Huge thanks to Richmond City Council
The entire RAPS community is overwhelmed with gratitude to the mayor and city councillors of Richmond who voted unanimously Nov. 15 on a rezoning motion that turns the RAPS Animal Hospital’s location within the Richmond Auto Mall from a temporary usage to a permanent one!
This change ensures our hospital’s stability and solidifies our place in the community.
The RAPS Animal Hospital opened in the Richmond Auto Mall in 2018 thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Applewood Auto Group. This outstanding corporate community partner has donated 6,000 square feet of space on their premises to house not only the RAPS Animal Hospital but also the RAPS administrative offices. This contribution-in-kind, with an estimated value of $2.6 million over 15 years, is an enormous charitable gift.
Since opening, the hospital has provided more than $3 million in partially or fully subsidized vet care to households with low incomes or facing other challenges. We have helped more than 8,000 animals, with average assistance of $375 per animal. We also offer British Columbia’s only no-interest veterinary care payment plans, ensuring that no one is forced to make life-and-death choices about their companion animals based on ability to pay.
The hospital has also allowed us to assist far more other animal rescue groups than ever before. Because we are one of the few organizations with our own hospital, groups across the province (and beyond!) are increasingly coming to us to assist in the most challenging cases – especially those that might result in euthanasia due to the inability to cover medical costs. (This is an issue we are addressing at the micro and macro level. We have also issued a major report on “economic euthanasia” with recommendations for various sectors to help address the problem. As a result of this report, we have launched a petition calling on the government of Canada to make veterinary fees a tax-deductible expense.)
As a community-owned, not-for-profit veterinary facility, the RAPS Animal Hospital is taking the profit motive out of animal healthcare and creating a whole new model for the sector. We are sharing our knowledge with other animal-serving institutions to expand sustainable no-kill animal welfare more accessible to all.
In addition to the superb support of the Applewood Auto Group and the mayor and city councillors of Richmond, this is all possible because of the members of the Richmond Auto Mall Association, who have welcomed us so warmly.
It really takes a village – and the entire RAPS community is deeply indebted to every one of the people and organizations that make possible everything we do. YOU understand that animals make our lives, families, households and communities safer, healthier and happier.
Thank you!
