BART President and Founder Dr Janet Olson got a nice surprise when she opened the BART mail last week - an unexpected $500 donation to the program, courtesy of some of the students and staff of Argosy University. During National Vet Tech week in October, Veterinary Technician instructor Tracey Kitching and her students raised $500 to donate to BART by selling Ozark Lollipops for 50 cents each, for a total of about 2000 suckers! They had a booth set up in the atrium at Argosy and made it a competition with rewards for different levels of accomplishment, such as different pieces of clothing and an IPOD as the Grand Prize for the most dollars raised.

Tracey first heard about BART from a student last year, and immediately set out to learn more and help spread word of the program to the Argosy veterinary technician students. She invited BART along with the Minnesota Veterinary Reserve Corps and Veterinary Medical Assistance Team - 5 (VMAT-5) representatives to come give an informational presentation at Argosy University on all three animal emergency preparedness programs and how veterinary technicians and students can become involved. This presentation was well received at the Student Chapter of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America meeting in February 2007.

Following the presentation Tracey asked if she could help BART in any other way, just as BART was trying to figure out where to hold Train the Trainer classes for our new volunteers. Tracey asked Argosy to let BART use a room, and two BART training classes were held there on April 2nd and April 9th. About 60 people attended including several Argosy students.

Tracey says she loves the quality of the instructors at Argosy University. There are 8 full time and 18 part time Veterinary Technicians, as well as 2 full time and 6 part time Veterinarians that teach at the school. About 450 students per semester attend Argosy, and the curriculum provides them great opportunities for hands on learning with about 100 animals. They have 30 dog kennels and 22 cat facilities along with room for rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, ferrets, and even degues, a South American rodent - think of a big mouse with a different kind of fur and a fluffy tail, that Tracey says can move really fast!

Tracey is an inspiring example of a volunteer who finds great ways to help BART outside of being a trainer. She has a very full schedule - in addition to teaching, she attends school part time for her Master’s degree in Education. She also stays busy curling with her girls, hanging out with her Bassett Hound, Amazon parrot, cat and Whippet- and even once in a while with her mathematician husband Gary, in between all of their activities and school!

Thank you Tracey, and all of the Argosy students involved, for sponsoring such a great fundraiser for BART!