Dear MHF Family,
First & foremost, I want to thank everyone for the support during this Covid-19 Pandemic. The calls, emails, letters & social media posts checking in reinforce the importance of the Foundation’s mission of Bringing Mustangs Home. As we all work together to navigate these uncertain times, I want you to rest assured that the Foundation has plans in place to continue advancing our mission while doing our part to enable social distancing.
Our Staff –
Williamson County, Texas – home of the Foundation headquarters, has been placed under a “stay home, stay safe” order through at least April 30th. This order, signed in to law by Williamson County Judge Bill Gravel, prohibits non-essential businesses from conducting business from their offices. I’m pleased to report that as a Foundation, we had already taken a proactive approach to our team’s safety by instituting a work from home policy on March 12th.
We Need Your Help –
Now is an opportune time to spread the news about what the Mustang Heritage Foundation does, why it’s important and how the general public can get involved.
Over the next several weeks, you will see many interactive education tools and fun activities being rolled out from the Foundation through social media, our monthly newsletter & through e-blasts. I ask each of you to take a couple of minutes and share this information with someone who doesn’t know about mustangs or burros & why the work of the foundation is so important. Let’s keep growing our Mustang Family.
Business as Usual-
Our team has successfully transitioned to working remotely and is here to support you with any questions or needs that may arise. The office hours remain 8:30-4:30 Monday through Thursday & 8:30-12:00 on Friday. The office phone number, 512-869-3225, continues to be attended during these hours and our remote phone answering capabilities are being augmented to ensure the MHF team remains accessible.
Please be aware of the fact that merchandise order fulfillment, trainer incentive payments and regular correspondence may be slightly delayed. The whole team is working as quickly and safely as possible to get these very important tasks completed. During this time, we will continue to be able to receive faxes and check standard mail regularly throughout the week. If you have an immediate need or inquiry, please email the appropriate contact listed below.
For General Inquiries, Membership and Online Store Inquiries – Emily Wilson – emily@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For General Inquiries – Ann Souders – ann@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For Equine Related Inquiries – Stormy Mullins – stormy@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For Extreme Mustang Makeover Inquiries – Cheyenne Johanson – cheyenne@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For TIP, TIP Storefront or TIP Challenge Inquiries – Lizzy Foster – lizzy@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For Veterans Program or Operational Inquiries – Kathy White – kathy@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For Marketing Inquiries – Michelle Bonds – michelle@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For Social Media Inquiries – Brandyl Calley – brandyl@mustangheritagefoundation.org
For Administrative Inquiries – Alex Kappert – alex@mustangheritagefoundation.org
An Update on MHF Programs:
Trainer Incentive Program –
As an organization, the Mustang Heritage Foundation, in conjunction with our partners at the BLM, have been monitoring the situation and evaluating the effect that COVID-19 could have on the many commitments we have made to our trainers, fans, supporters and partners. Our main priority is to ensure the overall safety of our trainers, partners, staff and program participants. Therefore, effective immediately, the Mustang Heritage Foundation is temporarily suspending the acceptance of additional mustangs and burros into the Trainer Incentive Program until June 1, 2020.
Any trainers who currently have horses or burros in training through the TIP program should continue with the TIP process. MHF will continue to make payment to TIP trainers who complete adoptions or sales on horses and burros that are currently in training. Please do not contact BLM to schedule appointments to pick up TIP animals at off range corrals or satellite events.
We know that the demand for TIP trained animals and interest in becoming an approved TIP trainer has not disappeared. We will continue to approve trainers for participation in the TIP program during this temporary suspension. We encourage you to complete the application if you are interested. The application can be found on the Mustang Heritage Foundation website at https://mustangheritagefoundation.org/tip/.
Extreme Mustang Makeover –
The Extreme Mustang Makeover event in Lexington, KY scheduled for June 25-27 is continuing as planned at this time. In the event of the Lexington, KY makeover not being able to be held in person, contingency plans for a virtual show are being drawn up that will enable a safe & socially distant show to be hosted.
Due to current pandemic and logistics concerns preventing the scheduled April trainer pickup of mustangs, the Extreme Mustang Makeover Los Angeles event planned for August 7 – 8 unfortunately has to be postponed until a later date. While this was not an easy decision, the Mustang Heritage Foundation values the safety of our trainers, fans, and staff. We ask for your patience and support as we work to reschedule the California date. Please look for announcements and updates via social media and email in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate this situation and we work to keep you updated as new developments arise.
-Alex Kappert, Executive Director
Mustang Heritage Foundation
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