It Takes a Hero to Run Your Rancho Coastal Humane Society

It takes a Hero to run a growing animal shelter. According to the American Red Cross San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter, Rancho Coastal Humane Society President Jim Silveira is a hero! Silveira received the Wendell Cutting Humanitarian Award during the 12th annual Real Heroes Breakfast on Friday, October 3rd aboard the USS Midway Museum at 910 Harbor Drive in San Diego.

Staff members nominated Jim without telling him.  He didn’t know until he received a message from the American Red Cross.

“Congratulations!  Because of your compelling representation of courage, heroism,
kindness and bravery, you have been selected to receive an award at the 12th Annual Real
Heroes Breakfast!”

“After evaluating all of the nominations, a variety of inspiring stories of heroism, your
act of courage and compassion was chosen as the winner for the Wendell Cutting
Humanitarian Award.  Perhaps in your case we should rename it ‘Animaltarian!’”

The nomination points out that, prior to joining Rancho Coastal Humane Society as Vice President in 1999 and being named President in 2000, Jim founded Southern California German Shepherd Rescue where he personally rescued and found new homes for 4,300 dogs.

The nomination concluded;

• Ask the abused wives who have escaped and broken the chain of violence because the Animal Safehouse Program guarantees safety for their pets.
• Ask the senior citizen who spoke for the first time in months thanks to the fur therapy of a Pet Assisted Therapy Dog.
• Ask the veteran who can now feed himself because he knows his dog is being fed.
• Ask the parent whose child explained, “I’m sorry I was so mean Mommy.  I know that you have feelings, too.  Just like the animals.”
• Ask the little girl who whispers her deepest secrets to her dog, the little boy whose cat gives him a feeling of being needed, the family whose pets are their children, or the senior citizen who is no longer lonely simply because of the dog at their feet or the cat on their lap.

They all agree.  Jim Silveira is a Hero.

For more information about Jim Silveira visit Rancho Coastal Humane Society at 389 Requeza Street in Encinitas, call 760-753-6413, or log on to www.sdpets.org.