How long have you been involved with 

A HOPE for Santa Rosa County?

Our group formed the non-profi t in 

September, 2017.

How is the organization funded?

We are volunteer based and a 501(c)3 

non-profi t. The expenses and charitable 

contributions to pet-owners in need are 

donated by our volunteers and donors.  

Our personal out-of-pocket costs include 

mileage, gas, and tolls. With such a 

critical, local need, we continuously 

request sponsorships and donations. 

Do you work more with cats or dogs?

We transport and send supplies 

for more dogs. We do more Clinical/

Veterinary services for cats because there 

is such an over abundance of felines. Our 

community cat population is estimated 

around 30,000 for all of Santa Rosa 

County. In order to get those numbers 

down, the cats need more medical 

attention.

What impact has A HOPE for Santa 

Rosa County had on the community in 

the last year?

We have transported over 300 

animals to get altered within the last 6 

months. We collaborated with the city 

on implementing a new Trap/Neuter/

Return amendment within Milton city 

limits. We have educated thousands of 

people via Facebook, Instagram, and 

in person to solve the serious animal 

overpopulation. We have infl uenced 

mindsets, educated and made signifi cant 

changes that have made people excited 

about A HOPE.

What is the most rewarding part 

of your involvement with the 

organization?

Two major factors have kept me 

motivated the most. One has been the 

people we have touched. I started for 

the animals, wanting to impact their lives 

and make sure they had a future, but the 

people… the owners of the animals have 

been so grateful, giving, and sincere 

The second is that my children are so 

involved and have learned so much that 

can’t be taught anywhere else. Teaching a 

child to have love and compassion for an 

animal while also teaching the importance 

of medical related needs is vital. My 

children help carry kennels, feed animals, 

take photos, and fundraise. It has changed 

their lives and given them direction for 

their future. One reads new diseases from 

her Merck manual every day. Another 

dresses like a vet and inspects our pets 

and one wants to be a volunteer. They 

were impressive before this, now they’re 

helping us impact others. 

Are there any upcoming events?

May 8th (and every two weeks) 

Transport to Operation Spay Bay

May 12th (and every second month) 

Team Meeting 

What is one thing you want readers to 

know about A HOPE for Santa Rosa 

County?

Our group was formed to get a low 

cost spay/neuter clinic opened in Santa 

Rosa County. We need funds to achieve 

this and maintain it in the future. We 

are continuously applying for grants and 

accepting donations/sponsorships for 

the future clinic. We don’t plan to stop 

once we open this facility but plan to 

open an adoption unit as well. We will 

continue to offer transport to our clinic, 

so an immediate need is a cargo van. We 

are only able to send 20 to 30 animals 

every 2 weeks out to Operation Spay Bay 

in Panama City. We could send many 

more, or possibly go weekly, if we had the 

vehicle. We need help making a bigger 

impact!

We also want people to know that 

educating future animal caregivers is of 

very high importance to us. With a large 

enough facility, we can have room to 

educate school children, civic groups, etc. 

about the importance of proper pet care, 

responsibility, and maybe see an actual 

surgery.

We want people to be aware of our 

county statistics. In Santa Rosa County, 

we take in over 6,000 animals a year and 

over 4,000 are being euthanized. That’s 

a high kill rate. For cats alone, we have a 

90% kill rate. This is why we’re pushing 

for a Trap/Neuter/Return program 

county-wide. If the general public would 

be allowed to trap cats and pay for them 

to get altered, vaccinated, tip their ear 

(a universal sign they’ve been altered), 

and return them, we would eventually 

see less feral cats. We provide the alter/

rabies vaccine/ear tip for just $25 through 

Operation Spay Bay. If each set of cats and 

their offspring can produce up to 420,000 

cats in 7 years, think of how much money 

that would save the county. 

How can someone become involved 

or help with A HOPE for Santa Rosa 

County?

For questions or volunteer 

applications, please send an email to 

ahope4src@gmail.com. Our mailing 

address is P.O. Box 4629 Milton, 

FL, 32572. If you need help with 

your cat colony, please register it at              

catstats.org/ahope4src. 

34     |    VIPPensacola.com

Interview with Brandi Winkleman 

President, A HOPE for Santa Rosa County FL

Their name alone shows that their 

mission is clear.  HOPE stands for 

Health, Outreach, Prevention, and Education.  

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