Friends Of Heal

HEAL is devoted to assisting homeless animals of the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter with medical attention, providing comfort while at the shelter and ultimately assisting them with finding permanent homes with loving families.

H.E.A.L. (Helping Every Animal League) was developed in May 2009 when its founder, Sharon Gaitan Blechinger, realized that the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter was in dire need of improvements for the health and welfare of the animals it houses. The shelter is over 50 years old and the buildings that house the dogs are deteriorating. The shelter also has a high euthanasia rate that HEAL is actively working to lower.

HEAL assists with providing much needed materials and repairs for the shelter facility.  HEAL also helps with providing medical treatment and housing of the animals at the SBC Animal Shelter.

To date, HEAL has raised funds that have provided vaccinations for every dog that goes through the shelter. Through a $50,000 grant HEAL received from the Heigl Foundation, 760 dogs were spayed or neutered last year at no charge to their owners and the group just received another $50,000 grant from the same foundation.

In addition, the Heigl Foundation funded the vehicle that has transported more than 1,550 dogs to states that have no-kill shelters and can provide new homes for the dog. Transports continue each month and the nine HEAL board members work tirelessly with the shelter to find more ways to help the homeless pets.

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To me, Sharon and the volunteers of HEAL represent how much can be done to help animals at a grass roots level. Their dedication is truly inspiring as they've already helped save thousands of animals that were marked for death. HEAL is very much in the CrushCrush spirit of helping those who can't help themselves.

Love,