McKee Project

This year's Annual McKee Fiesta is set for Friday, November 11th at Amapola Hotel in Jaco Beach.  Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.  Besides supporting a great cause, the event includes Dinner and Dancing with Live Music by the Chupacabras, Raffling of great prizes and a silent auction from 5:30PM to 8:30PM featuring donations from local sponsors in the Central Pacific zone.  For more information, contact 2643-4012 or visit

• McKee Project

THE “GOLDEN PAW AWARD”  is presented twice a year by both McKee Project and by the magazine “PETS Y MAS”, and its purpose is to honor local people in our communities for their compassion and service toward animals. On June 22nd, 2011 this award was presented to Brenda Morales Gonzales. Brenda came to Costa Rica by way of Nicaragua some 18 years ago, and it is here that she learned to love animals, soon making the decision to dedicate her life to dogs. And this is where she continues to learn so much about them, and where her affection for them grows so much.

McKee Jaco represented at Punta Leona’s Rain Fest.  Thanks to the friendly invitation offered by the Punta Leona Hotel and Club Manager Boris Gordienko Echeverria and the project manager Andrea Osorio Naranjo, McKee Project Jaco had a great opportunity to perform their presentation of their project to the public. During the two days they were there, the McKee stand was visited by probably 200 people, some of which were very interested in their project. McKee hopes this presentation will help them find new volunteers that they so desperately need.

 MCKEE JACO HAS BEEN BUSY WITH OVER 72 ANIMALS SPAYED IN OUR ZONE LAST APRIL.  Clinics were organized by Dr. Victor Montenegro and his wife Catalina Valverde from Universidad Nacional along with   Dr. Wendy Villalobos and Dr. Yessenia Alpizar.  Special thanks goes to sponsors Patri Holmer from Tarcoles and Rachel Alves from Herradura. Also, Judy Witt donated meds bought at cost from Dr. Barbara Eisen, at the Cream Ridge Animal Clinic in New Jersey.  Dr. Laura Taylor and Dr.

 DR. LEE WILSON, DR. WENDY VILLALOBOS AND PETER VAN HUSSEN  SPONSOR 4 CASTRATION DAYS FOR STRAYS AND PETS BELONGING TO LOW INCOME FAMILIES.  Another castration event for strays and pets belonging to low income families took place in March at the Plaza Boulevard Clinic in Jaco. 26 animals were spayed/neutered during these days. McKee THANKs goes to Dr. Lee Wilson, who, again this year, came all the way from Alaska, offering her help with surgeries. She not only donated her time for free, but she also brought her own sutures and other supplies. And of course to Dr.

   ANOTHER 83 ANIMALS BELONGING TO LOW INCOME FAMILIES OR STRAYS SPAYED/NEUTERED THIS NOVEMBER.

-      THE LAST STAGE OF OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM “SHARING THE WORLD WITH THE ANIMALS” FOR 2010.  

-      IT’S RAINING KITTIES AND PUPPIES.

-      COSTA RICA’S ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS WORKING TOGETHER TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF THE NOVEMBER DISASTER.

These surgeries were sponsored by: Linda Look, Pat Hundley, Sylvia van Baekel, Stuart Welch and Nancy Dilbeck.  The McKee Foundation has been organizing additional bi-monthly “small clinics” with 10-15 spayed animals. All animals attended to at these clinics will be strays, so McKee will need sponsors for them. To sponsor the castration of one animal costs colones 8,000 ($16). If you would like to help, please  contact Katja Bader at info@mckee-jaco.com. In the case of emergency and you need a vet; keep these numbers on file:  CLINIC JACO, PLAZA BOULEVARD, LOCAL # 20, phone # 2-643-5333 Emergency: Dr.

54 companion animals were attended to by the veterinary team: Dra. Rosalinda Alvarez, Dra. Shirley Hernandez and their assistants Joselyn Hernandez, Pablo Douglas Castañeda and Mauricio Pobeda Calderón.Mckee. The clinic was held in a factory, where the last Golden Paw Award winner Shirlene Chinchilla and her husband Carlos Bermudez work and keep all the animals they foster. Their big THANK YOU goes to: Sylvia van Baekel, Arusha Pabisch, Leo Hogan, Doris Schluckebier, Lee & Margo Sanders, and Liana Robinson for taking care of all animals before and after the surgery and providing transportation to the animals and their owners.

Many people were involved in making it such a grand success, and their heartfelt thanks goes to each and every one of you. Big Thank You goes also to Los Chupacabras – the band who kept everyone company the entire evening. The fund raiser was a big success, with over 190 people coming out to support the community event. McKee raised $3,800 from both the sale of tickets and the silent auction. The funds will be distributed in the following manner: $1600 will go towards the following clinics: University Clinic in Heredia, Plaza Boulevard Clinic in Jacó and YAN Clinic in Herradura in order to cover their outstanding bills.

SPAY-NEUTER COMPETITION IN JACO CLINIC held during the week of January 18 - 23 was a big success. We attended to 25 kids and their families, providing not only the surgery, but also distributing all kinds of flyers made especially for this event while addressing the most important problems in our area. All the kids received many wonderful prizes, from school kits, dog and cat chow and animal magazines, to certificates for a free consultation at the Jaco clinic, valid for the entire year 2010.