
Remember Greg Reiter on his 56th Birthday
June 6, 2019 will be my late husband Greg’s 56th birthday. I hope you will consider a donation to the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund as a birthday present in his honor.
Greg spent most of his free time helping animals. Hence this Fund, which partners with the animal protection causes Greg and I supported together during his life.
Just a few highlights from the last two months:

— On May 5, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) presented the 4th annual Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award to Paulette Dean, Executive Director of Danville Area Humane Society in south central Virginia, and co-founder of the Virginia Alliance for Animal Shelters. Paulette was largely responsible for Danville’s anti-tethering ordinance, one of the strictest in Virginia and a model for other communities.

— PETA’s Campaign to End Racehorse Cruelty, which Greg and I began supporting in 2014, has been instrumental in prompting investigations of the recent spike in U.S. racehorse deaths, and prompting legislative action in California and the U.S. Congress. PETA’s work for racehorses has been covered in dozens of recent articles including Horse Deaths Are Threatening the Racing Industry. Is the Sport Obsolete? (New York Times, April 29) and Horse racing industry fights for survival in wake of deaths and scrutiny (Los Angeles Times, May 2). The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has issued more than 70 subpoenas in its investigation of Santa Anita Park. The Los Angeles County District Attorney has formed a task force to investigate the deaths. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has called for the CHRB to suspend racing until the causes of death can be fully investigated. U.S. Representative Judy Chu has called for a congressional hearing and investigation. California Senate Bill 469, to allow the CHRB to suspend racing at dangerous tracks, has unanimously passed the Senate and now moves to the California Assembly.

— Animal Place’s Food for Thought program, with which this Fund has partnered since 2016, awarded three $1,000 grants this month to wildlife and environmental organizations for piloting vegan events and adopting new vegan menu policies. Congratulations to grantees Centre for a Responsible Future (Singapore), The Fur-Bearers Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (Vancouver, BC), and the Greater Farallones Association (San Francisco, CA).

— White Coat Waste Project, with which this Fund has partnered since 2017, worked with U.S. Representatives Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) to introduce the Animal Freedom from Testing, Experimentation and Research (AFTER) Act. The bill – also known as Violet’s Law after the rescued ex-lab dog who inspired it – calls for all federal agencies to enact policies allowing for the retirement of dogs, cats and other Animal Welfare Act-regulated animals no longer needed in taxpayer-funded experimentation. See New legislation would reduce the number of animals killed in government testing (CNN Politics, May 20).

— Coming soon! The Greg Fund will be teaming with the Exam Room™ podcast of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an organization that Greg and I began supporting in 2010. The podcast features Dr. Neal Barnard and other authorities on vegan health. Stay tuned for more details!
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Additional information on the Fund’s accomplishments since establishment on Earth Day 2016 can be found in online reports.
Thank you so much for remembering Greg on his birthday!