Shaltreece Chandler
Development Volunteer and
Brand Ambassador for WIF's Youth Veterinarian Initiative

We first learned about Shaltreece Chandler because of her children's book, Kelsie 100, which teaches kids financial literacy through a girl who saves money to build a zoo. We quickly realized that her numerous skills and interests completely align with ours, and we welcomed her aboard as a volunteer in December 2023.

Shaltreece "Shal" Chandler is a project management consultant who has dedicated more than 25 years leading, serving, building and transforming organizations. Working at her best in environments where she is contributing to a cause or outcome greater than herself, she describes herself as "a creative and strategic thinker who cares about people and leverages both pragmatic and out-of-the-box thinking to solve problems and inspire a shared vision of what's possible."

When we first met, Chandler told us about her desire to support us and shared that she believed she could use her business experience and acumen to help raise money to strengthen our infrastructure as well as fund our projects and programs.  She officially signed up as a volunteer in December 2023.

In addition to being a consummate business professional, Chandler is incredibly creative.  When we learned about her children's book—Kelsie 100—and her love of reading aloud to children, we saw the alignment with our Literacy Strategic Focus Area (SFA).

Because we had combined our STEAM Education and Literacy SFAs in our Youth Veterinarian Initiative, the fact that Chandler's main character was a little Black girl who wanted to save money to build a zoo was an unexpected bonus.

Shal Chandler wearing Kelsie 100 t-shirt

Chandler became passionate about the initiative and began to look for ways that she could bring our work in STEAM Education to Michigan, where she currently resides.

We made her our YVI brand ambassador in January 2024, and she wasted no time in her new role!

In February 2024, she introduced WIF and Dr. Tori Ellis of our partner organization, Mindfulness & STEAM Lab, to the Michigan State University Extension in East Lansing.  This led to invitations to participate in the MSU 4-H Animal and Veterinary Science Camp in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

The 2024 camp was the first to include mindfulness as part of the curriculum and the first to utilize the services of an organization external to MSU.

Dr. Tori Ellis and Shal Chandler at
MSU 4-H Animal & Veterinary Science Camp

In keeping with WIF's mission to expose girls to STEAM careers, Chandler connected us with Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan (GSSEM).  Through her outreach, we received $1500 from the Girl Scout Troop 78014 (raised through cookie sales) at the University Liggett School to support the purchase of a hydroponic garden. 

We sent the money back to the school, and they purchased the towers directly.

This supported the raising of edible produce for the school while providing hands-on STEM learning experiences and instilling a sense of environmental stewardship in the minds of students.

Shal Chandler and hydroponic towers

As a further introduction of WIF to the Greater Detroit Metropolitan Area, Chandler organized a unique event at the newly completed MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center in Dearborn, MI.

On Thursday, May 29, Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit partnered with the Wells International Foundation (WIF) to host “Sound & Sanctuary: A Concert for Canines and Cats” from 3-4 p.m.

Ackeem Salmon was the featured artist.  He played the harp for the dogs and cats while the general public walked through the facility in search of animals to adopt.

Left to right: Nova Zorok of Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, Ackeem Salmon, and Shal Chandler

In July 2025, Chandler had the opportunity to read Kelsie 100 aloud to two groups of children that WIF serves through our STEAM Education/Literacy initiative in our home town of Houston, TX.  We are excited that her passion for our work continues to grow.

As we enter our second decade of service, we look forward to having Chandler work with us to raise funds to sustain our ability to expand our impact in Michigan, the rest of the U.S., and the world.

On Thursday, May 29, Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit partnered with the Wells International Foundation (WIF) to host a unique event at the newly completed MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center in Dearborn, MI. 

The animal shelter invited the public to attend “Sound & Sanctuary: A Concert for Canines and Cats” from 3-4 p.m.

MaryAnn Wright Animal Adoption and Education Center

Ackeem Salmon was the featured artist.  A harpist, composer, and interdisciplinary visual artist, Salmon’s work is influenced by people, places, and traditions around the world.  Beginning with his childhood in Kingston, Jamaica, he has followed a winding path that has led to him finding a sense of home and purpose in Detroit.

Ackeem Salmon with harp

WIF was represented on site by Development Volunteer Shal Chandler.

