![Sweet Jaxzen is at Peace at the Bridge now...]()
Sweet Jaxzen is at Peace at the Bridge now...
SUGAR’S GIFT™ - GIVING TUESDAY IS COMING UP…..AND SOME NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR US
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR DECEMBER 3, 2024!
One of the largest fundraising/matching day for us is coming up! Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, December 3, 2024….the more funds we receive that day, the more matching funds we receive from GlobalGiving! You will receive another email with a reminder as we get closer, but we wanted to let you know ahead of time that we really, really need your help that day! GlobalGiving has approximately $750,000 to match for non-profits that day and again, the more you give, the more we receive from them. Thank you, in advance, for any donations you are willing to give us on that special day!
The event starts at midnight on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, and runs until 11:59 pm that day. Any amount you donate, up to $1,800 per donor, will be matched based on the total amount we receive as an organization. So, give as much as you can, please! It is the last big matching event of the year for us and we are in desperate need of your funds.
Please mark your calendars and help us that day! Here is the link, but you’ll get at least one more notice coming up….
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
WE ARE HELPING HORSES FOR IN-FARM EUTHANASIAS NOW
Some of you know that Nikki Stewart grew up showing quarter horses in her younger life and has always loved horses. And, you may know that she intended to become a veterinarian, with a preference for horses and exotic animals. Well, Sugar has given Nikki another Gift…..
We have parnered with Sarasota Equine in Sarasota, FL to help those with horses in Sarasota Equine’s areas of service help who need Sugar’s Gift. Nikki is especially happy for this opportunity to help horses again, and we are very appreciative of 2 people and their horses who have ushered us into the horse world. Betty N and Apollo were the first to contact Sugar’s Gift for help (although Apollo has improved and we have not helped him yet – a good thing), and Vicki K with Pepper who are going to need our help very soon. We are honored to help both of these special animals and their loving owners and are also honored to help any others who will need us. You will see more about this area of service on our website soon and in social media, as well.
Our cremation partner, Safe Passages, also cremates horses at their facility, so we do have that option for those horse owners who have that special one in their lives.
So, Sugar…..thank you again, sweet baby, for opening up more opportunities for Sugar’s Gift to help others in your name.
ALL OF SARASOTA AND MANATEE COUNTIES ARE STILL OPEN FOR US TO HELP MORE BABIES, THANKS TO A GENEROUS GRANT FROM BISHOP PARKER FOUNDATION
We have been able to service all of Sarasota and Manatee Counties again thanks to a very generous grant from Bishop Parker Foundation. We can help pet owners and their Little Angels in all of Sarasota County, including Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Venice, Nokomis, Englewood and even some areas near Port Charlotte. In Manatee County, we can service all of Bradenton – East and West, Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, Palmetto, Ellenton and Myakka City. As always, our availability in any area is dependent upon the schedules of the mobile veterinarians with whom we partner. They always do their best to fit us in – thank you Drs. Wendy and Kyle! And, as always, thank you, Cheryl Brady with Vet Care Express for always helping us with our transportation!
EAST COAST OF FLORIDA AND SOME OF THE ORLANDO AREAS ARE OPEN, TOO
On the East Coast, our service area stretches from Merritt Island/Melbourne down through Broward County. We also have vets in most of the Orlando area. It is always a good idea to call to ensure we have your areas covered. We will do our best! We are working hard to secure more funding on the East Coast, so if you have any contacts with Foundation, Corporations or individuals on the East Coast, let us know. We are applying for more funding on the East Coast and can use some help! We are very grateful for the Knopf Family Foundation who always helps us with funding for our East Coast Operations. Thank you, Sandy!
FT. COLLINS/LOVELAND, CO IS OPEN FOR SUGAR’S GIFT NOW!
Dr. Emilea Burton, a wonderful veterinarian in the Ft. Collins/Loveland, CO area and has helped get us started in that area! She is an incredible vet with a great big heart and helps with in-home euthanasias in that area. We are just now getting started, so expect more news from our CO location soon! You’ll see her on our website and more in social media coming soon….Thank you, Dr. Burton!
We also need contacts in the CO areas we serve for funding and grants, too, because we want to help more and more people and their pets there. If you have contacts, let us know!
HELPING THE LITTLE ANGELS – WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW!
