The Trefler Foundation is proud to announce two new projects with our longtime partners, MSPCA-Angell, and the Achieve program at the Noble & Greenough School.
Each of these projects aligns with our priorities of expanding economic security and enhancing educational opportunities. Read more about each of these exciting initiatives below:
Animal medical centers throughout the US are suffering from a lack of available veterinary technicians. Veterinary technicians are vital members of veterinary medical teams. They work collaboratively with veterinarians to provide support in examination rooms, surgery, radiology, and other areas of the hospital. They also assist with case management, aid in technical procedures, and communicate with clients. Without them, departments are literally forced to turn away clients – often denying them lifesaving care for their animals.
The shortage of veterinary technicians has exposed weaknesses in the educational and professional development pipeline. The opportunities for students graduating with animal care experience are extensive, yet many qualified students do not have access to the appropriate training and/or are unaware of the range of career paths available to them within the field.
MSPCA-Angell has created the Veterinary Technician Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (VT-RRA) program, an initiative that focuses on the near-term with steps to attract, retain and support individuals with the skills and passion to care for animals. The program focuses on educational support through credentialing opportunities, student debt relief, and additional employee incentives.
The Achieve program at Noble & Greenough School partners with families to empower students from Boston to close the education opportunity gap. The program provides robust academic support and enrichment programming to enable families to access high-quality secondary school options and students to be on a path to college completion.
The Graduate Services Program’s primary goal is to ensure that each Achieve graduate has the individualized academic and social-emotional support to be on a path to access and complete the best post-secondary program to meet their personal goals. In addition to providing an endowed position to ensure that this work is sustainable, the grant will also support ongoing high school coaching, professional test preparation, and Last Dollar micro-grants to alleviate financial barriers to academic attainment.
Each of these project components aims to address the variety of challenges facing students as they prepare for and continue their college education. From supporting academic success in high school through helping students navigate the college selection, placement, and transition process, Achieve seeks to ensure that every graduate is not only able to reach their college potential but thrive while there.