History
Over the years SWFHR has rescued horses that were considered a ‘throw-away’ in the eyes of the unkind and heartless individuals who owned them. The idea of rescuing actually began in 2009 when founders Tina Garrett (Founder) & Matt Venaleck (Founder) recognized the growing need to help ‘local horses’.
The Beginning
Over the years SWFHR has rescued horses that were considered a ‘throw-away’ in the eyes of the unkind and heartless individuals who owned them. The idea of rescuing actually began in 2009 when founders Tina Garrett (Founder) & Matt Venaleck (Founder) recognized the growing need to help ‘local horses’. At the time, Tina & Matt had owned (4) horses, (3) dogs on (5) acres of land and worked for FedEx Ground delivering packages all over Southwest Florida. Over the years they had taken in numerous abandoned and unwanted animals, both large and small. They also donated to many national-level charity organizations through the years in their attempt to “do our part”. Tina had written a letter to one of these charities stating “I don’t want the trinkets anymore please use my donation for the horses only”. The next month her check was cashed and she received refrigerator magnets. This disconnect from the donor was quite irritating, to say the least. When they thought about it donors truly saw what their donations really did. The thought was alarming especially when right out anyone’s back door there were horses in need. When you would search craigslist you would find horses in abundance with a selling line of “don’t want it no more”, “just come and get’em”, or just plainly “free”.
One day while on craigslist Tina came across a listing for “Help Needed”. It was an individual named Lisa who privately rescued horses and was looking for someone to help do the same. “We did not know, how much we did not know in our early days but believed we could make a difference even if it was small” so, they teamed up with Lisa with the intention of only rescuing (2) horses at a time. Their thoughts were simple, these horses did not ask to be put in these situations, they did not have a ‘choice’. The belief was that all animals should live happy, healthy lives and they were going to make sure that they could make that happen.
Other important information
MISSION & VISION
FOUNDING PRINCIPLES
- To not chase numbers but rather focus on quality;
- To refrain from following the typical molds and be different;
- To not use donor funds for employee costs unless they are derived via a grant allocated for employees;
- To not seek media attention unless they come to us. Let our worth be our advertisement;
- To not cold call or panhandle/beg for donations. Offer a chance at something in return.
MISSION
VISION
CORE VALUES
FOCUS
MOTTO
PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
Community Strong
NEWSLETTERS
PRESS RELEASE
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
PRINT MEDIA RECOGNITION
Video Media:
- Animal Outtakes 2019 (view video)
- The New Press 2016 (view video)
- The New Press 2012 (view video)
Print Media:
- Elite Equestrian Magazine 2016 – “We will be their voice (view print)
- The New Press April 27, 2016 – “Volunteers’ devotion to horses changes equine lives” by Tammy Ayer (view print)
- The New Press 2012 – “12 Days of Giving” article written by Amy Bennett Williams (view print)
REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
If you’d rather, we have our review form that you can fill out with an anonymity option.
- SWFHR’s Review Form (rebuilding)
You can even email or mail us a note. Make sure to specify (2) things: one, identifying whether you’d like to have your statements public, and two, whether you want to remain anonymous.
DOCUMENTATION
The links listed below are our legitimacy documentation as is made viewable for public inspection by the actions of transparency, a good practice of charities.
- Articles of Incorporation
- IRS Letter of Determination
- State Tax Exemption
- State Solicitation Registration
- 990 (2014)
- 990 (2015)
- 990 (2016)
- 990 (2017)
- 990 (2018)
- 990 (2019)
THE SWFHR TEAM
FOUNDER | PRESIDENT | PR & FUNDRAISING DIRECTOR
Tina Garret; of North Fort Myers, FL.
From: Sylva, North Carolina
Having a love for horses from the beginning Tina just knew someone had to do it the right way.
CO-FOUNDER | TREASURER | CFO | ADMIN, VOLUNTEER, DEVELOPMENT, & IT DIRECTOR
Matt Venaleck; of North Fort Myers, FL.
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DIRECTOR | RESCUE MUM
Sue Swink; of Cape Coral, FL.
From:
AFFILIATE PROGRAMS
HOMES FOR HORSES COALITION
Member of and listed as (SW Florida Horse Rescue, Inc.).
Homes for Horses Coalition is a national coalition dedicated to increasing collaboration, professionalism, and growth in the equine rescue and protection community.
FLEET OF ANGELS
Member of and listed as (South West Florida Horse Rescue).
The Fleet of Angels is a grassroots not-for-profit organization initially created to get more at-risk equines rescued and adopted by making transporting them more affordable.
HELPING HOOVES PROGRAM
Recipient of and listed as (South West Florida Horse Rescue).
Helping Hooves Program is a program offered by The Horse Holster which believes in giving back to the community through various forms of support.
PARTNERED LINKS
*In no way should these links be a consideration of endorsement or identifying products we are using.
BALE BUDDY
At Bale Buddy, we are proud supporters of all rescues who work tirelessly to provide shelter and hope for our four-legged friends. As such our feeders are always half-price to all registered farm animal and/or horse rescues and shelters.
SWFHR is listed on their "Rescue Buddy's" page.
THE SWFHR FACILITY
The current 40 +/- acre facility was purchased in April 2014 via a grant awarded by a Private Foundation. With the purchase of what became known as “The Facility,” the founders were to build a rescue facility to be a beacon quality in our community for the plight of the Horse in Need. The business and development plan for “The Facility” outlined ten years of development for the rescue organization on only 1/2 (20 acres) of the whole property.
Almost everything that someone will see on the property has been built since 2014, as the only structures on the property were the House and just the roof structure of 2 pole barns. The rest has been built since establishing “The Facility” in 2014.