In the Sarasota/Bradenton area we receive 10-15 calls per day. Not all of those people need our help right away – some simply want information for when the time comes. But, realistically, we could be helping 8-10 pets per week if we had the funding.
As you know, we do not advertise, or spend your generous donations on overhead such as paying people, rent etc. We are proud of the fact that between 92-96% of all your donations go directly to our mission of helping babies cross the Rainbow Bridge from home.
Thank you again for your understanding with not being able to help everyone we would like, as quickly as we would like. We try to help within 2-3 days, and sometimes, dependent upon the location, we can help the day after someone calls us. We are never available to help the same day on the West Coast of FL; however, sometimes we are available to help the same day on the East Coast of FL. We try very hard to help everyone we can and the amount of babies we are helping is increasing…it is so hard to tell people no, but occasionally, we must. The only qualification we have in order for us to help is that your pet has been seen by a vet within 6 months of your call to us and has been diagnosed as terminally ill.
With all that said, we are still busier than ever and helping more babies cross the Rainbow Bridge from home than ever! In fact, we want to help more of you, but we do need more donations in order to do that!
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR TEAM – AND WE ARE A TEAM!
At Sugar’s Gift™, we have a very special team of people who work so well together in order to help your babies cross the Bridge peacefully from home. I would like to highlight everyone who makes us the terrific organization we are!
- Cheryl Brady and Vet Care Express – Cheryl and her own team are some of the most compassionate people on the planet….and everyone we have helped agree! They are always there for us and the pets we help and we appreciate them so much!
- Drs. Wendy and Kyle with Holistic Veterinary House Calls – our cherished veterinarians on the West Coast of Florida are our lifeblood! Again, everyone we have helped certainly believe that, too. We couldn’t be here without them!
- Dr. Dack and the Lifetime Veterinary Center in Jupiter, FL – another incredible veterinarian that we are fortunate to have on board! They help so many babies on the East Coast and we love them, too!
- Safe Passages In Home Euthanasia and Pet Crematory on the East and West Coasts of Florida are special partners to us. They go above and beyond for our pet owners, pets and us. We are incredibly excited to be a partner with them for our in home euthanasias and their vets on the East Coast, as well as our expansion by using their crematory services on our West Coast. Thank you, Margo and your team!
- Dr. Emilea Burton with Western Skies Vet in Loveland/Ft. Collins, CO for opening up a new service area and helping so many people there!
- Sarasota Equine in Sarasota, FL – we are grateful for their help in allowing us to help horses now on the West Coast of Florida.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Nikki is available and willing to speak to any group – over-55 communities, fraternal and social organizations, networking groups, etc. She can speak about Sugar’s Gift™ and also about Pet Trusts in a workshop fashion, or as an informational session. Let us know and we can get you on the calendar for your group – and please spread the word because she wants to talk about the benefits of our organization and educate others about us.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
OUR MISSION – WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
Our mission is always worth repeating: Our mission is to provide euthanasia and end-of-life veterinary services for terminally ill pets in their own homes. We at Sugar's Gift™ do not charge for any of our services to help your terminally ill baby. Why? Our mission from the beginning has been all about the Little Ones, not about how much money someone has. We don't charge you on a sliding scale. We don't charge you based on your income. We believe this: Every one of you who has a terminally ill pet has something in common with all of us - the love for our pets, our companions, our Little Angels and the need to have them pass in the most comfortable surroundings. That is something sacred to us. We share that love and respect you for that love, as well. That is why we do not charge you for our services. It is the last Gift you can give your baby, and it is Sugar's Gift to both of you.
KEEP US IN MIND FOR YOUR ESTATE PLANNING GIFTS!
Many people ask us if they can include Sugar’s Gift™ in their estate planning. We are very appreciative of that gesture. If you have a Will or a Trust and wish Sugar’s Gift™ to receive funding upon your demise, we thank you for thinking of us. Your gifs will keep us sustainable for many years to come! If you need help or have questions regarding this issue, please contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss options for you.
PLEASE CONSIDER A REVIEW FOR SUGAR'S GIFT ON GOOGLE, FACEBOOK OR A TESTIMONIAL FOR OUR WEBSITE AND GRANTS…
If you would, please consider a review of our services on either Google, Facebook or write a testimonial for us to use on our website and for possible grants that we really need. Testimonials help a great deal when funders want to know if our recipients are happy with our services.
