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PLEASE READ -- USBCC and ABCA Health & Education Foundation


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As old-timers on the Boards know, this website has been brought to you since January 1999 by the United States Border Collie Club (USBCC). Last year, the ABCA (American Border Collie Association) registry formed a 501( c )(3) tax exempt foundation to support genetic research and education about the border collie. Logically enough, it's called the ABCA Health & Education Foundation, Inc. And since that is quite a mouthful, it's more informally referred to as HEF.


Many of the people supporting the HEF (including me) were also involved in the USBCC. Because the missions of the two organizations are so similar, the board of directors of the USBCC recently voted to dissolve their corporation and to donate their assets to the HEF, to avoid duplication of effort. You may notice that, as a symbol of the continuity in mission of the two organizations, the HEF has adopted the dog from the USBCC's logo for its own logo.


The USBCC, founded in 1975, now passes out of existence. But these Boards and the All About Border Collies website will not disappear -- they will continue to be maintained privately by Heather Nadelman and me.

 

 

Now, a little more about the HEF. You can learn more about it by going to its website -- still very much a work in progress -- at bordercolliefoundation.org. HEF is actively pursuing two projects at this time -- a study to find the causal mutation(s) and develop a DNA test for Early Adult Onset Deafness (EAOD), and the collection of DNA samples to be stored, together with health and pedigree information, in a DNA bank, which we hope will be an important resource for future research into genetic issues in our dogs. I will be posting more about these efforts in separate posts.

 

Over the years, people have occasionally asked me if they could contribute to the maintenance costs of the BC Boards. I have always said no, and I still do. But if you feel you've benefited from being a member of the Boards and would like to find a way to express that, please allow me to suggest that you consider a donation to the HEF. Genetic research is expensive, and so are some of the educational initiatives the HEF hopes to develop. The ABCA has launched the Foundation with a significant contribution to get it started, but it will need to become self-sufficient if it is to achieve its goals. Small donations will mean a lot as we begin to grow. They will show larger potential donors -- and even more important, the IRS -- that we have widespread support from the border collie community. So no pressure, but if you could consider a small donation, it would be much appreciated. Ways to donate can be found here.

 

Thanks.

 

--Eileen

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Thank you so much, Eileen, for years of volunteer work on behalf of the Border Collie! You are part of a cadre of unsung heroes who are often working under the radar and under-appreciated.

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If donating by check, please make out the check to ABCA HEF and mail to:

 

ABCA HEF

Cy Peterson, Treasurer
4956 Sugar Pike Road
Canton, GA 30115

 

And thank you so much!

 

 

Where do I send my check? And thanks for the hours, experience, and thought that you put into efforts to preserve and improve the health and well-being of border collies.

 

Ruth and Gibbs

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I've been a lifetime member of the USBCC since the mid '80s and I'm sad to see its time come to an end. I'll forever be grateful for its seminal role in the cause of defending and maintaining our breed as a true working dog in the face of considerable obstacles.

 

Still I'm heartened to know that the torch is simply being passed, and that the excellent work of the founders, past and present officers as well as dedicated members will continue on.

 

I'm also grateful to Eileen and Heather for continuing to maintain these Boards for all of us.

 

Many thanks to all.

 

roxanne

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