2019 Report

The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund supports organizations and causes that Greg backed with money, time, and energy during his life. I am honored to share this summary of what the Fund achieved in 2019 – in memory of Greg, and for so many animals.  

In calendar year 2019, the Fund issued a total of $82,810 in grants to the following non-profit organizations, and also partnered with many on program strategy and implementation.

• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
• Animal Place
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
• White Coat Waste Project (WCW)
• Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary
• Woodstock Farm Sanctuary
• Virginia Beach SPCA

Below are details about the Greg Fund’s 2019 grants to these organizations, followed by a shout-out to the many generous institutions and individuals who donated into the Fund during the calendar year.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — Animal rights organization — Norfolk, VA and worldwide

• The Fund was a major supporter of PETA’s Campaign to End Racehorse Cruelty for the fourth consecutive year. 2019 achievements included successfully advocating for reforms in states from California to West Virginia, and exposing abuse of former U.S. racehorses in South Korea.

• The Fund was a major supporter of PETA’s Community Animal Project for the fourth consecutive year. 2019 achievements included providing free or low-cost spay/neuter services for 12,561 companion animals in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina; delivering dog houses, straw, food, water and cleanup for thousands of chained and penned dogs; partnering with regional rescue groups to secure release and then re-home over 800 of these dogs; and successfully advocating for a new Virginia law requiring better shelter for dogs during extreme weather.

• In May, PETA’s 4th Annual Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award was presented to Paulette Dean, who has served for 27 years as Executive Director of south central Virginia’s Danville Area Humane Society.

• PETA along with Greg Fund grantee the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) succeeded after decades of advocacy and scientific research in persuading the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to phase out all chemical testing on mammals. Representatives of PETA and PCRM, plus Greg Fund grantee White Coat Waste Project (WCW) who had recently campaigned for this outcome, were among a select group of invited guests at the news conference where EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the plan.

Animal Place — Sanctuary and education center for farmed animals — Grass Valley, CA

• The Fund teamed with Food for Thought – A Program of Animal Place for the fourth consecutive year, providing grant money and other resources for wildlife and environmental organizations that pilot a vegan event or adopt a vegan menu policy. 2019 grant recipients included the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (Vancouver, BC), Cal State University Student Sustainability Coalition (Long Beach, CA), Center for a Responsible Future (Singapore), Greater Farallones Association (San Francisco, CA), Oklahoma Primate Sanctuary (Newcastle, OK), and Wildlife Rescue League (Falls Church, VA).

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) — Health organization saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical research — Washington, D.C.

• The Fund teamed with the Physicians Committee for the fourth consecutive year, in a new way: sponsoring a series of The Exam Room™ podcasts. Sponsored episodes in mid-2019 were Protecting Your Heart with Plants, Plants or Meat: Which Is Really More Likely To Cause A Stroke?, Dr. Dean Ornish Live Q&A: Reversing Disease & Living Longer, Why Your Gut and Brain Can’t Stop Talking to Each Other, Is Fish Really Healthy, A Major Victory for Animals, and Healthiest 3 Days Ever.

White Coat Waste Project (WCW) — Watchdog group working to stop taxpayer-funded animal experiments – Washington, D.C.

• The Fund provided general support to White Coat Waste for the third consecutive year, with a special emphasis on Freedom of Information Act work. A key success in 2019 was ending 37 years of U.S. Department of Agriculture toxoplasmosis studies that killed more than 3,000 kittens. A new advocacy initiative now in progress calls for all federal agencies to enact policies that allow their lab animals to be retired to sanctuaries or loving homes after experiments are complete, instead of being euthanized or warehoused in labs.

Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary — Refuge for farm animals and wildlife — Poolesville, MD

• The Fund provided general support to Poplar Spring for the fourth consecutive year. In 2019, numerous heartwarming rescue stories included Lester the lamb, who lost a leg due to neglect on a farm in Maine. After arriving at Poplar Spring, he was fitted with a prosthetic leg and now lives in the sanctuary’s special needs area.

Woodstock Farm Sanctuary — Sanctuary for farmed animals and advocate for veganism and animal rights — High Falls, NY

• The Fund provided general support to this sanctuary for the second consecutive year, with a special focus on its Consider the Egg program — highlighting the many animal welfare and human health concerns about eating eggs, and featuring stories of rescued hens now living at the sanctuary.

Virginia Beach SPCA  — Shelter and adoption center serving over 3000 homeless companion animals each year — Virginia Beach, VA.

• The Fund made a grant to the Virginia Beach SPCA to help with their dog play yard expansion. VB SPCA is one of several organizations that often partners with PETA on animal rescue cases–-and my own dog Christopher was rescued through this partnership. VB SPCA was the 2017 recipient of PETA’s Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award.

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While the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund has been financed since 2016 primarily through the assets Greg left behind, it has also expanded its reach through donations from people like you! In 2019, the following generous institutions and individuals contributed to the Fund:

• The Amherst Foundation
• Scott Anderson
• Anthony Bellotti
• Robert Benedict
• Benevity Community Impact Fund
• Alka Chandna
• Jeana Curro
• Jane Fisher
• Ann Garvey
• Lisa Hausner
• Rob Haworth
• Nancy Hughitt
• Paul & Joni Jablansky
• Susan Johnson
• Steven Kehrli
• Keith Kemplin
• Adam Kobor
• Deborah Kula
• Ilona Lantos
• Caryn Laurion
• Syd Marcus
• Jim McWalters
• Michael Nardacci
• James North
• Diana Ok
• Debbie Pedro
• George Perez
• David Red
• Jeanne Roush
• Kevin Sid
• Jesse Singh
• Betsy Wason
• Yount Hyde & Barbour, P.C.

In addition, the following individuals generously contributed to a July 2019 Facebook fundraiser I conducted for Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, the proceeds of which were matched dollar-for-dollar with a Greg Fund grant:

• Emily Allen
• Hannah Battiste
• Anthony Bellotti
• Monique Bilezikian
• Noelle Callahan
• Jacob Eliosoff
• Colleen Flanagan
• Justin Goodman
• Lily Han
• Rob Haworth
• Grace Holden
• Pat Huey
• Susan Johnson
• Stephanie Jones
• Steven Kehrli
• Christine Kestner
• Barbara J. King
• Adam Kobor
• Deborah Kula
• Ilona Lantos
• Caryn Laurion
• Rachel McCrystal
• Jim McWalters
• Dana Meeker
• Lisa Myers
• Jim North
• Richard Peppin
• Jennifer Hoes Porter
• David Red
• Madison Sparks
• Tara Ann Stanczyk
• Mongia Tanfous
• Harry Thomas
• Yi Ting
• Doug Tipperman
• Catherine Vade Bon Coeur
• Tiziana Vigliocco-Cockrell
• Kristy Wolfe

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In September 2019, I transferred management of the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund to The Community Foundation of Frederick County, Maryland where I live. The Community Foundation manages over 700 funds, making grants to qualified 501c3 organizations nationwide. For those who donate into the Fund, The Community Foundation sets no minimum donation and charges no donation processing fee.

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Photo of me with two of my three PETA rescue horses, Charlie and Caroline, by Irene Abdou Photography