ABOUT C.H.A.R.M.
Facts List
Type of Organization: Non-Profit
Founder: Mary Jo Raffone
Founded: 1990
Volunteer Members: 21 - 100
Number of Cats Helped: Approximately 6,000
Goals:
- Reducing the Feral Cat population through a Capture/Alter/and Release program.
- Finding appropriate and loving homes for domesticated cats who have been abandoned.
- Educating the public on the Plight of the Abandoned or Feral Cat.
- Providing lifelong companions for caring, compassionate people.
- Reducing the number of cats euthanized, through responsible intervention.
- Providing foster care for cats awaiting adoption.
- Providing necessary veterinary care for abandoned cats.
- Domesticating critically injured feral cats. (training and behavior)
History
C.H.A.R.M., Cat Help And Rescue Movement, Inc. was born in a meeting of some like minded ladies
at an animal rights meeting in Phoenix, AZ.. Although they all shared a love and respect for all
creatures, they perceived a very definite need in the community for a group that would help the
millions of cats on the streets. At that point the only group helping was ASPCA and they would pick
up and deliver to shelters. The animal rights group gave exposure to a thing called fix and release
used with great success in England. C.H.A.R.M. duplicated this process and was the first group to
perform fix and release of feral cats in Maricopa County history. This still on going activity is
entitled Project Street Cat.
Project Details
Our major program is Project Street Cat; which we initiated in 1990. This project involves doing one
fix and return site after the next. It also includes follow up in these areas. Fix and return means
we go to the residence or business that has called us and trap the feral cats there. The cats are
brought to a full service veterinary clinic where they are checked for disease, spayed/neutered,
vaccinated for rabies and upper respiratory viruses, and microchipped. We have used the AVID microchip
system since 1994 with tremendous results. We get our animals back when they end up in shelters or
clinics and are able to track problems in our areas in this way. This year alone 36 animals came back
to us through the use of microchips.
We work only on a donation basis and the need is much greater than our current resources as there are
several million cats on the streets or Maricopa County. We have been in business for 12 years and
depending on funding have spayed and neutered averaging 500 animals a year.
Accomplishments for Fiscal Year Ending 12/31/2002
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We are working with with the ASPCA, The City of Mesa Animal Control Dept. and Mesa Veterinary Animal
Hospital to try to offset the influx of hundreds of cats from the city of Mesa, AZ.. The local humane
society and local animal control are both charging the ASPCA and the City of Mesa for animal turn ins.
Now the 200 cats a week that were being picked up will not be picked up. ASPCA or CHARM will be called
to help these animals. The ASPCA will have to euthanize any animals they cannot afford to help. We are
attempting to work together to get donations to offset this problem and save as many lives as we can.
Many of these animals need emergency care and follow up care for things like broken legs, poisoning etc..
This is very expensive.
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Increased our number of spay/neuters and number ill and injured we helped due to a living trust we received.
We give thanks for answered prayers. We spent $70,000 directly on the animals through medical expenses and
supplies this year. We pray that our good will continue to come to us as a group so we may continue to serve
the animals that so desperately need our help; mostly through veterinary care.. and adoptive homes.
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We have over come odds against development and managements that wanted to harvest and kill all cats on property.
We were able to go into these areas and discuss the problem with our years of expertise and turn around all
these situations to create a win-win program for management and the animals. This includes 2 large trailer parks,
one of which was having half it's area bulldozed. It also includes a neighborhood where we did tremendous footwork
to track all the feral cats displaced when uncontrolled development caused one whole block to be bull dozed. We
continued feeding stations and spent hours walking the neighborhood talking with neighbors who aided us in our
plight of finding and re-establishing the colony of cats. Almost all cats have been accounted for and we are still
monitoring this situation. We give thanks for all of the community support!
Objectives for Fiscal Year Beginning 01/01/2003
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One major goal has to do with our participation in Maddie's Fund. We are part of The Alliance For Companion Animals.
This is the group officially participating with the Maddie's Fund. As a community we have just received our first
Maddie's Fund check. Our goal is to work as a part of the coalition to meet the baseline numbers of adoptions for the
Maddie's requirement(1141 for our community). For us that is 129 adoptions. To do this we will increase advertising and
time spent at our adoption centers.
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Our second goal is being accomplished to some extent as we fill out this web info. We wish to establish ongoing funding
through grants and private donations. This web site saves us at least $1000 in expenses to set up online donations. For
this we give thanks! Hopefully donating online will make it easier and more convenient for people to donate.
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To increase number of feral cat spay/neuters. To increase strong follow up in our feral cat areas. We are looking into
the costs and possibilities of having a spay mobile and/or having our own clinic.
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