What a Quarter! Q2 2023 Report
Q2 2023 has been a particularly rewarding quarter for the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund:
- Animal Rescue Kharkiv (ARK) in Ukraine won the 8th annual Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
- PETA’s Global Compassion Fund, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, and Faunalytics received fresh grants from the Greg Fund.
- PETA’s Equine Matters team, which the Greg Fund has long supported, took major actions to help race horses.
- The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) selected the Greg Fund as one of two among its 800 managed funds for an in-depth annual report “featured fund” profile.
Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to the Greg Fund!
Read on for all the details ….
1 – On June 6, Greg’s 60th birthday, PETA presented its 2023 8th annual Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award to Animal Rescue Kharkiv (ARK) in Ukraine. I am proud that this award in Greg’s memory is recognizing the heroic work of ARK team members, who have been rescuing and caring for animals since the first days of the February 2022 invasion.
2 – During the quarter, the Greg Fund made fresh grants to four organizations and programs:
i – PETA’s Global Compassion Fund, which supports rapid-response and relief programs around the world, with recent focus on Ukraine and on earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
ii – PCRM for ongoing sponsorship of the Exam Room Podcast on plant-based health, which has now recorded more than 450 episodes, downloaded over 15 million times in 150+ countries — and will be celebrating with a live in-person New York City event on July 12.
iii – Woodstock Farm Sanctuary to support its Fair Coalition program, now in its third year of work to end the worst cruelties at state and county fairs.
iv – Faunalytics for its forthcoming research project Reducing Harm Or Encouraging Exploitation: The Impact Of Humanewashing On Consumer Behavior.
3 – PETA’s Equine Matters department, a regular Greg Fund grantee, took a series of bold actions to help horses used in the cruel racing industry:
- In New York State, PETA Foundation attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of state taxpayers, alleging that an approved $455 million loan from the state to renovate Belmont Park — one of the deadliest U.S. tracks — is unconstitutional and must be stopped.
- In California, PETA persuaded the California Horse Racing Board to approve a new regulation to crack down on unlicensed Quarter Horse racing events that are increasingly common in California and across the United States — events involving blatant cruelty to horses as well as dangers for human participants.
4 – The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC), which in January 2022 added the Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund to nearly 800 funds it manages, chose the Greg Fund as one of two to feature with an in-depth profile in its latest annual report.
While the Fund is financed primarily through the assets Greg left behind, it has also expanded its reach through donations from friends and family! Thank you to the following generous individuals who have contributed to the Greg Fund in 2023 to date:
- Anonymous (2)
- Jeana Curro
- Joni Jablansky
- Keith Kemplin
- Ilona Lantos
- Dana Meeker
- Jim North
- Cynthia Lynn Sampson