for kids to the Humane Education Officer at the City of Dallas Animal Services
• Enlisted the help of a number of area businesses and individuals to provide monthly humane education messages to the public
• Created an online community where animal welfare volunteers and shelter staff can network and have access to a library of information
• Developed a monthly speaker series to bring experts in the field of animal welfare to speak to local rescuers and shelter staff on topics of concern to them

Goals

Looking forward to 2008, we plan to continue and expand our on-going programs, while increasing our partnerships with other animal welfare organizations as a way to maximize our impact. We will also be approaching domestic violence shelters and local police departments in hopes of teaming up to prevent animal cruelty by educating the most at-risk children. Plus, we’ll continue to provide humane education and shelter outreach services to our community wherever possible.
We have just begun to change the way our society views companion animals. There is still a lot to be done, but together we will make a difference.

CEO

Rebecca Poling

Volunteer- December 2000 - MARCH 2004:
Feral Friends Animal Rescue- Dallas, Texas
Webmaster, foster parent, Adoption Counselor, cage cleaner, photographer, proofreader, and bookkeeper.

Vice President/Board of Directors-June 2001 - March 2004:
Feral Friends Animal Rescue- Dallas, Texas

Volunteer- September 2004- PRESENT:
Metroplex Animal Coalition- Dallas, Texas
Serve as Member Groups Coordinator; served on Paws In The City 2006 Annual Fundraiser committee; served on 2006 and 2007 MAC Artists For Animals event committees; oversaw redevelopment of MAC website; served on 2006 and 2007 annual Have A Heart fundraising campaign committees; serve on disaster response committee as liaison to SPCA of Texas.

Volunteer- September 2005 - November 2005
Animal Rescue New Orleans- Dallas, Texas/ New Orleans, Louisiana
Animal rescue on location in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, coordination of local efforts to provide supplies and funding for on-going rescue efforts.

Founder/President- January 2006 - PRESENT
Companions for Life- Dallas, Texas
Serve as President and Chairman of the Board of Companions for Life, providing humane education to the children and adults of our community, and providing resources and assistance for animal welfare professionals in the Metroplex.

Advisory Board Member-January 2007 - PRESENT
Metroplex Animal Coalition-Dallas, Texas

Board

Rebecca Poling
Elizabeth Bodden
Alicia Voltmer
Darlene Payton
Judith Burnett

Countries

United States

States

Texas

Contact

6022 WHITE ROSE TRL
DALLAS, TX 75248-4934
Phone: (972) 661-2356
www.companionsforlife.org
EIN: 20-3864293


Teach Compassion

Spanish Workbooks K-3

Companions For Life

Regular price $10.00

Your donation will help purchase workbooks that teach compassion, respect and responsibility for animals. We'll use these workbooks in our partnerships with Dallas' Parks & Recreation, Dallas Environmental & Health Services, city-run after-school programs and summer camps, children’s shelters and hospitals and more! The "Yo Quiero a los Animales" workbooks teach children respect and responsibility for pets, animal safety, compassion, caring, and the importance of...


Prevent Cruelty

Workbooks Grades K-3

Companions For Life

Regular price $10.00

Your donation will help purchase workbooks for use in our partnerships with Dallas' Parks & Recreation, Dallas Environmental & Health Services, city-run after-school programs and summer camps, children’s shelters and hospitals and more! The "I Love Animals" workbooks teach children respect and responsibility for pets, animal safety, compassion, caring, and the importance of spay/neuter and adoption. The workbooks are produced by the ASPCA’s education department...