Permission to cross post the following information to other lists is
granted, as long as the post is taken in it entirety, with out any
changes or additions.
 
With the 4th of July Card Exchange running (which benefits ADV Research
at the University of Georgia or UGA) and the CSI ADV Research Raffle
about to start, I was asked if I could post some updates about the
efforts made on this project.  After thinking about things, I decided
that if I wrote every thing that I was aware of, it would end up being
a really long post.  So, I decided instead to break things up and do a
series of posts, with each one addressing one particular subject or
issue.  My hope is that by doing it this way, more people will read all
of the information, and not just the first 2 or 3 paragraphs.
 
If any of you have questions about any of the various things I bring up
in the series, please feel free to either write to me personally, or to
post out on the list.  I will try to address any questions that come up.
And, while I may not have an immediate answer, I will try to get one for
you.  I am not all knowing on this, but I do have some connections, and
I am willing to try to get more information if people want it.
 
So, with that introduction, I will start off on the first topic.
 
Some people who have made donations have expressed concerns that their
money did not get credited correctly, and in fact, in some cases that
has been true.  Part of the problem has been the way the donations were
sent in.
 
The most important thing to remember when sending in donations for the
ADV Fund is to mail the check to the attention of Kate Pennick.  That
way, Kate can insure that the donation is credited properly.  Checks
should be made out to the "University Foundation" and should have "ADV
Research" written in the notations line of the check.
 
Kate's mailing address at the U of GA is as follows:
 
           Kate Pennick, Research Tech III
           Dept. of Pathology -- Room 148
           UGA College of Vet Med
           Athens, GA 30602-7388
 
If the donation is not sent to Kate's attention, there are several ways
the money can be misdirected.
 
The University itself does not do much in the way of fundraising.  The
UGA Administration has enough to do overseeing the University and how
money is spent.  Instead, they have the University Foundation, which is
a non-profit organization formed for the sole purpose of raising funds
for the UGA.
 
Now, UGA is a very big university.  They have many different departments
in their undergraduate school, and a number of graduate schools.  The
University Foundation is not so involved in the various departments and
colleges that they know all the various projects.  They are very high
level, and just know the different departments and graduate schools.  So,
the University Foundation has no idea there is an ADV Research Fund.  All
they know is the U of GA College of Veterinary Medicine.  Within their
accounting, they only know that there are certain contributions that are
earmarked for the College of Veterinary Medicine.  So, any checks sent
directly to them are likely to get misdirected.
 
Within the College of Veterinary Medicine, there are also many
departments.  They not only teach small animal medicine there, but
also large animal medicine, veterinary pathology, and even wild animal
medicine (for people wanting to treat zoo animals or work in a wildlife
refuge program).
 
The College of Veterinary Medicine has an administrator, Kathy Bangle,
who handles their contributions.  However, she is not familiar with all
the various projects the different departments might have going.  She
knows the departments, and keeps her records accordingly.  So, again,
if she receives a check for the ADV Fund, she may not credit it to the
right department.
 
The group that is working on the ADV research is headed up by Dr. Branson
Ritchie, who is part of the Department of Small Animal Medicine.  In
particular, he heads up the sub-group of Exotic Animal, Wildlife and
Zoological Medicine.  Within his group's accounting records they keep
track of the contributions that come in earmarked for ADV research.  Kate
Pennick works in his team, although she is actually in the Pathology
group.  One of her designated tasks is to serve as a liaison between the
research team and the ferret community.  And as liaison, one of her tasks
is to receive donations and make sure they are properly credited to the
ADV Fund.  That is why it is important to send donations to Kate's
attention.
 
Usually, when I send a donation in to the ADV Fund, I get a letter about
6 to 8 weeks later from Dr. Ritchie thanking me for my donation, and
specifying it was for ADV research.  About a month after that, I get
another letter from the College of Veterinary Medicine Administration,
again thanking me for my donation.  This letter often refers to my
donation as being for the Department of Small Animal Medicine.  Finally,
several weeks to several months after that, I get a third letter from
the University Foundation, and this time referring to my donation to the
"Companion Animal Emerging Diseases Research Group".
 
Anyone who has made donations in the past, and is concerned that they
have not been properly credited can write to Kate and have her look into
it.  You should provide her with information like when the check was
sent, the amount of the check, how it was sent in and also information
from any of the receipts or letters you received acknowledging the
donation.  Her email address is [log in to unmask] .
 
Tomorrow I will address another issue concerning funds sent to the
University Foundation.
  --
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV! Visit:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML issue 4901]