AVMA Cares about community

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Attendees at AVMA Convention 2018 helped the Association give back to the Denver community by participating in the inaugural AVMA Cares program. The major project was the first AVMA Street Clinic (see story).

Hygiene kits assembled July 13 by convention volunteers were made available at the street clinic through AVMA Cares, with support from Purina, Blue Buffalo, Visit Denver, PSAV, MCI Group, and Sheraton Denver Downtown. Enthusiasm for the project was evident when all 300 bags were assembled in just 45 minutes by more than a hundred convention-goers who stopped to help.

Donated backpacks and pet food were provided at the clinic. The remainder of the hygiene kits were donated to Give Denver, a program of Denver Human Services.

Convention volunteers assemble hygiene kits
Convention volunteers assemble hygiene kits to distribute to homeless pet owners during the AVMA Street Clinic held July 15 outside the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. (Photo by Malinda Larkin)

Exhibitors were invited for the second year to donate leftover supplies for The Street Dog Coalition to deliver to local homeless pet owners.

A few other aspects of AVMA Cares were allocating a portion of all food purchases at the AVMA Concert to support the American Veterinary Medical Foundation as well as convention attendees donating 492 pounds of convention bags to schoolchildren in Ghana, Africa.

AVMA Cares will continue at AVMA Convention 2019 in Washington, D.C. Those interested in participating or donating are invited to contact Colette Apke at exhibitsatavma [dot] org (exhibits[at]avma[dot]org).