New Jersey Foundation Gifts $100K for OSU Community Spay-Neuter Program   Impact of gift to be felt by shelters and humane societies throughout Oklahoma

Oklahoma State University (OSU) Foundation officials announced today a $100,000 gift from the Bernice Barbour Foundation to fund a community spay-neuter program for shelter animals.

The program will provide senior veterinary students at the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences an opportunity to receive more extensive surgical experience before graduating. In addition, increased funding for the program will significantly improve the level of service available to several Oklahoma communities.

“Our educational mission is to graduate veterinarians that are highly trained and competent in primary care,” said Dr. Mike Lorenz, Dean of the College of Veterinary Health Sciences. “Hands-on animal experience, including performing common surgical procedures, such as spay and neuters is crucial for our students. This donation is a win-win proposition for our college and the Bernice Barbour Foundation.”

In addition to increasing the number of students who can receive training from a mentor in spay-neuter procedure by up to 50 percent, the number of animals served in communities like Edmond, Bartlesville, Ponca City, Stillwater, Enid and Norman, where the Center has partnerships with shelters and humane societies, could increase by more than 80 animals per month.

“We are truly thankful for the generosity of the Bernice Barbour Foundation. We have already begun to increase the numbers of surgeries done and the numbers of shelter and rescue organizations we provide services. The gift has enabled us to procure equipment that will help us provide better preventive health care and treatment for these fortunate animals,” said, Dr. Bonnie Boone, instructor of record for the Shelter Medicine and Surgery elective.

Bernice Wall Barbour, a lifelong resident of New Jersey, established the foundation in 1986. According to the foundation’s website, Barbour devoted much of her thought, energy and resources toward making the lives of animals happier and healthier. Barbour took a hands-on approach to improving animal welfare and saw the foundation as a way to carry on her work in perpetuity.

“We are fortunate that individuals like Bernice Barbour dedicated their life to making the world a better place,” said Kirk Jewell, president and CEO of the Oklahoma State University Foundation. “It is a unique privilege when an individual has the foresight to leave a legacy that lasts long after they are gone. We’re grateful Bernice Barbour had that vision and that Eve Lloyd Thompson and the trustees of the Foundation continue it today. “

Thompson serves as the executive director of the Foundation, which is continuing to develop a relationship with OSU in addition to funding numerous other veterinary schools and community organizations devoted to animal welfare. At OSU, the Foundation also funded a study of laser induced hypothermia on malignant tumors in dogs in 2000 and a breast cancer study in 2004.

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