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Dr. Annette Rauch wasn't always a veterinarian. She started her career as a nurse, working in a neonatal intensive care unit with sick and premature babies. But throughout her nursing career, one thought kept returning: she wanted to work with animals.

After graduating from Tufts Veterinary School, Dr. Rauch purchased a modest building on Post Road in Warwick and built Care for Animals - a practice unlike most others in Rhode Island. It focused on helping pet owners who couldn't afford traditional veterinary care - a need which remains largely unmet in the state. She pioneered a treatment approach that recognized that some care is better than no care at all, offering options that fit within families' budgets rather than turning animals away. Long before this became a recognized concept in veterinary medicine called "spectrum of care," she was filling a critical gap in the animal welfare system, helping thousands of animals get the treatment they needed.

In 2011, Dr. Rauch established PAAWS RI, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to expanding the Care for Animals’ mission. Backed by a working board, the organization opened an animal shelter including adoption services, collaborated extensively with other animal welfare groups, and provided care for all types of animals, including community cats—those living in backyards or on porches, sustained by people who fed them but couldn't necessarily afford veterinary services.  

During that period, Dr. Rauch also served on the board of the Ocean State Animal Coalition and worked closely with organizations like PawsWatch, Friends of Animals in Need, and Cat Adoption Team Services - providing readily available spay and neuter services when capacity was scarce.  

As retirement approached, Dr. Rauch faced a choice. She, and fellow PAAWS RI board members Gilbert Fletcher and Patricia O'Donnell asked themselves: do we simply distribute remaining funds and close, or do we continue supporting the mission we've worked on for years?

The answer led them to the Rhode Island Foundation and the creation of the Feline Welfare Fund of PAAWS RI. Through this donor-advised fund, annual grants can be made to other Rhode Island nonprofits working to improve feline welfare, ensuring the PAAWS RI mission continues.

Having worked with the Foundation for years as a grant recipient, Dr. Rauch knew it would be the right partner. She appreciated its commitment to sustainable solutions and thorough approach. Prior to establishing the fund, Foundation staff met with her and the PAAWS RI board, answered questions, and explained the financial mechanisms to ensure the fund would support animal welfare organizations for years to come.

"While I will no longer be providing direct care to animals in my retirement," Dr. Rauch reflects, "PAAWS RI will continue to support others in our community that share our mission. That's very exciting and hopeful."