Photos by Drew Altizer Photography
In great news for San Francisco animal
lovers, Shanti merged
with PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support) in November 2015! PAWS will continue as a program of Shanti.
Here’s the new mission statement of the combined organization: Shanti Project exists to enhance the
health, quality of life, and well-being of people with terminal,
life-threatening, or disabling illnesses or conditions. Through a continuum of services, including
in-home and onsite patient and care navigation, emotional and practical support,
and preserving the human-animal bond, Shanti strives to achieve the highest
medical and quality of life outcomes for San Francisco’s most vulnerable.
While there exists a number of noble
animal-related causes and organizations in San Francisco, PAWS is unique in
that it is the only program dedicated to ensuring that no pet guardians have to
choose between caring for themselves or keeping their beloved animal companions
(often times their sole source of support).
And this service is critical for maintaining clients’ emotional and physical well-being:
interaction with companion animals has been proven to lower anxiety levels and
decrease the onset, severity, or progression of stress-related conditions. Some
studies even show that pet ownership can lengthen a person’s life by providing cardiovascular
benefits and decreasing incidences of depression. The PAWS merger with Shanti
is helping to ensure that PAWS can continue to provide these unique services to
hundreds of clients for years to come, as well as strengthen the presence of
both organizations within the community.
Over the past six months, while both
organizations have been working through various integration-related initiatives
and a few inevitable challenges, the merger already has spurred some very
encouraging developments. The program
was able to hire two additional Care Navigators to further meet its expanding
client needs. Further, the joint
organization has begun to pilot ways to provide clients access to a more
holistic range of services. For example, recently, a breast cancer patient with
an aging dog was referred to PAWS’ Ask a Vet services, where she was able
obtain vital information on her companion’s healthcare needs. As a result of
this type of progress, members of the agency are very optimistic about PAWS’ ability
to keep strengthening the support that it’s able to provide to San Franciscans
in need.
On May 25, the agency hosted the 21st
annual Petchitecture at The Fairmont Hotel—a signature PAWS gala and
the first of many successful events with PAWS and the Shanti Project working to
strengthen our community together. The evening raised approximately $195,000 in
support of PAWS’ mission to maintain the human-animal bond for those most
vulnerable in our community. Four-hundred and fifty friends, and approximately one
hundred of their beloved canine companions came out for a wonderful event
celebrating the mission of PAWS and the PAWS program’s champions of the
human-animal bond. If you missed the celebration, we hope to see you next year
as PAWS celebrates 30 years of service.
Photos by Drew Altizer Photography
