Friends of the Cozumel Humane Society
The Humane Society of Cozumel Island, HSCI was formed in 1995. In December 2010 The HSCI formed her sister organization in the United States, Friends of the Cozumel Humane Society (FOTCHS). On January 12, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service approved FOTCHS as a charitable organization. With a 501c3 we are able to provide our supporters the tax advantage allowed for their donation. All donations are directed to The Sociedad Humanitaria de Cozumel, HSCI.
OUR MISSION is to control the over population of unwanted dogs and cats through sterilization and education. In addition to our year round FREE spay & neuter program we provide educational classes, provide a low cost, often no cost community clinic, respond to cases of neglect and abuse and run a year round adoption program both locally and international. Our clinic is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We maintain a staff of 12-14 people which include 2 full time veterinarians. All board members, consults and volunteers are unpaid. In 2020 we sterilized over 4000 dogs and cats. Our ultimate mission is to make Cozumel the first street dog free municipality in all of America.
Both HSCI and FOTCHS are non profit.
YOUR DONATION CAN NOW BE TAX DEDUCTIBLE IN THE U.S!
Tax deductible donations can be made by check in the USA.
Send checks to this address:
Friends of the Cozumel Humane Society
c/o Robert Ramirez
2169 Winding Creek Dr S. Grapevine, TX 76051
When the donation is received, a receipt is issued for your tax records.
Please be sure to include your contact information, including your email address.
DONATE VIA PAYPAL
Make a safe donation to Friends of the Humane Society of Cozumel with your credit card or PayPal account.
Click on "Donate Now" to make your tax-deductible donation.
If you would like to make a monthly tax-deductible donation, or have any questions please contact by email: pets@humanecozumel.org
Donations PayPal
The members of the all-volunteer Board of Directors for FRIENDS of the COZUMEL HUMANE SOCIETY are:
Gary R. Gomola, CPA:
Gary is a retired Certified Public Accountant. He met his wife Patricia in Cozumel 25 years ago on a dive trip, and they have been returning to the island on a regular basis ever since. Now in retirement they live here about six or seven months per year. During his years as a tax partner in a Connecticut CPA firm he became active, and has served in officer positions, in many non-profit and civic organizations including the United Way, YMCA, Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce. He is also on the Board of Directors of Connecticut based Liberty Bank. Gary and Patricia became active with the Humane Society of Cozumel after meeting Ernesto at a Cozumel Rotary Club meeting. They started out by performing dog and cat adoption escort services to New England. Later Lisa recruited Gary to use his tax and accounting skills, and he now does the contribution receipting and bookkeeping for Friends of the Cozumel Humane Society Inc. He prepares the annual IRS tax return and required contribution acknowledgement letters.
Lisa Anne Ramirez:
Lisa began her mission the day she moved to the island in 1991. Seeing the packs of sick stray dogs walking up and down the ocean front made it hard to avoid the serious issues Cozumel was facing with animal control. When she discovered the local governments methods of dealing with the overpopulation of street dogs was indiscriminately poisoning them in the dark of night, throwing them in to the back of a truck and dumping them (many still alive) in a garbage pile on the far side of the island, she immediately set her sights to dealing with the government to make them stop this barbaric inhumane practice. While her friend Karla Porter was putting the plan of action to open the first free spay & neuter clinic in all of Latin American she soon joined forces with Karla, along with Monica Velasco to build what is now the Humane Society of Cozumel Island. Lisa took over as President in 2008. She revamped their efforts focusing on education, sterilization and outreach. Once the HSCI established tax deductible 501c3 status in the USA they expanded their efforts by branching out in the community. “It has been an uphill battle all the way, no question…but totally worth the fight”. Lisa has supported friends in their efforts in opening animal rescue organizations in other places including Baja, Playa del Carmen and Belize. “To know that we have inspired others to follow our path is one of the most rewarding aspects of this journey…that and the thousands of dogs and cats we have saved”
Robert Ramirez:
Robert is our liaison in the United States that manages all mailed donations made through our tax-deductible status (FOTCHS) and our U.S. bank account. He became involved through his daughter Lisa while witnessing first-hand the amazing changes the HSCI was making on the island. Retired and living in Grapevine, Texas with his partner Julie Quiros, he spends his time sailing and planning his next dive trip to Cozumel.
