President’s Letter – March 2022

Dear RCHS Friends and Family,

Ten years ago, Rancho Coastal Humane Society (RCHS) and Friends of County Animal Shelters (FOCAS), two well-established non-profit organizations devoted to saving lives of abandoned animals, became one.  In legal terms, it was a merger. In practical terms, it was a marriage – a union of people, passion and common purpose.

Co-Founders Peggy Howell and Sue Geller lived and breathed animal rescue. Lost and abandoned animals in La Jolla and surrounding cities were scooped into their FOCAS van, headed for a new life with loving, forever families. It was more than a mission – it was a calling, and Peggy and Sue recruited friends and family to join their cause, working tirelessly as a team to save lives of those who were almost forgotten.

Today, RCHS continues to work tirelessly to save lives through the FOCAS program. Our FOCAS van brings 90% of our adoptable animals to the shelter, traveling to shelters throughout the County and into Imperial, Riverside and Orange Counties. Our FOCAS team responds to urgent calls for help from overcrowded shelters, bringing a van full of new arrivals ready for their second chance to start a new life.

RCHS stands on the shoulders of FOCAS and, from this elevated view, we see a world full of pets and the people who love them!

Thanks to those who support RCHS because they supported FOCAS. We honor the FOCAS legacy by continuing your work, bringing abandoned animals home again!

Together We Save Lives!