The following is a press release written by Kristy Taylor and Andrew Krebbs for Monroe County Humane Association.
Bloomington, IN – Monroe County Humane Association (MCHA) is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a grant from the Lilly Scholars Network to support and expand its Spay/Neuter Assistance Program, allowing MCHA to help even more families access affordable spay and neuter services for their pets.
Under this grant, MCHA’s program, which serves Monroe County residents, will now be available to Greene, Owen, and Lawrence Counties for the first time, helping reduce pet overpopulation and ensuring more animals remain healthy and at home with the families who love them.
Spaying and neutering pets is essential for controlling pet overpopulation and easing the burden on local shelters. Additionally, spayed and neutered pets are less likely to roam, often exhibit fewer behavioral issues, and have a lower risk of certain cancers, leading to longer, healthier lives. Our community’s animal shelter—and shelters across the region—are bursting at the seams, and spaying or neutering your pets is one of the most impactful ways you can help reduce overcrowding.
Through this program, pet owners who receive any form of government assistance are eligible for vouchers to help cover surgery costs—$30 toward a cat spay/neuter and $50 toward a dog spay/neuter. Vouchers can be redeemed at any participating spay/neuter surgery organization or veterinary office, and pet owners are encouraged to confirm participation when scheduling surgery.
“Thanks to the Lilly Scholars Network grant, we can expand our reach beyond Monroe County for the first time, helping even more pets and families in surrounding counties access the care they need,” said Andrew Krebbs, Executive Director of MCHA. “As a 2000 Lilly Scholar alum, I’m especially proud that LSN continues to invest in opportunities like this—making a real impact by keeping families together and preventing hundreds of unwanted litters and those offspring from entering shelters. This expansion supports not just our animals, but the families and communities that love them.”
Those interested in obtaining a voucher can visit monroehumane.org/snap, stop by MCHA’s Animal Care Campus during regular business hours, or email receptionist@monroehumane.org for more information.
MCHA’s spay and neuter program is also supported in part by the City of Bloomington’s Jack Hopkins Social Services grant and Pet Friendly Services.
About Monroe County Humane Association
Monroe County Humane Association (MCHA) has been serving Monroe County and surrounding communities since 1956. Today, our programs are all about keeping families together by supporting the welfare of companion animals and the human-animal bond. Our core services include a Nonprofit Veterinary Clinic, Crisis Housing Program, Pet Food Pantry, Street Outreach, Mobile Vaccine Clinics, Spay/Neuter Assistance, and education initiatives. These programs remove barriers to care, provide critical resources, and ensure pets can remain with the people who love them. Based at our Animal Care Campus on Fieldstone Blvd, MCHA is proud to help pets and their families thrive together.
About Lilly Scholars Network
Guided by Indiana Humanities and generously supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., the Lilly Scholars Network’s (LSN) vision is to cultivate a lifelong community of changemakers dedicated to advancing Indiana’s future through impactful leadership and service.
Guided by this vision, the LSN mission is to engage Lilly Scholars with one another, their communities, and Indiana to create positive change across the state and beyond. For more information, visit lillyscholars.org and lillyscholars.org/leadforward.
About Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program
Lilly Endowment Inc. created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program during the 1997-1998 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $505 million. More than 5,400 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership.
The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for undergraduate study on a full-time basis at an Indiana institution. The program is administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) in collaboration with community foundations in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
