Ted stroscher remembers seeing cats on spring street when he visited his grandfathers house as a child

The Chronology of CARE

Background: Long time resident Ted Stroscher remembers seeing cats on Spring Street as a child when he visited his
grandfather. His 80-year old grandfather tells Ted that the cats lived there when he was a little boy, too.
Sometime in the 1960’s and for 20 years thereafter, local resident Lillian La Chance fed the feral cats on Spring Street daily. When
she was in her 70’s and no longer able to care for them, Lillian enlisted the help of her caretaker, Judy Toone, who maintained the
Spring Street cat colony for an additional 10 years.
April, 1999
15 cats in the feral cat colony on Spring Street were trapped by San Juan Elementary School personnel, and picked up by Orange County Animal Shelter for euthanization. Local resident, Marsha Schwartze starts trapping the remaining 33 kittens and 8 adult cats on Spring Street. The kittens are all placed in new homes. Marsha Schwartze asks all local veterinarians to donate spays and neuters for the remaining adult cats that survived the eradication efforts by San Juan Elementary School. The longest practicing Veterinarian in San Juan Capistrano, Dr. Joe Cortese, offers his services. Afterward, the remaining adult cats are released back to Spring Street where they continue to be maintained. Marsha goes to the City Council to request a change in the city’s animal services contract, to provide humane animal services for the citizens of San Juan Capistrano by joining with the San Clemente or Mission Viejo Animal Shelters, or by building a humane animal shelter locally. The City Council opposes the request and votes to continue their contract with Orange County. Marsha and Phil Schwartze, Sue Walsh, Glenda Rosen, Hilary and Betty Smith meet to discuss how Dana Point Rescue, ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) started. Marsha Schwartze circulates petitions for humane animal services and collects over 1,000 signatures. Cyberlive, a local web designer, donates a free web site to CARE. Sue Walsh suggests that Lon Uso and Marsha Schwartze should talk about their mutual interest in seeing the establishment of a humane animal shelter for San Juan Capistrano animals. Several meetings are held at a local restaurant with interested persons supporting humane animal services for San Juan Capistrano. The first Executive Committee of CARE is formed. Marsha Schwartze and Lon Uso are interviewed by OCN regarding the future site for a humane animal shelter in San Juan Capistrano. Supporters appear at a City Council meeting to request that San Juan Capistrano contract for animal services with either San Clemente or Mission Viejo, who operate neighboring humane animal shelters. Non-profit corporate status is approved for the Capistrano Animal Rescue Effort by the State of California. The CARE Bylaws are ratified by the Board of Directors. A license agreement with CARE is approved by the City of San Juan Capistrano for the use of a piece of city-owned property for the establishment of a humane animal rescue and adoption center. CARE receives a $10,000 donation from the Schnurmacher Foundations to be used for cat housing. Dr. Joe Cortese spays/neuters his 64th feral cat for CARE, with assistance from Maddie’s Funds. CARE holds their first major fund raising dinner-dance and silent auction. Concept site/floor plans are submitted to the City for review. CARE rescues the 1st San Juan Capistrano animal from the Orange County Animal Shelter. CARE partners with the San Juan Capistrano PETsMART to operate their Adoption Center. CARE publishes and distributes their first printed newsletter to members. CARE’s first President, Lon Uso, resigns. CARE reports $96,000 in monetary assets. CARE received a $5,000 donation from the Rancho Mission Viejo Cow Camp Caridades. CARE receives their first annual donation from the San Juan Rotary in the amount of $2,500. CARE receives their first annual grant from the National Charity League in the amount of $2,000. CARE rescues and adopts 29 dogs & 126 cats into new homes to date. CARE reports a total of $132,000 in monetary assets. CARE receives a $5,000 donation from Rancho Mission Viejo. CARE receives approval from the Planning Commission on their building plans. CARE holds their Official Ground Breaking on the Rescue and Adoption Center Site. CARE reports a total of $166,000 in monetary assets. CARE holds the 1st Annual CARe SHOW at the Community Center Services and equipment are donated for grading the CARE site. CARE reports $214,000 in monetary assets. CARE receives their first annual donation from Farmer’s & Merchant’s Bank in the amount of $1,500. CARE holds their first annual Garden Tour, which is named the Orange County Register’s Top Pick. CARE receives a $110,983 donation from a local resident’s family trust. CARE reports $263,000 in monetary assets. CARE receives a $5,000 donation through the Orange County Community Foundation. CARE’s Board of Directors is sued by a disgruntled former Board Member who was previously removed from office. CARE receives a $5,000 donation from the AGI Goldratt Institute CARE holds 1st Annual Hogs for Dogs motorcycle show and rally at Capistrano Harley-Davidson. CARE considers modular construction for the CARE Rescue and Adoption Center. CARE reports $446,000 in monetary assets. CARE rescues and adopts a total of 84 dogs and 791 cats into new homes to date. The Heart of Orange County selects CARE as the subject of one of their public access television programs on Cox Cable. CARE receives a $10,000 donation from the San Juan Hills Golf Club. CARE receives a $5,000 donation through the Orange County Community Foundation. Architectural Control permits are re-approved by the City Planning Commission. CARE logs over 300 current members and volunteers in their Data Base, and reports $460,000 in monetary assets. CARE receives a $5,000 donation from a local donor. CARE adopts amended and restated Bylaws, and elects a new and restructured Board of Directors. 2nd Annual Hogs for Dogs motorcycle show and rally raises over $6,000. CARE adopts their 1,000th animal into a new home. CARE raises $27,000 at the 5th Annual CARe SHOW held at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center. CARE Board Member Phillip Schwartze is named Citizen of the Year. Phil is the 3rd CARE Board Member to be named Citizen of the Year in San Juan Capistrano along with Dr. Joe Cortese in 2000 and Marsha Schwartze in 2002. Founding Member and beloved friend and Veterinarian Dr. Joe Cortese passes away. San Juan Capistrano City Council terminates the lease with CARE on the land planned for a rescue and adoption center. CARE receives $1,000 from San Juan Capistrano Farmer’s & Merchant’s Bank. CARE donates $10,000 to the Open Space Foundation toward construction of the Dr. Joe Cortese Dog Park on the site which was formerly planned as the rescue and adoption center for CARE.

Source: http://www.capoanimalrescue.com/downloads/CARE_chronology.pdf