Join Dr. Contreras in supporting the Compassionate Care Fund at SSVM.

Dr. Elena Contreras, a veterinarian and faculty member specializing in animal welfare and behavior at the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine of Rowan University (SSVM), will trade her scrubs for dancing shoes and take the stage at the 2026 Dancing with the Gloucester County Stars, presented by the Greater Woodbury Chamber of Commerce! While she’s someone who usually only dances when no one is watching, this event is a chance to step outside her comfort zone and turn something personal into something purposeful. 

She is dancing for the Compassionate Care Fund at SSVM, which supports families who cannot afford lifesaving veterinary care. “Too often, cost is the reason an animal doesn’t get the care they need,” she said.

Having witnessed this reality firsthand, Dr. Contreras has had to euthanize treatable pets simply because their owners couldn’t afford care, and has also adopted animals who lost their homes for that same reason. The Compassionate Care Fund helps change those outcomes, giving families the chance to say “yes” to treatment instead of “goodbye" and helps ensure that more animals can remain where they belong—with the people who love them.

Make a gift and help Dr. Contreras fund lifesaving care through the Compassionate Care Fund at SSVM.

About the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine

The Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine (SSVM) is the first vet school in New Jersey. SSVM offers New Jersey’s first Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, as well as related degree programs designed to shape the future of veterinary medicine and animal health care in the state. For more information, visit svm.rowan.edu.

If you'd prefer to write a check to support Dr. Contreras and her efforts for SSVM, please make your check payable to the Rowan University Foundation and include "Dr. Contreras/DWTGCS" in the memo line. 

Please mail to: 

Rowan University Foundation
201 Mullica Hill Road
Glassboro, NJ 08028