St. Francis Vet Care hosted its first annual Vet Team Relay Race, a fundraiser that brought together the veterinary community in Alachua County.
Sarah Wingfield, the executive director of St. Francis Vet Care and the coordinator of this event, said the idea was to bring the community together and raise funds for St. Francis Vet Care.
St. Francis Vet Care is a nonprofit vet clinic that is 85% volunteer based. The clinic has one paid veterinarian, Dr. Francis Lane, while the other 15 vets are volunteers from other clinics who donate their time.
“We mainly cater to people that are either low income, seniors, disabled persons, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, anyone that is not able to get veterinary care through traditional means,” Wingfield said.
The clinic offers many of the basic treatments, like preventative medicine, nail trims, microchipping, spaying and neutering, at half the cost of a typical clinic.
However, when pets need more extensive care, the pet owners are referred to other clinics and animal hospitals, like the Gainesville Animal Hospital.
The animal hospital works closely with St. Francis by giving the clinic donations and by caring for pets that need more than what St. Francis can offer, said Sara Neuman, a vet tech and supervisor at the Gainesville Animal Hospital.
“We end up being able to help, which we love, because it means that we are helping people who are underprivileged and unable to get this kind of care otherwise,” said Neuman. “It’s one of the most rewarding parts of our job.”
Neuman has been working at Gainesville Animal Hospital for eight years, and she said she sees her team as her family.
Neuman, like many other relay race participants, said she is happy to help neighboring animal hospitals, especially those that are non-profit.
“It’s a no-brainer for us to support them in any way we can,” said Olivia Eytcheson, who competed with Newberry Animal Hospital in the relay race.
Her team's name was Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and each team member wore different colorful outfits and wigs.
“We have a very competitive team that loves to give back,” Eytcheson said.
All the teams went through obstacles that replicate their daily jobs as veterinarians. Instead of a baton, they used stuffed animals to complete tasks such as putting on a bandage or administering medication.
Community members were able to vote ahead of time for their favorite team by donating online. This was another opportunity for the community to rally around St. Francis Vet Clinic.
“A sense of community is really important to us and what we do. We would not be able to operate the way we do without community support,” Wingfield said.
Seven teams competed, but there was only one winner that reigned victorious in all three rounds: Shores Animal Hospital.
“We think St. Francis is an amazing organization that definitely helps out the community,” said Katie Estes, who competed with Shores Animal Hospital.
Her team was known as the Pawty Animals.
Although Shores won the race, Gainesville Animal Hospital won the best team name. They were the Meowfia.
Jonesville Animal Hospital won best team spirit, Newberry Animal Hospital won best costumes and the Minority Pre-Vet Students at UF won the biggest heart for raising a total of $485 for St. Francis Vet Care.
“The pet community here in Gainesville and Alachua County is so strong. To have a rare moment to have us all come together is really special,” Eytcheson said.
Every team gave it their all, and they all stood at the sidelines cheering each other on. Their friendly attitudes replicated the seamless way these vets work together to provide care to pets in their daily lives.
“We can all work together to make sure the pets are taken care of,” Wingfield said.