Fall Is Off to a Roaring Start!!

Welcome back to school everyone! Summer always seems so short, however, many of you took advantage of the short break and got out there to help the planet and the community.

Treasurer, Rachael Matyisin, joined International Student Volunteers to help support forest restoration projects in Australia and Fiji. After two weeks of hard work and freezing temperatures, she also got a chance to tour "Down Under". For more information on the ISV experience, join us at our Pawsitive Energy workshop on September 22nd in the Admin Building, Room 234 6-7 PM.

FAU alumn, Alissa Deming, joined EnviroVet this summer to learn more about wildlife conservation in Tanzania. We send her our best wishes as she gets set to start her second year in vet school at UF.


Public Relations Coordinator, Alexa Majdalawi, helped local junior high and high schoolers learn how to become leaders in their schools and communities at SFLTC 2009. Alexa's commitment to teaching students how to become good leaders has been well-established tradition for the last three years. So it is with allot of excitement that we welcome her into the PVMA Executive Board as a Sophomore and hope to benefit from her skills and support.

This summer, we also wished a fond farewell to 2008-2009 Relay For Life Chair, Bianca Murphy, who earned a spot at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine this year. We wish Bianca all the best and know she'll make us proud this year at UF. Check up on our blog for updates on her progress as she goes through her VETAMORPHOSIS!!


President, Christie Gonzalez, Vice President Eunike Stenersen and Secretary Analisa Edell helped raise $500 for donation to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to support the opening of a sea turtle hospital this fall. Way to go everyone!

With such a strong start to the year, our entire Executive Board is really looking forward to the events and opportunities planned for our members. It's going to be an exciting, fun-filled year and we hope to see you all at one of our many meetings, workhops or events.

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the FAU Welcome Back Bonfire! It was a great way to kick start the 2009-2010 school year and get into the football spirit!

Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming events, including our first annual Slip-n-Slide Relay Competition at WetFest on September 15th, a movie presentation for "The Cove", our first PVMA meeting and workshop on September 22nd and our first ever Puppy Tailgate on September 26th. Join us in the fun and we'll see you soon! Go Owls!

Coming Soon this Fall!!

We have just a few weeks to go before school starts again this fall and we wanted to take the opportunity to invite you to a few upcoming events:

Aug 8th, 5-9 PM Bon Festival at Morikami Museum
Aug 20th, 9-4 PM FAU U-Haul Team
(help students move into On-Campus Housing)
Aug 27th, 8-10 PM FAU Welcome Back Bonfire
Aug 29th, 10-12 PM First Book hosts "Meet Ms. Florida", Stuart Yacht Club

Sept 2nd, 11-3 PM FAU ClubFest Breezeway
Sept 12th, 9-4 PM Leadership Conference
Sept 15th, 4-8 PM FAU WetFest
Sept 19th, 8-11 AM World Coastal Clean-Up

Contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu if you would like to participate in any of these events!

Summer Time

Summer is in full swing and I can tell by everyone's Facebook pages, you're all enjoying the time off. For the PVMA Executive Board, it's still been a busy summer of planning.

We raised approximately $620 during our Jamba Juice Fundraiser on June 3rd. Thanks to everyone who helped raise money for the new Gumbo Limbo Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital opening this fall.

No word yet on how much money was raised through our Coldstone Creamery fundraisers on June 9th, July 1st or July 12th. The money from these events will go to help support Marine Conservation and Education at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution.

The turtle walk on June 12th was a bust. The educational talks were wonderful and the Gumbo Limbo staff was thrilled to receive our $500 donation, however, there were no nesting turtles that night or a hatchling release. For those who wish to attend the rain check event to release hatchlings, contact Christie at cgonza48@fau.edu asap.

Coming up this fall, the Palm Beach Veterinary Society is opening up their meetings to PVMA members. A total of three students per meeting are invited to attend the dinner buffet and hear featured lectures in various fields of veterinary medicine. Meetings are the first Thursday of every month 6 - 8 PM. To sign up for a meeting, contact Alyssa at aepsino8@fau.edu.

Look for our next issue of the Vetward Bound newsletter after July 30th and be sure to visit our website regularly to keep track of upcoming events.

Enjoy your summer everyone!! We'll see you again in September.

Celebrate the Dolphin!!

Bring your family and friends to celebrate the dolphin-the state saltwater mammal of Florida-on Saturday, June 13th! Harbor Branch will host this event featuring a whole day of fins, food, films, and fun!

HBOI-FAU researchers will share their latest findings about dolphins and the environment. We'll also have hands-on educational activities and crafts for the kids, photos with "Flipper" and much more! Admission is FREE!!!!

Enjoy an ECO Boat Tour of the Indian River Lagoon and get an up-close view of bottlenose dolphins, manatees, birds and more! Only 10$ per person. Boats depart hourly starting at 10:30am (first come first serve).

This event is sponsored by HBOI's PROTECT THE WILD DOLPHINS License Plate, helping support dolphin rescue, rehabilitation, education and research throughout Florida since 1999! This environmental speciality plate is available at your tax collector's office or online at:

www.protectwilddolphins.org
http://www.fau.edu/hboi/LicensePlates/index.php

For more information please call 772-465-2400 ext. 293

Going on a Turtle Walk

On Friday, June 13th, 20 PVMA members will join Gumbo Limbo staff and City of Boca raton officials to release turtle hatchlings into the ocean and watch for nesting Loggerhead turtles on Red Reef Beach! We will be walking with several City of Boca Raton officials, FAU administrators and local entrepreneurs to learn how we can all do our part to protect Florida's sea turtles. This will be a wonderful PR event for the club and FAU students to strengthen their relationship with he community and with non-profits such as Gumbo Limbo Nature Park.

Tickets for this event will cost $9 per person. The money will go directly to Gumbo Limbo to support turtle conservation. THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED TO ALL BUT THOSE WHO SIGNED-UP ON MAY 20TH.

Be sure to arrive 15 minutes early in front of the Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex, wear comfortable clothing and footwear that can get wet, bring a sweater if you get cold and bring water to stay hydrated. Please no flashlights, flash photography or cell phone use during this event as these items can spook the turtles.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this event, please contact Christie Gonzalez at CGonza48@fau.edu.