Pet owners across this great country of ours describe Sugar’s Gift™ as “Bringing lasting peace to pets and their owners after a life full of love.” We offer a life-changing experience...our services extend far beyond the time and scope of the services we provide for you and your pet. We are here as a resource, an ear or a shoulder to cry on, an organization that will always be here for you and your furbabies. Some of our pet owners have described our client care service as unsurpassed. Read some of our testimonials here.
LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, THREADS – AND PLEASE RECOMMEND US ON NEXT DOOR, TOO!
We are trying to stay up to date on all the social media channels – but it is difficult! Thank you to all of you who have encouraged others to like us on Facebook….we have increased our followers to almost 1,800 as of today. We want to build even more Facebook Likes, so go here to Like Our Page and share this newsletter with your friends! We especially appreciate all the recommendations we receive on Next Door! If you can tell 5 people about us, and they can tell 5 more people about us...well, you get the picture....exponentially, it can make a huge difference to us!
WHAT WE NEED NOW FROM YOU
- We are still getting calls in our Sarasota/Bradenton location at the rate of 10-15 pet owners per day to help their beloved pets cross the Rainbow Bridge from home. It is wonderful that we can help so many, but that takes funding.....so we need more generous souls like you to help us pay for the expenses of each euthanasia and cremation for all these Little Angels. We need approximately $150,000 -$200,000 per year to pay for our largest expense each year: our wonderful veterinarians. Let us know if you or someone you know can help with our needs. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
- If you work for or with a Corporation or Foundation, let us know. We would love to talk with them to form a partnership and help the Little Angels together. It would also help to know if they match employees' donations. (We are happy to speak with your Human Resources Department, if you would like us to inquire about this for you)
- We are looking to add experienced Members to our Board of Directors and to our Advisory Board. If you are interested, or know of someone who is, please email Nikki at nikkistewart@sugarsgift.org. You must have experience on another Board of Directors, preferably with a non-profit organization. There are other qualifications, but please email or call if you are interested. We are accepting applications nationwide.
WE ARE STILL COMPILING OUR BOOK OF STORIES!
The pet owners whose pets Sugar's Gift™ has helped are giving us stories - either written stories, poetry, songs, about their pets' lives. We want to publish those stories and let others know what wonderful people and pets we have helped, and how we have helped them through their experience with Sugar's Gift™. If you are one of our terrific pet owners and we don't have your story yet.....get those pencils (or iPads) working overtime! We want to publish the first volume in 2025!
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! OUR EXPANSIONS HAVE INCREASED OUR NEEDS!
In the past, a number of you have told me you were interested in volunteering to help with Sugar’s Gift™. Until this year, we have not needed a lot of extra help. However…..things have changed….again, growing pains! Our needs are growing, so please complete the Volunteer form on the website if you have a special skillset or have extra time on your hands – or email Nikki at nikkistewart@sugarsgift.org. Our website has a few positions listed and we certainly have a need for administration positions, website help, social media help, phone help, delivery help, transportation help….and much more. And, if you just want to join us but don’t have anything in particular in mind, that is OK, too! Remember, though…..all positions are Volunteer, not paid. That is one reason we can use 92-96% of all your donations directly toward our mission. We are very cognizant of our costs. We want your dollars to go to our mission, not our overhead expenses.
So, when we say every dollar counts…..EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
REMEMBER….
Sugar’s Gift™ is the only non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization in the country whose mission is to help terminally ill pets cross over the Rainbow Bridge from home with comfort, dignity and peace.
Please give generously.....monthly, annually, whatever suits your budget. We REALLY need your help right now! All the other Little Angels need us....and we need you. Thank you.
We apologize, in advance, if you receive a duplicate of this report. We are sending this through our email server, too, so you may get 2 of the same reports. Just simply forward one to someone you feel would like to read it! Thank you.
![Beautiful Lucy Lou in her healthier days...]()
Beautiful Lucy Lou in her healthier days...
![Handsome Nox Ackerman is at the Bridge now...]()
Handsome Nox Ackerman is at the Bridge now...
![Handsome Bradley is missed so much by his family..]()
Handsome Bradley is missed so much by his family..
![Beautiful Tessie is missed by her Dad...]()
Beautiful Tessie is missed by her Dad...
![Sweet Coco Ford was the apple of Mom's eye....]()
Sweet Coco Ford was the apple of Mom's eye....
Links: