FRIENDS FOR LIFE HITS THE HEIGHTS!

A New Adoption and Compassion in Action Center
to open late Summer 2008 on 19th Street!

“Miracles: You do not have to look for them. They are there, 24-7, beaming like radio waves all around you. Put up the antenna, turn up the volume — snap... crackle... this just in: every person you talk to is a chance to change the world... “
                                                                      – Hugh Elliot

Friends For Life has hit the Heights! We will be opening the newest Friends For Life No Kill Animal Adoption and Compassion in Action Center at 246 W. 19th Street. The 3000 square foot space will open for business later this summer.

Friends For Life has been incorporated for 6 years and a PetSmart Adoption Partner for more than 4 years now. We are happy to announce the creation this year of the Friends For Life Endowment and this expansion of our program.

We have had numerous written commendations from PetSmart management for our professionalism, high standards of animal health, cleanliness, customer service and stringent adoption standards. We fully intend to bring that same spirit and practice of excellence to our new Center on W. 19th Street.

Edward Duvin, the Father of the U.S. No Kill shelter movement
said of Friends For Life:

Friends For Life’s approach to getting at the fundamental causal factors of animal suffering sets it apart like a meteor racing across a pitch black sky. My warmest appreciation to you and the Friends For Life family for being there with the courage to challenge the status quo...not a conventional organization of brick and mortar but a work in progress toward a more just world.

Our No Kill program has served thousands of animals so far and continues to grow!

19th Street is a thriving community in the Heights that is a collection of eclectic galleries, upscale eateries and wonderful retail shops. We are so honored to have a chance to be a part of this close-knit and caring neighborhood.

The first Saturday of each month is a festival on the street and people come from all over to just spend the day shopping and hanging out. It has a warm community feel. The demographic is educated, professional, community-minded families and individuals.

For those of you who are fans of our Adoption Center we currently occupy at Petsmart at Shepherd and W Alabama know that we love that Center, too! We’ve found almost 700 animals homes from that very location!

We are not leaving Petsmart rather just adding yet another venue for Friends For Life. The PetSmart Adoption Center continues to be an extremely valuable part of the FFL equation. We will continue to make it a priority to remain a successful adoption partner with Petsmart.

The 19th Street Center will combine functionality with a fun, upbeat style.
Eric and Brooke Summers-Perry have created gorgeous and unique architectural designs for the Center that are state-of-the-art and will produce a happy and healthy atmosphere for all of the animals, staff/volunteers, and the public who visit.

The Center will be an adoption space for both cats and dogs. We’ll house cats 24/7 in carefully designed environments and have a space for dogs to come on a day-board basis. No dogs will spend the night at the Center. There are intake and exam rooms. This is not a veterinary hospital nor will any surgery be performed onsite. All medical facilities will be used to care for program animals.

There will also be a large meeting room and No Kill resource library. The meeting area will also be a home base for Compassion in Action program that will help to implement outside the box ideas that members of the community have that would improve the lives of animals and people.

The Center will be the headquarters of our partner organization, ItsCool2Care, a group that empowers kids to bring to life the good they want to do in the world not just for animal causes but in a multitude of other areas as well. This group is already making quite a name for itself in the Heights with extremely successful, unique community service projects and a fresh approach that actually engages kids in the process of designing the projects they’d like to see happen and then acts as a support framework to help make it happen!

Friends For Life humane education/compassion in action programs have included presenting a series interactive programs to kids in schools ranging from elementary to high school and following up by offering a day of free spays/neuters to all takers by hiring the SNAP mobile unit to set up in the neighborhood. We look forward to including the Heights in these programs.

There will be a retail center in which we will sell original art and various Friends For Life unique product lines. Of course, the stock will be ever-changing and will proudly feature local artists and craftspeople.

We have a talented contractor to do the ”serious” building but there are many, many opportunities in which we will need volunteer help. If you are ready to start changing the world for animals and join a fun group of community–minded folks, we want you!

We’ll be posting architectural drawings, pictures, progress reports and volunteer opportunities here on the site. Please check often for updates or to sign up to join in the fun!

If you have any questions, comments or ideas, please feel free to send an email or give us a call. 713.861.9500 or Nokill1@aol.com. We’d love to hear from you!

This is a fabulous opportunity for Friends For Life to move forward on our mission to make a significant contribution to the Houston animal community generally and as well as to be a good neighbor to the wonderful neighborhood we join. It is an honor to be taking this new step together. We will make it a stunning success!

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
                                                                                 —Gandhi