Friends of Moose was established in 2008 by Gwen Flager in memory of her beloved dog Moose to help qualifying Houstonians afford emergency veterinary services for their pets. When the partnering emergency clinic closed in 2015, Friends of Moose had an opportunity to “go big” and expand its mission in support of a group of veterinary volunteers who were losing their major sponsor after nearly two decades. Dr. Bill Folger DVM, began the Holy Spirit Medical Brigade in 1998 with the purpose of providing annual veterinary services to unserved rural communities in Honduras that rely on healthy animals for their survival and livelihoods. What started as one team serving six remote villages has grown to two veterinary teams serving 24 rural villages, and helping thousands of small and large animals and hundreds of Honduran farmers. The teams of veterinary volunteers provide routine preventative veterinary care for horses, cattle, chickens, goats, pigs, rabbits, dogs and cats—along with medical and surgical care such as large and small animal castrations and spays. Their mission expanded to include the building of water tanks for communities that had little or no access to fresh water, and (thanks to a Honduran dentist) even providing dental services for the residents of the villages. Dr. Folger now serves as Friends of Moose’s Chairman of the Board with Gwen Flager as Secretary/Treasurer, to continue the charity’s mission of providing veterinary care for the underserved.
