Remember Your Donation to the Foundation

October 10, 2007 — 

The AASV Foundation Auction Committee needs your help! The committee is already hard at work securing items for its upcoming auction to be held during the 2008 AASV Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

The Auction Committee needs you to donate items to be auctioned. If you are interested in donating an item or making a contribution please visit the AASVF website at to download a Donation Form to be completed and submitted with the donation. Donations for the auction must be received no later than December 1, 2007 to insure proper recognition to the donor and inclusion in the auction booklet. Any items or financial contributions received after the deadline will be held for the 2009 auction. For additional information, contact the AASV Foundation office (515-465-5255, email aasv@aasv.org).

Seizing on the lessons learned from the 2007 Annual Meeting, the committee has established a Big Hairy Audacious Goal of raising $50,000 during the 2008 auction. That's 100 items at $500 each. The funds raised support the Foundation's mission to ensure the future of swine veterinary medicine by funding research, scholarships, and educational programs and materials. A few examples of the programs the Foundation has supported include:

1. The Swine Externship Grant Program. This program provides grants of $200 to veterinary students who complete an externship of at least two weeks in a swine practice or a mixed animal practice with a considerable swine component.
2. Co-sponsors (with Newport Labs) travel stipends for veterinary students to attend the AASV annual meeting ($100 per student).
3. The Foundation recently provided matching funds for member contributions to the Evergreen Project - a mission project to help small pork producers in the Shanxi region of China.
4. The Foundation also funds research with direct application to the profession on an annual basis. The online Swine Curriculum is one of the projects funded in the past. The Foundation is currently co-funding a project at the University of Minnesota to create a PRRSV biosecurity manual for use on commercial swine farms, as well as funding a project by AASV's North American PRRS Eradication Task Force to conduct a survey of veterinarians and producers to determine obstacles to PRRS eradication.
5. The Foundation has sponsored financial planning seminars at the AASV Annual Meeting and oversees the administration of the Howard Dunne and Alex Hogg Memorial Lectures.
6. In addition, the AASV Foundation has provided funds to help offset the costs associated with participation in Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician training at Plum Island for our members who have been fortunate enough to undertake this unique educational opportunity.

Support your Foundation. It's up to you to make this auction the most successful ever!!