Letter from the Executive Director
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Thanks to you, our caring and dedicated donors, we at Brooke USA have been hard at work supporting Brooke projects around the world. We know that you are the reason we can fund lifesaving projects, and help alleviate the suffering of working horses, donkeys and mules, and the people they serve in the developing world. In 2019, our main fundraising initiatives have included the construction of equine clinics in Ethiopia; animal welfare interventions in brick kilns across Southeast Asia; championing women donkey owners in Kenya, and, of course, battling the donkey hide trade in East Africa.
There are so many examples of the impact of your donations but one that caught my attention is about
Bhagwan Devi
, a mother of four young sons in India. Bhagwan is a member of the Ujala equine welfare association, a group of equine owners who work to promote animal welfare in their communities. She became associated with Brooke after the team started working in her husband’s brick kiln next to her village. Bhagwan has now been a member of her women’s equine group for seven years and to increase their family’s income the group makes decorative head collars and hoof picks which they sell for 20 rupees (making 2 rupees profit) in neighboring villages and equine fairs. They have also recently set-up their own shop in their village of Gream. As Bhagwan’s group started to earn more money from selling their products, Brooke educated the women on how to set up a savings account that members could borrow money from at low interest rates.
In Bhagwan's own words, “We are so happy now that our equines are free from disease. Before Brooke people were often unemployed because their animals were suffering from disease. But now that their animals are healthy, they can work and can earn good money for their families. And she added, “Now that we have a bank account, we have money in our hands for the first time and we are not dependent on others. We have the freedom to use the money however we want to help our community. Before we had no money. Now we do and we can improve our standard of living.”
This is Brooke at work, helping people and animals have a better life!
Every day, your support makes stories like Bhagwan’s possible. Brooke USA, thanks to you, is making a true difference in the lives of people who live in some of the poorest communities on earth. But, as you can imagine, the needs are endless and our work continues. This is why we have launched our 2019 Year-End Campaign. Our goals are to close our 2019 efforts dedicated to combat the donkey trade in East Africa with $14,500, and help us begin raising $50,000 for women in Kenya during 2020 while prepping for a multitude of other commitments that will result in over $500,000 in grants next year.
That’s why our goal for our year-end campaign is to raise $100,000 to cover our current and future commitments;
we need your help to make it happen.
Would you be willing to make a special year-end donation of $50, $100 or whatever you can afford to help us meet our goal and care for more working horses, donkeys and mules?
We simply can’t do it without you. Your support will make a real, lasting impact in the lives of animals and people in need.
Please, click
here
to make your donation now.
Thank you for your continued support and friendship.
With gratitude,
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Emily J. Dulin
Executive Director
PS.- Please make your tax-deductible contribution today and support people and animals in desperate need of help.
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112 million
equines directly support
670 million
of the world’s poorest people
Did you know....
58 million horses
(60% of all horses) work in the developing world.
43 million donkeys
(95% of all donkeys) work in the developing world.
11 million mules
work in the developing world.
Two thirds of poor livestock keepers –
400 million people
– are women.
80%
of working equines in the developing world are suffering from preventable physical and/or emotional issues.
For 670 million people, these animals aren’t just livestock, they’re
life
stock
.
With Your Support, Brooke USA Can Help Them!
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From Training A Vet Or Inspiring The Next Generation To Helping With Nutrition Or Providing Water All Year Round, Brooke USA Shop Offers The Gift That Keeps On Giving.
Your Donation Through Our Brooke USA Shop Helps Us Fund Care For Animals All Over The World.
If You Want To Honor A Friend Or Loved One With Your 100% Tax-Deductible Donation, You Can E-Mail
Bobby.Sutton@BrookeUSA.Org
Or Call (859) 296-0037 To Have A Certificate And Accompanying Gift Sent Directly To Their Address In Time For The Holidays!
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Looking for ways to give more in 2019? There are many ways you can make an impact!
- # 1- Securities: Gifts of stocks and mutual funds are an extremely tax-efficient gifting option. A gift of highly-appreciated securities offers you two-fold tax savings by avoiding the capital gains tax you’d owe if you sold the stock and then made the gift. Making a gift of appreciated stock allows you to take an income tax deduction for the full fair market value of the stock at the time of the gift, regardless of how much you paid for the shares when you bought them. (Stock should be owned for more than one year to qualify for the tax advantages.) Gifts of long-term capital gain stock are deductible up to a maximum of 30% of your adjusted gross income.
