El Paso VMA presents awards

The El Paso VMA (EPVMA) held its 40th annual community awards banquet on May 3 in El Paso, Texas. This year’s honorees were Dr. Helen Vega; Sun City Cats, a nonprofit organization; and Gus Gus, an emotional support canine.

Dr. Vega (Texas A&M ’14), El Paso, serves as program director and veterinarian for the veterinary technician program at Pima Medical Institute’s El Paso campus. She is a past president of the EPVMA and has served on the banquet organizational committee for several years, chairing it in 2025. Dr. Vega represents West Texas on the Texas VMA board of directors. She was honored for her service as EPVMA president.

Sun City Cats was recognized with the Community Involvement Award. The organization administers the trap-neuter-and-release program for El Paso, handles a foster and hospice program to place cats with chronic health issues into loving homes, provides funding to care for more than 2,500 cats in the community, and advocates for and serves as a liaison to the city of El Paso with regard to the welfare of the area’s feline population.

Gus Gus, a court-certified facility dog, oversees a family court in El Paso. He has advanced training in obedience and separation issues. Gus Gus supports and assists children in the courtroom.

A version of this story appears in the August 2025 print issue of JAVMA