Vetward Bound Newsletter

APVMA Scholarships Available

So, we finally sent-off our membership dues to the American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association and recieved word back that we are now officially a part of their organization. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone as it gives members access to internships, scholarships, awards and eligibility for election to the Executive Board for the APVMA. I have posted copies of the forms for the scholarships and awards on the COSO website. These awards are on a national level which is a wonderful way to gain serious recognition for your work and the selection process is rigorous. Awards are selected based on a variety of criteria and are awarded at National Symposium during one of their business casual dinners. The following people are eligible to fill these forms out:

Amanda Stiles, Analisa Edell, Anthony Puccio, Bianca Murphy, Carol Ponce, Christie Gonzalez, Cleon Hendricks, Dana Mulvaney, David Baum, Elizabeth Hodge, Eunike Stenersen, Janah Purland, Karen Diaz-Benza, Kayli Spencer, Kristin Hand, Luisa Velez, Nicole Samilo, Nina Chow, Noelle Lazan, Rachael Matyisin, Tiffany Liesch, Tracy Moran, Trevor Detrick, Tricia Adams

If you decide to fill-out a form, let the Executive Board know so we can track your progress and be ready to cheer you on if you win at Symposium!!

Almost Done!

So, we've almost reached the finish line for Fall 2008. As we all scramble to prepare for finals just remember one thing, all the hard work pays off! Before the end of the term, don't forget to turn in your volunteer hours. For those of you who logged service hours, you should have received an e-mail from Christie Gonzalez outlining your hours earned and the dates and events at which you earned them. If you did not receive a notice, please contact Christie at CGonza48@fau.edu.

Also, don't forget that we have two volunteer events in December during the winter break. On December 14th, we will be hosting pet pictures with Santa at Fur Crazy Pet Salon. See previous blogs for more details. We will also be hosting Canine Christmas Caroling at Mizner Park on December 20th 6-9 pm with a holiday mixer at The Dubliner to follow-up. If you are interested in either, follow the previous blogs posted on this site for more information OR contact Christie Gonzalez at CGonza48@fau.edu. Hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Last Meeting's Happenings

Announcements: The club has logged 153 volunteer hours!!"Star Volunteer" for Fall 2008 was Liz Hodge. Congratulations, Liz! You get to choose a gift certificate at a store of your choice in the amount of $25. Thanks for helping out! For Heartwalk 2008, we raised $85 for The American Cancer Society. Thanks to all who donated money. Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive was a success this year. We collected over 60 lbs of food and supplies for Boca Helping Hands and Florida Humane Society. We also got 25 more signatures for potential members in the breezeway.

Reports: Dr. Nichols (advisor) met with Dr. Perry, Dean for Biological Sciences to establish pre-veterinary classes. Updates will be posted. COSO approved money for club account in the amount of $2,506. With that money, we plan to fundraise for Florida Humane Society, promote adoption and spay/neuter programs for homeless animals and develop our educational lecture series. The first PVMA newsletter will be posted in late December. All members are encouraged to post articles for the first edition. Pieces must be submitted to CGonza48@fau.edu no later than Dec 5th. Anyone who would like to donate notes/tests from old classes, please contact Dana Mulvaney at dmulvane@fau.edu. We ask that you scan your notes onto a CD if possible before submitting. Dana will post a list in Dec showing subjects available for those who need them for Spring 2009. We will be ordering club t-shirts in January. If you have paid your membership dues, please forward your information and shirt size to CGonza48@fau.edu.

Here is a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and events:

Pet Pictures with Santa Paws: Happening Dec 14th 12-6 pm, professional photographer on site, Florida Humane Society will be there promoting animal adoptions. This event is scheduled at Fur Crazy Pet Salon in Boca Raton, west of the turnpike on Glades Rd. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu

Decoration Prep: Help us make the props for Pet Pics with Santa Paws Sunday, Nov 30th in the school library 2-5 pm. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu

Canine Christmas Caroling: Bring your pooch Christmas Caroling at local shops and restaurants in Mizner Park on Dec 20th 6-8 PM. Sheet music will be provided. We will be asking for tips to help fundraise for upcoming club events. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu


Presents for the Animals: This event is hosted by the Palm Beach Zoo Dec 21st 9-5 pm. Come visit the animal exhibits and donate money for enrichment gifts for the animals. Fun for all ages.

Florida Humane Society Volunteers needed: Go to the Florida Humane Society link on this page and fill out a volunteer form. We will be hosting volunteer events every second and fourth Sunday of the month 11-3 pm. Volunteers will help socialize dogs and cats, teach basic commands to dogs and help us to develop off-site adoption events in the future at local community events and dog parks.

Tradewinds Stables: Go to the Tradewinds Stables website and fill-out a volunteer form. We will be hosting volunteer events every third Saturday of the month 12-4 pm. Volunteers will help clean-out horse stalls, schedule horse therapy sessions for disabled individuals, learn to groom horses and observe farriers and equine veterinarians assist in the care of the Tradewinds therapy horses.

Jan Events:
First Day of School Jan 5th
Lecture Series, Student, Massey University Jan 14th 4-5pm
General PVMA Meeting Jan 21 4-5 PM

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Jungle Island Tour a Success!

For everyone who got to attend the Jungle Island VIP tour, thanks for your cooperation throughout the entire day. The curator, trainers and staff at Jungle Island were so thrilled to present this opportunity to such an enthusiastic audience. This was a wonderful opportunity for everyone all around and we hope to repeat the experience next year for those of you who could not attend. Special thanks go out to Eunike Stenersen for all her hard work to make this possible!! This was an experience of a lifetime! Great job everyone.