Giving roundup: Animal shelter funding, free music camp, DAP goes east
Here's a quick look at what's happening with our local nonprofits.
Million dollar donor names Animal Samaritans' vet clinic
On the heels of a $750,000 donation from the Richard Brooke Foundation, Animal Samaritans has been gifted $1,750,000 from local animal lover Cade L. Morrow.
"From the start, Cade was determined to help the most vulnerable pets in our community, with a focus on abused and abandoned dogs and cats," said Animal Samaritans' CEO Tom Snyder.
Morrow's gift is designated for both the expansion of Animal Samaritans' veterinary clinic in Thousand Palms and for the establishment of The Cade L. Morrow Animal Care Fund.
The new clinic will include a dedicated animal treatment space, urgent care canine recovery room, a dedicated room for pet oncology services, doctors' offices and two additional pet exam rooms. The new center will be built on Animal Samaritans' Pet Land Place property, directly adjacent to its veterinary clinic.
Cade credits the love he felt for his pets and the joy they brought him as a primary reason for supporting Animal Samaritans. Most recently, he shared his life with three dogs and a cat. animalsamaritans.org
Youth Training Orchestras offers free summer music camp
Youth Training Orchestra's Summer Musicianship Camp will be held at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. for eight weeks beginning June 14.
The camp is offered free of charge to students grades 8-11, and the program aims to strengthen music reading, singing and comprehension skills through choral technique. Instrumentalists are encouraged to participate as well as vocalists.
This program anticipates — but does not require — participation in the Youth Training Orchestra, which will be held at the same location beginning in September. The first 15 minutes of each summer camp session is reserved for instrumental auditions.
Youth Training Orchestras of America's mission is to recreate the Juilliard pre-college experience for dedicated Coachella Valley Youth musicians. For more information about the organization or the Summer Musicianship Camp, visit ytooa.org.
The Palm Springs Cultural Center is located at 2300 E. Baristo Road in Palm Springs.
Funding approved for new Joshua Tree No-Kill Animal Shelter
The Morongo Basin Humane Society (MBHS) will soon receive $200,000 from San Bernardino County to assist with upgrading and replacing outdated adoption and shelter facilities in Joshua Tree.
"We're thrilled to receive this generous donation, which will be a huge boost to our fundraising efforts to build a new no-kill animal shelter and adoption complex," said Mimi Mitz, MBHS president. "These funds will also go toward supporting programs that advance animal welfare throughout our communities."
Said Donna Davies, a member of the shelter's Capital Campaign committee: "Our plans for the new shelter and adoption complex will consist of several buildings that include housing for cats and kittens, dog kennels, plus several shaded dog parks for doggie free play."
The Morongo Basin Humane Society, also known as the Joshua Tree No-kill Animal Shelter, offers programs and services to save the lives of homeless pets, including veterinary care, animal sheltering, animal rescue, pet fostering and pet adoptions plus the Pet Responsibility Classroom Education program run by board members and retired teachers Doris Lawless and Jean Bixby.
For more information or to make a donation, visit mbhumanesociety.com/donations.
DAP Health celebrates East Valley expansion with two upcoming events
On June 6, DAP Health announced the opening of its new sexual wellness clinic at 81-719 Doctor Carreon Boulevard, Suite D, in Indio. The clinic, which officially opens on July 11, will operate Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and will offer testing for various sexually transmitted infections. It will also provide pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV clients. Case management and referrals to additional resources will also be available.
Testing and treatment are confidential and free of charge.
"We are adjusting the system to meet the needs of the community by not asking for your insurance while providing free services that don't take weeks to be seen by a clinician," said CJ Tobe, DAP's director of community health and sexual wellness, who led the project.
DAP Health is also celebrating the first anniversary of its Indio Revivals resale store.
To commemorate these two milestones, the organization will host individual ribbon-cutting ceremonies on July 16, the first at 10 a.m. at the DAP Health sexual wellness clinic and the second an hour later at Revivals Indio. All are invited to attend. daphealth.org
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Giving roundup: Animal shelter funding, free music camp, DAP goes east
