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1st Annual Pet Wellness and Community Event hosted by The Red Lake Nation

“Awesiinyag Are Loved Clinic for Pets” August 16-18

(Baltimore, MD, August 13, 2021) — Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (CARE) are proud to partner with the first-ever Awesiinyag Are Loved Clinic for Pets August 16-18 at the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota.

This is one of the few animal welfare events that considers cultural appropriateness for the people being served by bringing them to the table. With tribal input and permission, pet owners who are part of the Anishinaabeg of Red Lake Nation will be able to access a variety of veterinary services, such as free vaccination and wellness checks, and spay/neuter services to stop pet overpopulation. The event came about when the tribal nation’s pet owners formed a group called Awesiinyag are Loved. The group was initially formed to promote and display the appropriate Anishinaabe culture of animals.

“This collaboration has been amazing as our supporters have listened to us wholeheartedly on how to create equitable space to allow the good work of the community to shine. I’m appreciative of the friendships and the bridges that we are making and for this upcoming event, which brings veterinary care to our pets and resources we need to support our community members here on the Red Lake Nation,” says Veronica Kingbird-Bratvold, founder of Awesiinyag are Loved.

A collaboration of partners from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area are assisting in the event as well. Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program (MN SNAP) is providing the spay and neuter surgeries with funding from Petco Love, and the University of Minnesota Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS) is providing pet wellness exams.

This event is core to the mission of CARE, which believes in bringing diversity, equity and inclusion to the workforce of the animal welfare industry. CARE actively supports BIPOC communities like the Red Lake Nation to assist them in using their own community wisdom to create programs and organizations to improve companion animal wellness. As a financial benefactor, Awesiinyag are Loved is now an official CARE Center, one of several throughout the United States.

Michael Bricker, Director of CARE Centers, has been working closely with the tribal citizens to help set up their own non-profit, giving them advice on strategic operations. “Our hope is to support the people of the Red Lake Nation with the resources they need, so they can one day run their own shelters and rescues, veterinary clinics, outreach and adoption programs.”

The three-day event should assist more than 150 cats and dogs with free veterinary services. The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. August 16-18 at The Red Lake Community Center, located at 23990 State Hwy 1, Red Lake, Minn. 56671

It is the goal of CARE to help change the workforce of the animal welfare industry, which will in turn show communities of color that they too, can make a difference in supporting animals.

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About CARE: Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity is a 501©3 nonprofit that addresses organizational and personal biases within animal welfare. The mission is to bring diverse voices to the industry while also advocating for a more inclusive path to pet adoption. CARE believes in using evidence-based tools, narratives, and insights to inspire organizations to be more inclusive and less biased. It is all an effort to save more companion animal lives. https://careawo.org.

About: MN SNAP: The mission of the Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program is to end the suffering and death of Minnesota cats and dogs due to overpopulation by providing both high-quality, affordable, and accessible spay and neuter services to those in need. MN SNAP has completed more than 163,414 low-cost surgeries since April 2010. Using conservative litter estimates for the female pets they’ve sterilized; MN SNAP’s work has prevented the birth of more than 5 million unwanted cats and dogs. https://mnsnap.org

About SIRVS: The Student Initiative for Reservation Veterinary Services (SIRVS) is an official student group of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, serving reservation communities throughout Minnesota.  They provide no-cost veterinary services to the pets of partner tribal communities. These services include physical exams, vaccines, spay/neuter surgeries, and more. https://sirvs.umn.edu