Shal Chandler

During the concert, event attendees walked around the adoptable dog and cat spaces or sat quietly while listening to Salmon play the harp.

Salmon played in the dog area from 3 - 3:30 p.m. and the cat area (called Kitty Suites) from 3:30 - 4 p.m.

The shelter extended its opening hours until 6 p.m. to allow additional time for adoptions.

Dog and cat areas

The dogs were quite vocal during their half-hour session, whereas the cats were mostly still and quiet during their session.

Ackeem Salmon plays the harp in dog area

Ackeem Salmon plays the harp in cat area

Salmon was excited to participate in the event:

“It was a pleasure to perform in such a relaxed and welcoming setting, especially for an audience that included both people, their pets, and those at the shelter. The experience reminded me how music can bring us together in simple, meaningful ways. It felt good to share what I do in a space where everyone—human or not—could be part of the moment.”

After the event, Friends for Animals Events & Communications Manager Nova Zorok reached out to let WIF know how much the shelter appreciated the event and the partnership.

The two organizations are already looking for additional ways to work together.

Left to right: Nova Zorok, Ackeem Salmon, and Shal Chandler

For information about Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, click HERE.

For information about Ackeem Salmon, click HERE.

June 2023 marked the end of the second consecutive year of our Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI) and the end of the first year of our YVI Book Club & Merit Badge Program.

See below for a summary of the results we have achieved.

2021-2022:
YVI Podcast and "Careers in Veterinary Medicine" Curriculum

During the first year of the program, we hosted twenty-eight (28) podcast episodes featuring veterinarians and others who work with animals in the U.S. and abroad.  Sixty-plus (60+) youth attended the calls live, and we made the recordings available at no charge for youth and educators across the country.

The podcast inspired Danielle Corbin, a 6th-grade science teacher at the South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) in Bronx, NY, to create a curriculum called “Careers in Veterinary Medicine.” Ms. Corbin taught the curriculum to 25 students during Spring Semester 2022, and two of her students interviewed podcast speakers.

The podcast also inspired Bailey Brown, who was a 6th-grade student in Houston, TX at the time, to achieve perfect attendance during the first two months of the program in 2021 and volunteer at her local animal shelter to prepare herself for her future application to veterinary school.  She continues to volunteer there today.

SBECA students worked with microscopes during the semester and earned the first merit badges that we awarded during the program.

This, in addition to our donation of books to SBECA in December 2021, inspired us to launch the YVI Book Club & Merit Badge program the following year.

During the summer of 2022, in collaboration with Danielle Corbin and Dr. Tori Ellis of the Mindfulness and STEAM Lab, WIF provided owl pellet dissection and gelatin frog dissection labs to HYPE Freedom School in Houston, TX.

Read HYPE's testimonial about this experience HERE.

2022-2023:
YVI Book Club & Merit Badge Program

WIF launched the YVI Book Club & Merit Badge Program while continuing to offer the YVI podcast series (36 episodes recorded as of June 2023).  One hundred and forty-two (142) students from middle schools in Bronx, NY; Newark, NJ; Chicago, IL; and Houston, TX read eight (8) life-science-themed books and joined monthly Zoom calls to discuss their readings.

Students earned a total of 400 merit badges for completing homework assignments, drawing their favorite characters/personas in the books, and attending monthly Zoom calls and YVI podcasts.

Additionally, two students received letters of achievement for interviewing podcast speakers.

Fifth-grade students at Etoile Academy (Houston, TX) and 8th-grade students at Holy Family (Chicago, IL) earned a special merit badge for reading books aloud to younger students or classmates.

Educators reported that participating students increased their literacy skills and/or knowledge of life sciences by one to two levels.

All Etoile Academy (Houston, TX) 5th graders who participated in the book club passed the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam.  Six of them achieved Meets and Masters status, which is one of the highest distinctions for the exam.

Program facilitator Kristen Ray said, "I know reading these books and talking about the questions have been a huge help to their academic success."

The entire 6th grade class at South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) in Bronx, NY participated in the book club.  Facilitator Danielle Corbin reported that students spent 20 minutes each Wednesday reading book club titles at school from September to June.  This amounted to 14.3 hours per student or over 1,360 total hours over the course of the year.

