Rick DuCharme
Rick DuCharme volunteered with several shelters and rescue groups and studied the pet overpopulation problem for several years before he was selected, in 2001, to serve on the Mayor's Task Force for Animal Care and Control and the Mayor's Commission on Feral Cats in Jacksonville, Florida.
In June of 2002, Rick founded First Coast No More Homeless Pets, Inc. In their first year, the group found homes for over 1,100 pets and was responsible for nearly 3,000 effective sterilization surgeries. FCNMHP now has a $250,000 annual contract with the city of Jacksonville to alter the pets of low-income citizens. This contract is in its second year. FCNMHP is now working with adjoining counties to establish spay and neuter programs for their low-income citizens' pets.
FCNMHP hosts adoption fairs that include over a dozen different shelters and groups, including animal control departments from three counties. Their sterilization programs span three counties and work with the animal control departments, humane societies and rescue groups in each of those counties.
Rick has recently left his "real job" to be a professional animal advocate on a volunteer basis working as director of First Coast No More Homeless Pets.
Rick was born and raised in Iowa and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 1989.
