H.A.R.T. - Homeless Animals Rescue Team
PO BOX 606, Mesa, AZ 85211-0606 USA
About HART
Our Mission
Our Beginning
Our Beginning
Our Mission is to engage in activities that curb overpopulation, impede the feral cat cycle, re-home abandoned cats and kittens, promote responsible pet ownership, and end the cycle of animal suffering by a humane approach that utilizes spaying and neutering as its primary weapon. We accomplish this goal by implementing feral cat management through the Trap, Neuter & Return program (TNR).
Our Beginning
Our Beginning
Our Beginning
H.A.R.T. has been in existence since May of 2005 as an effort that began with us helping a colony of cats outside of an industrial work place in Tempe, AZ. A litter of four kittens was discovered on the premises and all four adorable kittens were socialized and were rescued and placed into three loving homes: one of those homes was ours
H.A.R.T. has been in existence since May of 2005 as an effort that began with us helping a colony of cats outside of an industrial work place in Tempe, AZ. A litter of four kittens was discovered on the premises and all four adorable kittens were socialized and were rescued and placed into three loving homes: one of those homes was ours. All of the feral cats at this business were spayed and neutered through Trap, Neuter & Return (TNR), and there have been no more kittens born at this location since. This website is dedicated to "Cali" and "Kiwi," the two female kittens from this first litter of rescues, that stole our hearts and found their forever home with us.
Our Team
Our Beginning
Our Team
Our team is what makes H.A.R.T. successful. Truly, together everyone achieves more! Our volunteers dedicate countless hours to Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR), fostering cats and kittens, screening potential adopters, administration, fundraising, and feral cat management. A great big THANK YOU to all of our team members, from the bottom of our
HART!
Our Team
Jacey, the Co-Founder and President of HART, is an ASU graduate with a degree in Elementary Education. She is an animal rights advocate, vegan and dedicates her life to saving animals. She devotes countless hours of personal time and resources conducting Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) of feral and abandoned cats. She has volunteered with several local animal rescue groups assisting with adoptions, fostering, and administrative duties since 2005.
She also works with the community to educate the public about cat management through TNR. Jacey and her husband, Eric have seven beautiful, indoor rescue cats, as well as many cherished TNR'd ferals that they care for daily. *Jacey is also a 2011 recipient of the "PUFFER" Award and the Puffer's Person of the Year award (awarded Feb 9th, 2012). The PUFFER Award is a private, local award celebrating those who have positively impacted the "cat community."
Eric, the Co-Founder and Vice-President of HART, is an ASU graduate and also a graduate of the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy (ALEA). Eric's background in Law Enforcement has allowed him to see firsthand, the horrors of animal abuse and neglect. Alongside his wife, Jacey, he has also volunteered with several local animal rescue groups assisting with adoptions, fostering and administrative duties since 2005. Eric is an animal advocate and vegan.
Together, Eric and Jacey network with various animal rescue groups, animal shelters and animal advocacy groups to accomplish all of the goals of HART.
Jennifer has a degree in Engineering from Michigan State University and works in her respective field full-time. Jennifer has also been doing TNR for many years and has aligned herself with numerous rescue groups throughout the Valley, assisting in various ways, from vet-tech know-how, to fostering and more.... Jennifer has been the "go-to-gal" for many people and the one to call upon when you don't know what to do next.
Mindy is originally from Illinois and moved to Arizona in 1996. She has a degree in Accounting and is employed full time in the field. Mindy is a life-long animal lover and advocate. She has volunteered with several animal rights and rescue groups and has been vegan for many years. She has shared her home with numerous rescue cats over the years and each holds a dear place in her heart. Mindy fosters and helps with TNR of feral colonies. She is happy to be a part of HART, working to improve the lives of our animal friends.
Christi has a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology and worked as a mental health and substance abuse counselor for 14 years. She gives administrative support to HART by sending donors tax deductible receipts and thank you letters. She helps organize fund raising events and makes beautiful hand-crafted items to sell at our events. She also keeps the HART wish list going to ensure that we receive the items we need for our foster cats and kittens. Her administrative skills are a huge asset to our busy schedules.
Mei Lin is originally from China. She is an expert trapper and spends a lot of time helping the elderly and those in need of TNR help. She maintains feral colonies and is always in the right place at the right time, to rescue abandoned cats and bring them hope and love while fostering them until they're ready for adoption.
Daina is a winter visitor from Canada, who has a second home in the east valley. When she's in Arizona, she busies herself with lots of TNR, rescue work and fostering. East valley cats are very fortunate to have her help. She is a huge blessing to HART and to homeless cats!
Cindi does TNR and feeds feral cats. She rescues social cats and kittens in need and fosters them until they get their forever homes. She has dedicated a section of her home for fostering and gives her foster cats lots of toys and enrichment to make their stay with her fun and comfortable. She also helps by transporting cats to vet appts, and all while working a full-time job.
Tana works full time from home for a major insurance company. She socializes feral kittens and fosters them, preparing them for adoption. She is a cat and dog owner, so her foster kittens grow up being dog-friendly and easily acclimate into homes with cat-friendly dogs. She also cares for community / feral cats in her neighborhood.
William & Sherri help us with the production of our Ahimsa Essential products. All sales benefit HART and help us to provide for the cats in our care. They help with transporting cats to clinic or foster care, and drive a U-Haul truck across the valley and even to Tucson to pick up cat food donations for HART. They then help unload donations into our storage facility. They have also made several trips to Kanab, Utah to transport special needs cats to Best Friends for us.
Jeff is a retired veteran. He does TNR in the east valley and rescues young kittens. He socializes and fosters them, and prepares them for adoption. He also maintains feral colonies and rescues abandoned adult cats and gives them a second chance at life. He is always generous with his time and resources to help a cat in need.
Sheri and David foster kittens and provide them with lots of enrichment. Their very large, cat-friendly dog makes the kittens comfortable being around dogs, which helps prepare them for homes that may have canine kids. They help with fundraising ideas and events and donate their time to help HART help more cats.
Jenny works full time from home for a major health insurance company. She fosters and socializes kittens and helps prepare them for adoption. They get to free roam her bedroom with cat trees and toys, and get to snuggle with her at night and sleep in her bed, which makes for a smooth transition into their homes. Jenny also cares for a couple of ferals who have taken up residency on her back "catio."
Linda is an ASU graduate and currently working in Social Services in the Phx-Metro area. She has a household of beautiful cats and dogs and feeds dozens of homeless cats at numerous feeding stations daily. Linda has been doing TNR for since 1999 and is well respected in the TNR community for all of her efforts. Linda is an animal rights advocate and vegetarian.
Aslynn and Dennis are an amazing couple who foster kittens for HART. Between foster mom and dad and 3 kids, the foster kittens in their care get all the love and attention they could possibly need. The kittens love their foster home and turn out sweet, snuggly and well adjusted, making it a smooth transition to their furever homes!