Since 2005, the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals has transported 80,000 cats and dogs to partner rescue groups, adoptive and foster homes, spay/neuter appointments, and veterinary providers with our Wheels of Hope transport program. Our six transport vans run seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, to help NYC’s shelter pets and feral and stray community cats. This month, we are bringing you stories of organizations and individuals who are saving the lives of animals in New York City with the help of our Wheels of Hope. We hope you enjoy these Wheels of Hope: Tales from the Road!
“The Wheels of Hope team has never let me down,” says Wendy Tam, who along with Jomay Ng does Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) work with feral and stray community cats in Queens. A few years ago, the then-new TNR duo found themselves equipped with traps and a place for the cats to be housed prior to and immediately after their spay/neuter surgeries, but still in need of reliable transportation of the cats to and from the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic in Glendale, Queens. That’s when Wendy turned to the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals’ Wheels of Hope (WOH) transport program for help. She’s been using WOH ever since for her multi-cat transports.
Wendy recalls an especially busy time in the summer of 2012 when, for several weeks, WOH transported between 12 and 19 cats each week for her and Jomay. During that time, Wendy met most of the Wheels of Hope drivers. She remembers one in particular, who, despite having had her own cat pass away just that morning, arrived per the previously arranged schedule to assist Wendy in getting 19 cats to the ASPCA clinic. “I felt terrible she had to work after the passing of her own cat,” says Wendy. “But she was so sweet.” She has found all the WOH drivers to be kind, reliable, and expert in handling the cats.
“I would like to thank the Mayor’s Alliance Wheels of Hope team for making my cat rescue work possible,” says Wendy. As is evident from the photo collage, Wendy and Jomay are not only helping to control the feral cat population in their Queens neighborhood, they have also made it possible for many of the kittens and friendly adult cats they trap to find adoptive homes.
Keep the Wheels Turning for NYC’s Animals!
Our current Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals Wheels of Hope fleet has driven a combined 1,415,198 life-saving miles! Our oldest transport vans each have now logged more than 300,000 miles, and our maintenance costs continue to rise with each vehicle’s mileage. In order to sustain the incredible pace we have set for NYC’s animals, we now are in need of a new Wheels of Hope transport van.
This month, as we race to help even more animals find homes for the new year, please join our campaign to keep the Wheels of Hope reliably turning in 2015 and beyond. Your tax-deductible donation will help us continue to help others save precious lives and bring hope to the littlest New Yorkers in the new year. Donate now at http://bit.ly/TurnWheels.
