Our Programs

Almost Free Spay/Neuter Program for Pets and Ferals

Funded by the D.A.S. Charitable Trust, this program offers spay and neuter surgery plus selected vaccines and other services to animal guardians for a co-pay amount of only $25.00. All services are performed by a licensed veterinarian and his professional staff in a brand new, state-of-the-art veterinary clinic.

Clinic days are Wednesdays, with selected additional days as needed. To schedule your pet for a spay/neuter appointment, please call us at (847) 622-4433 today!

If you need transportation assistance to use our program, please let us know and we will make every effort to accommodate you.

Made to Stick for Humane Organizations

If you want to learn to craft messages for your organization that "stick" with people, you'll want to attend AHA!'s upcoming half-day workshop, Made to Stick for Humane Organizations. The workshop is based on principles found in the best-selling book, Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, who graciously granted permission for the material to be used to benefit humane organizations via this interactive workshop designed by Rebecca Adler and Aimee St. Arnaud of Humane Ohio.

To be kept informed of the upcoming pilot session, get on our e-mail contact list.

Best Friends Webinar is Informative

AHA! was recently invited by the Best Friends Animal Society to present a webinar entitled Web Video for Message Delivery. The webinar was successful and may run again in the near future. To be kept informed, get on our e-mail contact list.

AHA! has also served as a guest blogger for Best Friends, on the same subject.

Wildlife Forum is an Eye Opener!

On March 30, AHA! held its Wild Things Animal Forum at the Barrington Area Library. Boy, did we learn a lot about wildlife! We even had some live critters on hand to help us learn more about their behavior. Some of them are pictured here.

AHA! thanks its extraordinary panel of experts who taught us so much! They are:

Patty Chambers

Patty Chambers is a former wild life rehabilitator. She rehabbed squirrels, opossums, and fawns during her stint as a rehabilitator. Currently she is a USDA Class C licensed exotic animal educator. She teaches people respect for wild animals kept as pets, especially how to deal with the responsibility of owning exotic pets. Says Patty, “There is a lot of information on caring for dogs and cats, who have shared our lives for hundreds of years. Exotics are often not as well understood and their behaviors are often wild and unpredictable.”

Linda Lewis

Linda is currently a Wildlife Information Specialist with Willowbrook Wildlife Center, Forest Preserve of DuPage County. After a career in marketing and publishing and work for non-profit organizations, she changed careers to follow her true passion of immersing herself in nature and wildlife. She holds a BA from Brigham Young University.

Jack MacRae

Jack is currently a Naturalist with the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, Forest Preserve of DuPage County. Jack has enjoyed a 27-year career focusing on the interpretations of the natural and cultural history of the Chicago region. He has worked at the Field Museum, area forest preserves, and the City of Naperville. He holds a BS degree from SIU and a masters degree in management from Columbia College.

Irene Richert and Janette Johnson

Irene and Janette work with the organization Room for One More. Irene is licensed by the state of Illinois and has worked with wildlife for more than 25 years. Room for One More takes in orphaned baby animals and cares for them until they can be re-released into their natural habitat.

Vicki Weiland

Vicki Weiland is the director of K.A.R.E. (Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education). She has been a state and federal wildlife rehabilitator for 15 years. K.A.R.E. primarily rehabs white-tail deer, red fox, coyote, and birds of prey.

AHA!'s Resource Network

AHA! is building a comprehensive humane resource network for our region. We're assessing hundreds of area resources and employing our data management skills to build a contact management system for referrals. Whether you're looking for a low cost spay and neuter clinic, a feral cat program, or help for an injured turtle you found on the side of the road, our Resource Network, once complete, will be the place to find the best resource.

If you know of a resource you'd like to recommend—be it an individual, a spay/neuter clinic, a subject matter expert, a website, an organization, a book, or other resource—please visit our Resource Suggestion page now to tell us about it.

we make connections!

In 2007 our burgeoning resource list helped AHA! to connect people with needed resources. Some of our connections included:

• Guiding a homeowner to safely and humanely relocate a colony of bats that had taken up residence in the home.
• Helping a homeowner find a specialist to help her identify and trap a small but unknown creature that had broken into her home.
• Assisting as feral cat colony "coaches." We helped people find low cost spay and neuter services, resources for free equipment loan, build shelters, and get adoptable kittens into homes.
• Helping a small non-profit spay/neuter program write a successful grant for program funds.
• Making countless connections between people who care about pets and wildlife with the resources they needed!

AHA!'s Mass Media Education Campaign

Launching with our "Help!" music video, our public education campaign conveys important humane messages with humor. We're building messages for the new media world, capable of reaching millions with important messages that engage, inform, and promote action. Look for more AHA! creative media messages in 2008!

Other Programs

Additional unique and engaging programs are in development, and will be announced here. Or, get on our mailing list to be kept informed!