Fort Hall ROAR renews partnership with AAA Coalition
AAA Coalition partners sign a new agreement on February 11. Tressa Gonzales (third from right) signs for the Fort Hall ROAR non-profit organization.
By ROSELYNN YAZZIE
Sho-Ban News
POCATELLO — All About the Animals (AAA) Coalition conducted a new member signing Ceremony on Friday, February 11 at the Bru House Galilei. Fort Hall ROAR was among the signers who re-signed the All About the Animals Coalition Agreement and Release.
Fort Hall ROAR has been in existence since 2017 and became a partner with the AAA Coalition since it started in 2018. Tressa Gonzales, president of Fort Hall ROAR, a non-profit organization, attended the signing.
According to a press release, the AAA Coalition has helped spay/neuter more than 300 animals on the Fort Hall Reservation. AAA Coalition partners include: Idaho Humane Society, Fort Hall Business Council, Bingham County Humane Society, Fort Hall ROAR, Friends of the Pocatello Animal Shelter, Portneuf Animal Welfare Society, Snake River animal Shelter, and several individuals who don't belong to any particular organization. Their mission is to end the euthanasia of healthy and treatable cats and dogs in east Idaho and promote humane alternatives for community cats.
During the signing, All About the Animals Coalition’s Kristin Sanger, said animal welfare is a very passionate industry and there could be a lot of bickering and frustration between organizations, but they want to end that and just be all about the animals.
“We’ve been really blessed to be successful. Really trying to put emotions aside and the animals first and that’s what this agreement is all about.”
AAA Coalition attendees.
AAA Coalition is on its way to become its own non-profit to support all of the local animal shelters as well as all the other local animal welfare groups who are willing to sign the agreement.
The coalition has focused its efforts on the Fort Hall Reservation due to the high level of need for resources in the community. The coalition recently developed a partnership with the Idaho Humane Society, utilizing the Idaho Humane Society mobile spay/neuter trailer that is currently parked at the Snake River Animal Shelter until spring when they will move it to a location in Fort Hall and provide two free spay/neuter clinics a month to help end the homeless pet population in the area.
Gonzales said they originally signed on with the AAA Coalition when they first became a group, so the resigning of the agreement symbolized a complete circle of doing it all over again and it’s a growing process to now the AAA Coalition will be becoming its own non-profit.
“We benefit so much from each other. We’re still up and coming and we learn a lot from other organizations so that’s how we figure out to do what we do for the Tribes,” she said.
Looking forward, Gonzales would like to see Fort Hall ROAR bring on younger, new people to pass on the flame and hope they would want to get involved in being vets and involved with the animals more.
“That’s what we’re hoping to do is open up that door to more volunteers and see what kids and youth are interested out there and educating,” she said.