- # 2 - Retirement Plans/IRA’s: IRAs, 401(K), 403(B) and other retirement accounts grow tax-deferred, often becoming quite large over the years. Unlike many other types of investments, funds withdrawn from retirement accounts can be taxable to you and, eventually, to your heirs. Designating Brooke USA as the beneficiary of your retirement account may be a very tax-savvy thing to do. Retirement accounts left to Brooke USA are removed from your estate for federal estate tax purposes. Plus, there is no income-tax assessed against your estate or your heirs when the funds are transferred to Brooke USA, allowing you to avoid multiple taxes.
- #3 - Age 70.5 Distributions: If you are over 70 ½, you are required to take distributions from an IRA. Instead of creating a taxable event for yourself, make the distribution a charitable gift to Brooke USA using all or a portion of your mandatory withdrawal amount (up to $100,000 total, per person). As long as the distribution is paid directly to Brooke USA from your IRA administrator, the amount will not be counted in your taxable income for the year, which may result in tax savings for you!
- # 4 - Life Insurance: If you have a life insurance policy that you no longer need, donating it to Brooke USA may allow you to take advantage of a charitable tax deduction. For a paid-up policy, you’ll benefit from an income tax deduction equal to the replacement value of the policy or the tax basis (premiums paid on the policy up until the date of the gift), whichever is less. If premiums remain to be paid, future annual premiums (paid to Brooke USA) will qualify as tax-deductible charitable gifts.
- #5 - Charitable Gift Annuities: A charitable gift annuity (CGA) provides you (and/or another beneficiary) with a payment stream for life, and Brooke USA will receive the remainder of the gift upon your death(s). The payout rate for your income payments is based upon the age of the beneficiary at the time the payments begin, and you’ll qualify for a charitable deduction based on the contribution portion of the purchase of the CGA.
- #6 - Their Will:Have you reviewed your Will? Recent changes in estate tax law may allow you to leave more to your loved ones, tax-free. A charitable bequest to Brooke USA, whether a specific amount, a percentage of your estate or the remainder after you have provided for your loved ones, will also allow you to create a philanthropic legacy while providing estate tax relief.
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We set a big goal: Raise
$17,000
in a single day to help Brooke USA finish funding our third health post in Ethiopia, benefiting thousands of working equines and the people who depend on them. We kicked off the day with a $2,500 match from Taylor, Harris Insurance Services, and from there, the day only got better!
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We could not have achieved it without you.
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Give back this season when you do your holiday shopping. Shop for a cause with our generous partners, helping working equines while keeping the holiday spirit.
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Have a book lover in the family? From now until December 31st, get 10% off Eventer, Tik Maynard's memoir, In the Middle Are the Horsemen! The best part? 20% of sales will be donated to Brooke USA by Trafalgar Square Books!
Use coupon code: BROOKEBOOKS
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How much do you love this cutie? This season, Napa Valley Vintage Home is donating 100% of the sale proceeds of this adorable handmade donkey ornament to benefit Brooke USA. Each ornament is festively wrapped and ready for gifting. Call the shop to place your order. Each one is only $18.95!
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Mary Bridgman Opera Paintings
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25% of the offerings in the link below benefit Brooke USA and specifically the Donkey Hide Crisis. All offerings are courtesy of Jeanne Chisholm &
Chisholm Gallery, LLC
. Brighten up your holidays with beautiful art that also benefits working equines in Kenya.
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Inaugurating the Brooke Brick Yard, Sharon Decker, COO of Tryon International Equestrian Center
with Brooke USA's Executive Director Emily Dulin.
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We are excited to announce that our commemorative Brooke Brick Yard is now officially installed at the Tryon International Equestrian Center. The dedicated bricks serve as a beacon of hope for many working equines in the developing world, as well as a beautiful promise to make change in their lives and welfare for years to come.
These bricks serve as a reminder of these relationships, and the support Brooke USA is providing to working equines in the poorest parts of the world. The bulk of the horses, donkeys and mules’ work in our Brick Kiln projects consist of transporting tons of bricks daily, both wet and dry, by cart or pack within the kilns and to other locations for use in the construction industry. They toil in the heat, they are faced with injury and starvation—slaves to inhumane treatment, equine and human alike.
We are thrilled to announce that since our commitment to build the Brooke Brick Yard, Brooke USA has raised over $150,000 to fund our Brick Kiln projects in India.
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Read About the Donkey Hide Crisis
Westlake Malibu Lifestyle
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New Bridge Polo & Country Club Magazine (Pages 76 - 79)
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December Fundraisers
Helen Gallaway
Hannah Selleck
Betsy Skinner
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