Karen Gerth, Founder, KPETS, Lancaster, PA. She lacked education and time, yet she built a non-profit organization 300 volunteers strong (and growing every day). How did she do it? Already she and her team of volunteers have brightened the lives of tens of thousands.
NOT JUST WARM & FUZZY
Every day she and her best friends--the canine kind--spend
time serving. They brighten lives and promote healing. Does it get any better than that?
At the close of 2002 Karen Gerth worked in the IT
department of a retirement community and had no clue then that 10 years later she would be running an organization with over 300 volunteers, helping thousands of people every month heal from injury and sickness. It started with encouragement from Sam Smucker, Pastor of Lancaster Ministries, Karen’s church.
“Every year our pastor spends time in January talking about vision and finding our purpose in life,” stated Gerth. “In 2003 I was sitting in the congregation with an idea in my head and I started thinking, ‘Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can really do this.’ And I started to put a plan
together.”
Keystone Pet-Enhancement Therapy Services, founded by Gerth and known to its friends as KPETS, is a non-profit animal assisted therapy group whose “teams” (canine and owner) visit such venues as hospitals, schools and rehab centers to assist in the healing and/or learning process. How do they do this? “Everything is more fun when a dog is around,” jokes Gerth. “We might play ‘fetch’ with a patient recovering from shoulder surgery or have a child
read to a dog, who provides a very non-intimidating audience for him. There is
something remarkable that happens when animals are added into the equation.”
Several years ago, Gerth began volunteering with her three-legged dog, Pod, for two national animal therapy groups but their processes were not ideal, recalled Gerth. “The big, national associations just could not keep up with the screening required for all the teams that wanted to volunteer. This caused a huge bottleneck and was frustrating for those of us who wanted to get out and serve with our pets.”
This operational problem, Gerth recalled, caused her to consider how she could create a more streamline process to serve local teams and patients more effectively. “It took some time, but I came up with a screening process and a mission statement and went to work.
Compiling the necessary documentation to incorporate and obtain the non-profit status was
a major roadblock for Gerth, who studied computer technology in college. “I hadn’t received training to do anything like this,” she recalled, “and we didn’t have the budget for legal help. I just researched and read everything I could.”
When Gerth completed the forms at home, she handed them off to an attorney at work to glace over. “I didn’t want to get thrown in jail,” she laughed, “so I thought it would be best to have a professional at least take a look at everything.” The lawyer gave the go-ahead and in August of 2003 KPETS was born.
But Gerth still worked full-time. Assembling volunteers, screening pets and handling the red tape was complicated and demanding. Gerth, admittedly, was overwhelmed and exhausted. In January of 2010, funds allowed her to bring in one part-time worker to help with volunteers and scheduling. Six months later, KPETS hired its founder as its first full-time employee. Gerth remembers, “It was a great day for me.”
“I’m grateful for the encouragement I received early on and still receive today. Hopeful words from those you love and trust can go a long, long way. I could not have accomplished
this work without that strength.”
Every day she and her best friends--the canine kind--spend
time serving. They brighten lives and promote healing. Does it get any better than that?
At the close of 2002 Karen Gerth worked in the IT
department of a retirement community and had no clue then that 10 years later she would be running an organization with over 300 volunteers, helping thousands of people every month heal from injury and sickness. It started with encouragement from Sam Smucker, Pastor of Lancaster Ministries, Karen’s church.
“Every year our pastor spends time in January talking about vision and finding our purpose in life,” stated Gerth. “In 2003 I was sitting in the congregation with an idea in my head and I started thinking, ‘Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can really do this.’ And I started to put a plan
together.”
Keystone Pet-Enhancement Therapy Services, founded by Gerth and known to its friends as KPETS, is a non-profit animal assisted therapy group whose “teams” (canine and owner) visit such venues as hospitals, schools and rehab centers to assist in the healing and/or learning process. How do they do this? “Everything is more fun when a dog is around,” jokes Gerth. “We might play ‘fetch’ with a patient recovering from shoulder surgery or have a child
read to a dog, who provides a very non-intimidating audience for him. There is
something remarkable that happens when animals are added into the equation.”
Several years ago, Gerth began volunteering with her three-legged dog, Pod, for two national animal therapy groups but their processes were not ideal, recalled Gerth. “The big, national associations just could not keep up with the screening required for all the teams that wanted to volunteer. This caused a huge bottleneck and was frustrating for those of us who wanted to get out and serve with our pets.”
This operational problem, Gerth recalled, caused her to consider how she could create a more streamline process to serve local teams and patients more effectively. “It took some time, but I came up with a screening process and a mission statement and went to work.
Compiling the necessary documentation to incorporate and obtain the non-profit status was
a major roadblock for Gerth, who studied computer technology in college. “I hadn’t received training to do anything like this,” she recalled, “and we didn’t have the budget for legal help. I just researched and read everything I could.”
When Gerth completed the forms at home, she handed them off to an attorney at work to glace over. “I didn’t want to get thrown in jail,” she laughed, “so I thought it would be best to have a professional at least take a look at everything.” The lawyer gave the go-ahead and in August of 2003 KPETS was born.
But Gerth still worked full-time. Assembling volunteers, screening pets and handling the red tape was complicated and demanding. Gerth, admittedly, was overwhelmed and exhausted. In January of 2010, funds allowed her to bring in one part-time worker to help with volunteers and scheduling. Six months later, KPETS hired its founder as its first full-time employee. Gerth remembers, “It was a great day for me.”
“I’m grateful for the encouragement I received early on and still receive today. Hopeful words from those you love and trust can go a long, long way. I could not have accomplished
this work without that strength.”
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