Amid the traditions of turkeys and tinsel, it is also the time of giving. The Human-Animal Alliance, a Wellington-based nonprofit, believes that connections between humans and animals can be life-changing — especially for those navigating trauma.
Nearly three years ago, Wellington amateur dressage and jumper rider Jackie Ducci founded the Human-Animal Alliance, inspired by her childhood experiences.
“Animals have been a source of life-changing connection for me from the time I was very young,” Ducci said. “When I struggled as a child with self-esteem issues, the horses taught me that I had value as a human being. They helped me in ways that people couldn’t.”
To date, the Human-Animal Alliance has made a significant impact supporting human-animal connection, providing substantial grants to deserving organizations nationwide. Examples include funding animal-assisted therapy programs for children and survivors of human trafficking, sponsoring a crisis response facility dog for a fire department, covering medical expenses for pets in need whose owners could not afford their care, providing financial assistance to survivors of domestic violence and their animals, helping pets and owners in the wake of hurricanes Ian and Helene, and more.
The Human-Animal Alliance hosted two unique, exciting fundraising events earlier this year, including “Paint Your Pet” in Wellington during the 2024 equestrian season, and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” held in Wilmington, N.C. Collectively, these events raised upward of $80,000 toward the organization’s 2024 initiatives.
All donations to the Human-Animal Alliance during the month of December will be used to keep military personnel and their pets united throughout the challenges of deployment and post-deployment, and help children excel in school through animal-assisted learning opportunities.
“Wellington is so special because everyone here just ‘gets it’ — we all understand the value of human-animal connection from personal experience, and that unites us,” said Ducci, who covers all of the charity’s overhead costs personally to ensure that every dollar raised from the public goes straight to helping people and animals. “We hope members of the community will consider a gift to the Human-Animal Alliance in their year-end giving plans. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Every dollar really does make a difference.”
For more info., visit www.h-aa.org or call (561) 485-0445.