Unexpected Results

SBECA's Danielle Corbin reported an unexpected, yet powerful benefit that her school experienced because of its participation in the book club - teachers across disciplines were so inspired by the life sciences books that they sought ways to include them in math, social studies, and ELA classes.

Significantly, students and teachers also found themselves discussing the books in the hallways!

Click on the image below to listen to Ms. Corbin describe this phenomenon in her own words (1:05-minute recording).

Another unexpected result of the program was the visit that YVI Podcast speaker Dr. Heather Fowler paid to the 7th graders at Marion P. Thomas Charter School (MPTCS) STEAM Academy in Newark, NJ.  Students commented on how they loved Dr. Fowler's story of pursuing veterinary medicine as a career and the work she currently does as Director of Producer and Public Health at the National Pork Board.

Dr. Fowler said the following about her visit:

... I shared information about my background, current work in the swine industry, and fielded questions from the students. I greatly enjoy these events which give me the opportunity to give back to my community here in the great state of New Jersey.

I am a living breathing example that young black women from New Jersey can achieve their wildest dreams. I hope the students I visited with this spring were inspired by my visit and know they too can achieve such heights.

Ms. Lisa Finn-Bruce, MPTCS' YVI facilitator, was equally inspired by Dr. Fowler's meeting with the students.  She told us how vested they are in the program:

I’m really hoping that some of the scholars who participated this year will be able to participate again.  They have really given their all!

YVI is now preparing for Year 3 of this successful program!

Featured image: Alexandre Contreras -- DVM 360's 2022 Vet Tech of the Year

On March 19, 2022, WIF welcomed Alexandre Contreras, our first vet tech speaker, to the YVI podcast. We are pleased to honor him during National Veterinary Technician Week (October 16-22, 2022).

Contreras expanded upon his career as a veterinary technician to become an entrepreneur and inventor. He recently launched a nonprofit called PetTrio Charity and is giving back to the field through this organization.  He graciously granted us an interview about PetTrio, which we are pleased to share below.

AYVI: PetTrio Charity is the latest of your numerous accomplishments in the veterinary field. When was the organization founded?

AC: PetTrio Charity was incorporated in May 2022 and granted tax exempt status here in Florida.

YVI: What are PetTrio’s mission and vision?

AC: The main goal of the PetTrio nonprofit is to make a social impact in the world of animals by being involved in the three core values surrounding and affecting the animal world: care, advocacy, and support. These are ambitious plans that will require the support of others who are as passionate about animals as we are.

We can totally bring this great social impact to life. It’s a win/win for everyone involved, and most importantly, it's a win for OUR FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS “for the greater good of today and the goals of tomorrow.”

YVI: What inspired you to found the organization?

AC: I always told myself that when I become successful with my invention, KlipTrio, I would give back to the profession and to the younger generation of animal care givers that gave me a career to begin with. Even though KlipTrio hasn’t been released yet, I wanted to start building toward that.

KlipTrio Nail Clipper

PetTrio Charity has been a vision of mine for the last two years and now it’s all coming together.

YVI: In what geographical area(s) do you operate?

AC: I’ll be operating out of Miami, Florida with the hopes of expanding nationally one day.

YVI: Do you currently have any active projects or programs?

AC: I have my first huge project right out the gate. It’s to renovate an existing Veterinary Assisting program at Robert Morgan Educational Center, a local high school in a truly underserved community.  They have the space and potential to have a state of the art classroom.

I’ve been speaking to the students there through their entrepreneurship program for the past two years and they loved the idea of making their classroom look and feel like an animal hospital setting. So I’m hoping to put that plan together and present it to the Miami Dade County School Board this year and see what we can get done.

This project will definitely require donors. I feel when the school board sees my vision and hears from the students and staff, we’ll make it happen.

Watch Alexandre Contreras talk about the value of the role of the veterinary technician HERE.

YVI: We enjoyed your inspirational podcast session with the students from P.S. 160Q in Queens, NY in March 2022. Do you have any plans to work with youth through PetTrio?

4th grade girls from P.S. 160Q
Francis Scott Bishop Magnet School of the Arts

AC: I definitely want to work with youth, seeing as I’m speaking with them at Robert Morgan. My hope is to show them that with persistence and passion dreams do come true. I hope to roll out volunteer opportunities with PetTrio Charity once I get things in order and I’ll definitely be turning to youth for that.

