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staffed entirely by volunteers & funded through individual donations and fundrais-
ers, sterilizing on average 100 dogs and cats every month. Because the services
are offered on a donation basis to the community, clinics fill up quickly.

Sometimes pet owners have to be turned away, though they are encouraged to
return to the next clinic. The veterinarians travel from Ensenada on a day off from
their full-time veteri-
nary jobs. They work
at a discounted rate as
part of a program that
helps needy communi-
ties such as ours. As
a former vet tech with
a business background,
Cheryl ensures the clin-
ics run smoothly. She is
one of the first to arrive
in the morning and one
of the last to leave in the afternoon. She is also prepared to fill any role, from over-
seeing registration to giving injections. She was quick to point out to me during her
interview that she could not do her job without
the other clinic managers with whom she works
side by side. I myself recently became one of
those managers after volunteering for nearly two
years caring for cats post-op. I have appreciated
Cheryl’s leadership and dedication during this
time. I have called her all times of day and night
with cat emergencies, and she has never hes-
itated to find a solution. As the main liaison to
the veterinarians, Cheryl listens openly to sugges-
tions and takes them to the lead vet who makes
process improvements. Her work is having visible
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