Conversations with Stephanie Gerow-Beyer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Gerow-Beyer

Hi Stephanie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a kid I always loved animals & volunteered in pet related places/tasks with Girl Scouts. In college I started to volunteer with an Organization called FSU Petsavers at Ferris as a temporary foster. After graduate school I volunteered with a couple larger Grand Rapids based pet rescues as a foster dog mom & I worked with fundraising tasks. Throughout this time, I always had a dream of having my own rescue space or even a small farm or sanctuary.
During COVID pandemic, I worked a lot of extra hours in the emergency department & had to take a break from fostering. I changed my career near the end of the pandemic in early 2022 to critical care & with this gave me much more flexibility in my schedule. In the spring of 2023 I began independently rescuing dogs while I applied for a 501c3 license. In doing so, many of my close friends were excited & decided to join forces to become Saving Souls Pet Alliance Inc.
We have been operating now for a year & a half as a volunteer group of friends who love helping pets. We strive to be a dependable group who helps pets & people in need. It is also important to us to create meaningful relationships with people, other like-minded rescue animal advocacy groups & our adopters.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall, the journey from establishment of Saving Souls Pet Alliance to present has been a positive trajectory. Of course there has been some growing pains establishing relationships, gathering funds & securing reliable veterinary partners who are willing to take on the big task of rescue pets. But, we have a strong team of core people & together have been able to save over 200 pets since starting.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a critical care physician assistant with a history of emergency medicine & also am on a special pathogens emergency response team. I work nights in the ICUs at two large hospitals in Grand Rapids, which I love! Working nights has always been my preference & my current position gives me a lot of flexibility to work my rescue during the days & weekends.

What does success mean to you?
Success in rescue is tough to define. There are so many organizations out there with different niches, audiences & goals. Some days are good & filled with new life & saves. Other days, not so good & definitely a lot of sad things that happen in rescue. For me, I just want to be known as a person who is successful because I work hard, I care & I am honest. If I save one life – that is success.

Pricing:

• Puppy Adoption: $350
• Kitten Adoption: $125
• Dog Adoption: $325-$400
• Cat Adoption: $110
• Team Sponsor Partnerships: $50-$1000+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sspalliance.com
• Instagram: @sspalliance
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092296051501
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sspalliance