YVI: What do you plan to accomplish during the first five years of PetTrio’s existence?

AC: Accomplishing the rollout of Robert Morgan’s Vet Tech program will be a huge milestone for me and PetTrio Charity. Once this is done, I want to see about bringing this type of vet tech program aboard to show other people the incredible field of veterinary medicine. I want to show that you don’t only have to be a doctor == you can be an entrepreneur and innovator in this space.

YVI: With whom do you envision collaborating to achieve these goals?

AC: Anyone or organization that shares my values and vision of making PetTrio Charity as big as the PetcoLove, Maddie’s Fund, and PetSmart’s Charity of the world. That’s my 10=year plan. I want to leave a legacy behind for my sons to carry on if they chose.

YVI: Congratulations on the two awards you’ve won this year – Veterinary Heroes™ Vet Tech of the Year from DVM360 and the and Bridge Club Bright Minds 2022 awards! How will these accolades contribute to the development of PetTrio?

AC: It was such a huge milestone and honor for me to receive these awards! I’ve busted my butt to put my name out there and my story and word of mouth started to spread. These two organizations saw something in me and my story and I’m truly thankful for that.

This recognition will continue to spread to PetTrio Charity once my website goes live later next month.

YVI: Any final thoughts?

AC: Just that I’ve been through some dark days to get here. Went through and suffered secretly through depression, anxiety, and the imposter syndrome, and kept moving forward because I knew I was trying to do something bigger than myself, bigger than I ever imagined.

I’m thankful for my family and close friends who cheered me on. Regarding the ones that doubted me, I thank and forgive them because I forgave myself for letting them gear my path. So If you have a dream and an ambition go after it and don’t look back.

Forward and onward!

This summer, WIF partnered with Danielle Corbin and Dr. Tori Ellis of the Mindfulness and STEAM Lab to deliver hands-on dissection labs to youth participating in the HYPE Freedom School program in Houston, TX. Paulann Kirkland Jenkins, Operations Manager at HYPE, sent us a fabulous testimonial about the labs!

Summer 2022 was our first season meeting back in person following two years of our online program, HYPE@HOME. Our goal was to offer our scholars unique and fun learning experiences. We were delightfully surprised to have the opportunity to partner with the YVI program.

HYPE Freedom School scholars dissect owl pellets

From the very beginning, Dr. Wells and her team made the process easy. They took the time to meet with us on a regular basis to not only answer all of our questions but also tailor the program to meet the needs of our students in our spaces. The supplies arrived on time and were packed with everything we needed.

 

The YVI team was relatable, professional and above all passionate about their work. We can't express our thanks enough. Thank you so much for making science fun at HYPE. We can't wait to see what's in store for summer 2023!

YVI has enjoyed an incredibly productive year in collaboration with the South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA).  Danielle Corbin and her sixth-grade students have been with us since the beginning of the program and on June 3, 2022, we celebrated our 1st anniversary with them!

Sherita Herring-Oglesby of Philanthropy Alliance Foundation came up with the idea of a merit badge program to support the selection of students for YVI's 2023 summer camp, and she and I decided to award all the students in the class with the first badge of the program - the Microscope Badge.

We also decided to provide the students with certificates to reward them for the great work they've done since Corbin began teaching the 40-week YVI curriculum at SBECA.

In a ceremony akin to a graduation, held during a morning classroom session, each student was called by name and asked to come forward to receive a certificate.

We recorded the event on video for posterity - watch it below.

To extend the celebration, SBECA students participated in an exclusive interview with Dr. Tania Otero on June 10.  Student Madina A. Sissoko posed the initial questions, which Dr. Otero answered with candid enthusiasm.  Other students then asked their questions, and Dr. Otero responded to these as well.

YVI is looking forward to working with Danielle Corbin and SBECA throughout the summer to prepare for our foray into the 2022-2023 academic year.  We all have our "eyes on the prize" - Summer Camp 2023!

Ever since WIF donated twenty-two (22) books to Danielle Corbin's classroom to support her Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI)-inspired South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) elective for sixth-grade students last December, we've increasingly focused on combining our STEAM education and Literacy Strategic Focus Areas through YVI.

