Problem Mapping

I had a great phone meeting today with Olympia, the current grant writer for Habitat for Horses. She has several foundations already selected to apply to for funds, and she is planning to take a look at the EQUUS Foundation as well. She had never heard of EQUUS, so it was nice to feel like I had something valuable to contribute to the conversation!

Right now, the three top priorities for the organization are obtaining a new tractor (the old one is in the 'tractor hospital,' and with $1000 worth of repairs will be usable, but only for so long...), increased cash reserves (they recently underwent an audit by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, who advised having at least $115,000 cash on hand at any given time), and general operating costs (operating costs are approximately $1000 per day).

We don't have a solid solution in mind yet, so for the mapping assignment, I have created a map of my 'conversation' with myself about the problem.

Thesis Statement

Last week we talked about how a mission statement, in a way, is a thesis statement. A thesis is an opinion presented as a statement that needs evidence to support it. For your blog post, relate a single statement that serves to "manage change" as your primary thesis in your mission statement. What problems might a reader have with it? How will you mitigate those problems?
I have a phone date set up with my organization for this Wednesday, just before class, so I still dont have a specific proposal/project narrowed down. I'm going to post my attempt at a 'thesis statement,' but I'm afraid it might be a little on the generic side.

Tens of thousands of often young and healthy horses in the United States are abused, neglected, or shipped out of the country for horse slaughter each year. We believe that change begins with education, and seek to rescue and rehabilitate abused horses and provide them with useful careers educating America's youth.

Again, I'm afraid its very generic, since I have not narrowed down a specific 'mission' yet with my organization, so obviously lack of specifics could be an issue someone would have with my thesis statement. Once I have a specific project in mind, I think I will be able to provide more facts and statistics, which will be backed up by case studies and examples, to help mitigate concerns about the statement.

Finding an Organization

I found my organization pretty quickly - I've been riding horses since I was ten years old ("Mom! I'm going to be a jockey!"), and I have seen how cruelly people can treat these beautiful animals that would lay down their lives for the right owner, so working with a horse rescue was a natural fit.

I googled horse rescues in Texas, and Habitat for Horses and Lone Star Equine Rescue were the first two that popped up. I found out pretty quickly that Habitat for Horses and Lone Star had merged, so it was an easy choice. I have been in e-mail contact with the person who currently writes their grants, and they seem excited and willing to work with me. Hopefully we'll be able to carve out a time to talk on the phone this weekend.

Finding a potential funding source was a little more difficult. I used the Foundation Finder site to start my search, but there were over 350 results just in Austin. I decided to try my own path to finding some possible sources. I decided to try looking up other equine non-profits to see if I could find information about their sponsors/donors. It seems to be pretty common practice for non-profits to list on their website their funding sources. From there I located the EQUUS Foundation, a community foundation devoted entirely to supporting equine-related grants and projects. This is the foundation I will be doing my presentation on for class on Wednesday. Hopefully I can figure out this voice-over powerpoint thing!

First Draft of a Need Statement for Habitat for Horses

This is a hypothetical first draft of a need statement for Habitat for Horses, an organization that has tentatively agreed to allow me to work with them. I have not actually spoken with the organization about this specific idea.

When Marco was seized by Habitat for Horses, his ribs, hips, and spine protruded from his lice-infested skin, and his remaining teeth were loose from scavenging for tree bark to survive. He was lame from overgrown, neglected hooves, and his intenstines were infested with worms. And he was the lucky one. When Habitat for Horses found Marco, he was still being kept in the same pasture as the half-buried, charred carcas of a pregnant mare who bled to death from the owner’s attempt at a backyard cesarian.

The Animal Welfare Institute estimates that one horse is slaughtered in America every five minutes. Over 5,500 horses have already been brutally destroyed this January alone. People often perpetuate the myth that only old, broken-down, or useless horses are sent to slaughter; in fact, 92.3 percent of horses arriving at slaughter plants in this country in recent years were deemed to be in "good" condition, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Guidelines for Handling and Transporting Equines to Slaughter. Horse slaughter plants make a greater profit off of fatter, healthier animals. And slaughter does not even account for the thousands of horses that are neglected and mistreated by abusive, negligent, or just plain ignorant owners each year.

An overwhelming majority of American voters (at least 70%, according to a national poll), support a federal ban on the sale of horses for slaughter or human consumption. A stronger federal solution would help, but action needs to be taken now to protect these vulnerable creatures from slaughter, and from cruelty at home.

Habitat for Horses is an established non-profit equine rescue organization in Hitchcock, Texas. Habitat for Horses currently houses approximately 40 – 50 horses on site, and cares for over 250 horses at foster locations. Habitat for Horses has rescued and rehabilitated over 350 horses just within the past year. Habitat for Horses already has some corporate sponsors in Purina, Dupont, and Southern States, and has a capable and well-trained team of volunteers who assist with the daily care and upkeep required for sick, injured horses and a large equine facility.

Habitat for Horses currently engages in several outreach programs to bring rescued program horses to schools, churches, retirement homes, and hospitals for educational purposes. Habitat for Horses would like to take a step towards providing even more community involvement and support by creating a long-standing program to bring troubled or at-risk youth together with equines from similar situations. Horses are already widely used in rehabilitation programs for children and adults with physical impairments, and their unconditional, trusting natures can be used to reach children with hidden hurts. Habitat for Horses already has many willing and eager volunteers and staff; however, we are seeking funding to undertake the training necessary to begin a program working with at-risk youth. We are requesting funding in the amount of $2000 from your organization to train our volunteers and develop this outreach program.

Intro Post

Really enjoyed our first class today, and am definitely excited for this semester! I've never even attempted to write any sort of grant proposal before, so I was a little worried coming in, but I think the readings will be helpful and I'm looking forward to giving it a shot...

Horses have always been a huge part of my life - I rescued my first horse when I was 16 - so I think I may try to find a horse rescue to work with. Horse farms are incredibly expensive to run, especially when you're caring for ill , undernourished or abused animals. I've seen some horse rescues/programs that offer outreach/education programs, and I think that is something I would like to try to support or expand.