August 8, 2009
Greetings,
The goal of The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable Trust is to extend the
legally required interval for rabies boosters to 5 and then 7 years, based on
the findings of the rabies challenge studies currently underway at the University
of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. If the studies’ results demonstrate
that the rabies vaccine confers 5, and possibly 7, years of immunity, there would be
a significant impact on controlling rabies and reducing adverse reactions associated
with the vaccine.
Today I am writing to ask for your help. The Rabies Challenge Fund relies on donations
to finance the multi-year challenge studies that began in November 2007. Due to the economic
downturn, the Fund has a $125,000 shortfall for the third year of the studies, scheduled for
this fall. This deficit threatens the future of the research.
Costs for the studies’ third year are $175,000. Since January, we have raised nearly $50,000
of that amount. We need to have eighty percent of the total funding for the year’s budget in
hand to begin the third year of the studies. Please contribute what you can, as soon as you can.
All donations received will be used to finance the direct research costs of the rabies challenge
studies. with your help, we can raise the $125,000 necessary to complete the third year of the
5 and 7-year rabies challenge studies. Tax-exempt donations can be mailed to The Rabies Challenge Fund,
c/o Hemopet, 11330 Markon Drive, Garden Grove, CA 92841. Credit card donations can be phoned in to Hemopet
(specify they are for The Rabies Challenge Fund) by calling (714) 891-2022, ext. 13.
Thank you for your
support of this important work.
Sincerely,
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
The Rabies Challenge Fund
_www.RabiesChalleng eFund.org_ (
http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/ ) _ledgespring@ lincoln.midcoast.com_
(mailto:ledgespring@ lincoln.midcoast .com)
Successful efforts by The Rabies Challenge Fund over the past year leading
to changes in state rabies laws/municipal ordinances to the 3 year
national standard:
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Wichita, Kansas
State of
Alabama
State of Arkansas
State of Rhode Island
The Rabies Challenge
Fund Charitable Trust is a 501(c)(3) charitable
organization [Fed. EIN #
84-6390682].
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