Donations In Lieu of Gifts or Flowers How You Can Help Shades of the Earth Poem Bres and Bob Payton (our treasurer) Bres is a retired racehorse/broodmare that has "behavioral issues" and is a permanent resident of the founation Shades of the Earth Against every season's landscape From summer's green to winter's bare limbs, I have watched these three souls Learn to trust again, and become friends They came from very different places And to me at different times, But from the moment I saw each brown eye, I knew I was theirs and they were mine. I will never know who once taught one to be so loving, Or who gave confidence to the one so bold and sure, Or the man who inflicted such pain That the third one had to endure. I can never know how their spirits have preserver ed, Or what their eyes have seen But, my thanks will always be to those who spared them From what their fates would have been. For myself, I only know what joy they bring, And how I want their lives only filled with bliss, And, I only know they are my "Shades of the Earth", Know to my heart as Calypso, Flag, and Chris... M.A. Mercer 5/95

Donations - How You Can Help

Donate via PayPal:

Donations to Help Us with Veterinary Costs:

Ann and Daisy

GGF, 101 Ivandale Rd
Hamilton, VA 20158
OR donate above, or via Paypal using info@gingersnapgirls.org.

Thank you.

As the Gingersnap Girls Foundation is dedicated to helping the neediest of equines that, quite often, means the sickest and most debilitated.

The Foundation has been unusually hard this past year. We have taken in 16 horses who have required and some who continue to require extensive medical assistance. Though we are fortunate to have veterinarians who are kind enough to offer us discounts, we are still in dire need of monetary donations to help defray some of our staggering veterinary bills.

We always want to stress that even $1.00 helps us! Please consider helping us in this way and know that you are doing your part to help end animal abuse.The Gingersnap Girls Foundation needs your help in the rescue process. In order to save one horse, the Gingersnap Girls has a bare bones expenditure of approximately $350 per month. This initial cost includes the following: trailering to our facility, hay and grain for the first few weeks, preliminary veterinary care to include vaccinations, and corrective farrier care. As noted, this $350 is bare bones care. Many of our horses require extensive and/or prolonged veterinary medical services to help them recover from the neglect, abuse, and/or starvation from which they have been rescued.

Please help us to continue helping these less fortunate creatures by donating whatever amount you can. And know that you have done your part to help in the fight to end animal abuse.

Donations In Lieu of Gifts or Flowers

Looking for the perfect gift or remembrance? Why not give something that everyone can feel good about AND benefits a charity? The Gingersnap Girls Foundation welcomes donations in lieu of gifts or flowers. The Foundation will accept and process checks received as donations, send acknowledgements to donors, and will track and provide a detailed list of donors to the married couple or grieving family.

HOW IT WORKS:

To set up The Gingersnap Girls Foundation as your charity of choice, please e-mail Ann at info@gingersnapgirls.org or please call 703-727-7277.

In your announcement, please direct readers to www.gingersnapgirls.org for more details.

Checks should be made out to The Gingersnap Girls Foundation and should be mailed as follows:

The Gingersnap Girls donation for (name of party/funeral)
C/o Ann Mercer
101 Ivandale Road
Hamilton, VA 20158

The Gingersnap Girls Foundation will do the following:

• Send acknowledgement letters to donor (with information on how their donation will benefit abandoned, neglected, abused horses)

• Will provide the married couple or grieving family with detailed list of donors in a keepsake folder

Your Donation will help in so MANY WAYS

• Equine Rescue Groups - a portion of monies raised will go to assist non-profit equine rescue groups who are working at the grassroots level; those who are going to livestock auctions to purchase the most helpless, ill, elderly and bring them back to the safety of their shelters to either rehabilitate or humanely euthanize.

• Education - the main goal of the Gingersnap Girls Equine Education and Rescue Foundation is to EDUCATE the general public to the plight of many horses, ponies, donkeys, and burros who have either been cast aside or, many times even worse, suffering horrible abuse at the hands of man. If we bring awareness about the situations, we have more eyes and ears to help protect these beautiful animals.

• Care - At the present time, the Gingersnap Girls has room for only 6 horses at a time. Because of the tremendous need, we must seek out foster homes in order to continue our rescue work. In the future, we would like to have our own shelter with slightly larger facilities. Large or small, your kind, tax-deductible donation will help us reach our goal.

THANK YOU

The three Gingersnap Girls were each rescued by people who were not afraid to involve themselves in helping them. They were not professional "horse people", just people who saw something wrong and did something about it.

Someone Helped These Girls ... YOU can help, too -
Everyone is part of the solution!

Through this foundation we hope to educate everyone - not just the equine community - that there are agencies, individuals, county governments, and local human and rescue groups to call when you see something that doesn't look "just right."

How You Can Help

• Let people know about our foundation.

• Attend our Fund Raising Events or donate items to be auctioned or given as door prizes.

• Don't patronize businesses that breed horses and then send their unwanted equines to slaughter.

• Check out riding academies and camps - find out where their "used up" horses go. There are humane operations - take the time to find them!

• For estrogen replacement therapy, ask your doctor about one of the numerous alternatives to Premarin, including Cenestin, a new plant-based form of conjugated estrogens.

• DON'T breed your horse: rescue one - from camps, riding academies, race tracks, a local equine rescue shelter, etc. You could save a horse from ending up as "dinner", while gaining a new best friend.

• Don't buy articles made from horse hide, i.e. "Corinthian leather", clothing and accessories made from "Pony Skin", and brushes and other items made from horse hair.

• Before attending an auction, familiarize yourself with all animal HEALTH, TRANSPORTATION, and CRUELTY laws in your state.

• If you see a horse who is in poor condition, and/or having no food, shelter, or water, please contact your local animal control office.

• Document all violations effectively and report them to local law enforcement. Getting laws enforced will cost the offenders money and help prevent suffering.

• Support efforts in your state to oppose horse slaughter.
SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT HORSE SLAUGHTER AND ABUSE.

• REMEMBER: You do not have to be a "horse person" to know when something is inhumane and just plain wrong. Contact your local animal control office if you see any abuse.