Watch the brief video that we created to celebrate the first book donation below.

Ms. Corbin said the following about the gift of books to her class:

"The donation of books sparked curiosity, ... which has been essential to student engagement in scientific topics and careers in science.

"In September, all of my students wanted to build a volcano. Today, they are interested in climate change and how science connects to the real world. They're still surprised to see scientists that resemble them and their culture.

“My students’ interest in reading and their stamina for reading has improved.”

Ms. Corbin recently shared an example of how our biweekly YVI sessions support the reading assignments she gives her class.

One of the chapters in Bill Harley's Night of the Spadefoot Toads includes a passage about a snake shedding its skin. As the students read this passage, Ms. Corbin invited them to pause so they could watch Episode 3 of the YVI video series, during which Dr. Félix Vega discussed comparative anatomy of snakes and other animals, including humans. She said the students could barely contain their excitement!

As the first anniversary for our biweekly podcast sessions (June 5, 2022) approaches, our team will continue to look at ways for these sessions to complement and reinforce reading in the classroom and vice versa.

Stay tuned!

We celebrated three (3) firsts during this call.

1) We welcomed our first veterinary technician turned inventor / entrepreneur to YVI.

Alexandre Contreras is not only a seasoned veterinary professional but also an entrepreneur, pet product designer, and Bridge Club Bright Minds 2022 Winner.

Alexandre Contreras

Jason Adjogble is a 6th grade student at the South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA).  He served as our youth interviewer, asking Contreras questions about his career path, his community outreach, and KlipTrio, his patented invention.

Jason Adjogble

These students are learning urban gardening, mindfulness and veterinary medicine during their 10-week Saturday program.

Everyone was thrilled to learn that several of them shared Contreras' interest in reptiles!

4th grade girls from P.S. 160Q
Francis Scott Bishop Magnet School of the Arts

Contreras eagerly responded to Jason's interview questions and engaged in a lively discussion about reptile habitats and breeding with the fourth graders. We plan to invite the girls to future sessions and to continue to have young enthusiasts like Jason serve as interviewers as well.

The P.S. 160Q students are scheduled to dissect owl pellets during their March 26, 2022 session, as Jason's class at SBECA did a few weeks ago.

Watch the March 19, 2022 YVI session here: https://youtu.be/JZg05xingcE

The Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI)-inspired South Bronx Early College Academy elective for sixth-grade students is off to a great start this semester! Educator Danielle Corbin has already presented three lessons to her students that focus on identifying bones from animals preyed upon by owls.

Watch a couple of the students at work below.

Find the photo gallery for the sessions at the link below:

Owl Pellet Lab

Did you know that over 93% of all employed veterinarians in the U.S. are white?

The Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI) serves as an introduction to veterinary medicine for underserved minorities aged 9-17 who are underrepresented in the profession.

Through our online activities and our in-person summer camp, we are working to reverse the racial disparities that currently exist in the field.

Launched in June 2021 by WIF and the Philanthropy Alliance Foundation, YVI encourages minority youth across the U.S. to consider veterinary medicine as a career path and introduce them to general practitioners and veterinary specialists who "look like them."

From June to December 2021, we recorded 15 online sessions with veterinarians, veterinary and pre-veterinary students, and other professionals who work with animals. Youth from across the U.S. and as far away as Uganda attended these sessions.

Danielle Corbin, 6th grade educator at South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) in Bronx, NY, has created a 40-week curriculum that uses our recordings. She is now teaching this as an official elective at SBECA and will not only use it for the benefit of the students at her school, but also share it with additional schools in New York and New Jersey.

Two youth community service organizations - one national and one in Houston, TX - have also expressed interest in using parts of the curriculum.

The year 2022 is off to a great start, with presentations by collaborative partner Sherita Herring-Oglesby of Oglesby Acres - the property where our August 2022 summer camp will be held, and Dr. Valerie Marcano, co-founder of collaborative partner Pawsibilities.  Additional speakers on our spring roster include Dr. Mariana Pardo (emergency medicine), Dr. Patricia White (dermatology and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine), and Maya Sullivan (veterinary school applicant).

To request notifications for our biweekly online sessions, click HERE.

To view previously recorded sessions, click HERE.