Plan Ahead

Houston SPCA to host free seminar about estate planning for your pets

Feel better about your pet's future at this free seminar.

Photo courtesy of Houston SPCA

It's a topic that no one is pumped to sit down and deal with, but August is "Make a Will Month" so let's talk estate planning and your pets.

Just like planning for a child, parents, or grandparents, responsible pet owners should have a Plan B for their beloved pets.

With that in mind, Houston SPCA is hosting a free seminar titled Estate Planning and Your Pets, where such questions as “Whom should you name as a pet’s guardian?" and "For how long and what will the quality of care look like?” will be addressed.

The seminar will take place on Tuesday, August 29, at the Houston SPCA's Carruth Education Center from 11 am-1 pm.

John Strohmeyer, a Houston tax and estate law attorney and a good friend of the Houston SPCA, will lead the conversation. Strohmeyer is an accomplished estate planning lawyer with professional insights and experience. He will guide you through the maze of often complex estate law and answer questions specific to planning for yourself and your pets.

A light lunch will be also served. Space is limited, and seats will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

RSVP now by calling 713-869-7722, extension 161, or by emailing ktaylor@houstonspca.org.

If you have further questions or need more information, feel free to reach out to Pat Quinn, director of major gifts and gift planning, at 713-869-7722, extension 141, or pquinn@houstonspca.org.

animals promoted

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”