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Charity Challenge spotlight: Rescuing Houston's homeless animals

Charity Challenge Citizens for Animal Protection

Citizens for Animal Protection is a nonprofit that helps care for and place homeless pets and also provides many other animal services.

Citizens for Animal Protection / Facebook

Houston's a city of great giving and the CultureMap Charity Challenge aims to highlight that. CultureMap selected 12 deserving nonprofits to compete for a grand prize as they all raise awareness for worthy causes. Today: Citizens for Animal Protection.

In 1972, a group of concerned Houstonians founded Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) in response to the pervasive problem of thousands of neglected and abused animals in Harris County.

The organization shelters, rescues and places homeless animals for adoption with loving families, advocates respect and compassion for animal life and provides humane education to help prevent cruelty to animals.

Speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, CAP advocates for and protects animals through a plethora of programs and services, including shelter and care for homeless pets, pet adoption, spaying and neutering, vaccinations, pet care counseling and lost and found pet services.

Additionally, CAP's feral cat assistance program has helped trap, neuter and return more than 3,000 feral cats to their colonies in the community, and their Pets for Seniors program enables seniors to acquire a pet and enjoy the many benefits a companion animal as CAP offers free adoptions of pets over 7 years of age to senior citizens over 60.

Vote now for Citizens for Animal Protection — or one of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge.

fundraisers

Charity Challenge Winner

Organization with a special mission wins 2016 CultureMap Charity Challenge

Courtesy photo

Freedom Place is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

The votes have been calculated and the results of the third CultureMap Charity Challenge — a two-week online contest in which readers were asked to recognize the good work of a dozen local non-profit organizations — are in.

Garnering 30 percent of the more than 17,000 total votes, Freedom Place is the 2016 grand prize recipient and will receive an exclusive promotion and advertising package from CultureMap valued at $10,000.

Freedom Place is a Christian-oriented care and recovery center for underage female victims of domestic child sex trafficking. It's the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

The organization's mission is to offer a successful path to freedom for American children who have suffered as victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

“The benefit of the CultureMap Charity Challenge has been huge. It’s helped unite and unify us for a movement we believe is great,” Debi Tengler, national development director of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, told CultureMap. “It’s been exciting to see our national organization, donors and the community step up and root for us.”

K9s4COPS came in a close second with 28 percent of the votes. Founded in 2010 by Kristi Schiller, K9s4COPS is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to ensure that every law enforcement agency be provided a well-trained K9 to accompany officers on duty, ready for action.

The other worthy local the charities that took in this year's challenge are:

You can read about each charity in the CultureMap Charity Challenge special series.

Freedom Place is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

Houston, Freedom Place, January 2016, girl with horse

Courtesy photo

Freedom Place is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

charity-challenge awards

Your Vote Matters

Charity Challenge spotlight: Rescuing Houston's homeless animals

Charity Challenge Winner

Organization with a special mission wins 2016 CultureMap Charity Challenge

Freedom Place is the first long-term, comprehensive care facility in Texas for underage victims of domestic child sex trafficking, and is one of only five such facilities in the country.

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