I adopted a mare from Bright Futures Farm in 2003 by the name of Dexter's First Lady (Abby). She was a starvation case and was so weak that Bev had her slung up in a sling in her stall when I first met her. She was approximately 26 years old. I fell in love and agreed to adopt her if/when she was strong enough to travel. Bev brought her to my farm 3 weeks later on my birthday. Abby passed away a year and a half ago, but over the years I had her Bev and I stayed in touch, even after I moved cross-country from PA to KY. Bev even came to visit Abby. : ) Several months after Abby died, Bev told me about a TB mare rescued from the Sugarcreek auction in Ohio. She was in foal and needed a place to have her baby. I agreed to foster "Singing Breeze" and drove to Ohio to pick her up. As it turns out, this pretty little mare is a daughter of the great Affirmed and the dam of several racehorses who have earned respectable amounts of money. She was in foal to Stephen Got Even. It is unclear how she got to Sugarcreek. When I had her checked by my vet in KY, she had lost her foal. Not at all surprising, given the stress of the auction and the travel involved. Through the kindness and relentless networking of Bev and many others involved in horse rescue, she was bought off of the van headed to a Canadian slaughterhouse. Breezy is now my mare, no longer a foster. (Once again, I fell in love.) Over the years I have been happy to help Bright Futures however I can. Bev SUCCESSFULLY was able to bring charges against the woman who starved Abby using pictures and weight-tape measurements that I religiously reported monthly to Bright Futures. When Bev had a filly at a training center here in KY who needed to be photographed and examined, I was able to help out. That filly, Invisible Girl, now happily resides in OH. I have helped Bev procure the halters of famous horses for her fundraiser every year. When a gelding somehow related to Barbaro needed radiographs before being placed in a home, I radiographed him and got a vet to read the films for no charge. Even just today, I asked Bev to list a horse I know who is in need of a home. Within an hour, he had many hits on his page. What makes Bev and Bright Futures extraordinary in my eyes is her commitment to the whole rescue/adoption process. She carefully screens each adopter and follows up to be sure that the horse is being cared for properly. She networks with other groups and pools resources. She maintains strong relationships and looks for ways to improve her organization and provide funding. And, of course, she LOVES the animals in her care. She is passionate, hard-working, and selfless in her efforts. I believe that it is a testimony to her organization and herself that people such as myself who have adopted one (or two) of her horses continue to help and support her. If I had the money, I'd send her all I could...but like many of us, I need to feed my own four-legged babies! Please strongly consider Bright Futures Farm as the beneficiary of your award. It would go such a long way in helping them help our equine friends in need! Thank you!!!