Donna Sicuranza: Who She Is and What TEAM Really Does
Key takeaways
Donna Sicuranza runs Tait’s Every Animal Matters, a cat welfare charity in Westbrook, Connecticut. In addition, records list her under three names: Donna Sicuranza, Donna J. Sicuranza and Donna Sicuranza Marconi. All three are the same person. TEAM runs a mobile cat spay and neuter clinic, planned in 1996 and launched in March 1997. As a result, TEAM says more than 225,000 cats have been fixed and vaccinated on board. However, at least four different people are described online under this name, and only one of them runs TEAM. Her private life is not in the public record, so this page does not invent it.
Who is Donna Sicuranza?
Donna Sicuranza runs Tait’s Every Animal Matters, a Connecticut nonprofit. For nearly thirty years it has operated one of the oldest mobile cat clinics in the United States. As a result, her name is linked to low cost spay and neuter care and to cat vaccines across the state.
She is not a celebrity. Nor is she an influencer or a famous person’s relative. Instead, she runs a small charity. Her whole reputation rests on one simple idea. In short, make cat care cheap enough and easy enough that owners actually use it.
That matters, because most of what you will read under her name is wrong. Therefore this page splits the two apart. First, what the records actually show. Then, what people have made up. However, where the proof runs out, this page says so.
At a glance
| Field | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Names in use | Donna Sicuranza, Donna J. Sicuranza, Donna Sicuranza Marconi | Documented |
| Role | Executive Director, Tait’s Every Animal Matters | Documented |
| Charity base | Westbrook, Connecticut | Documented |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 591, Westbrook, CT 06498 | Documented |
| Main program | TEAM Mobile Feline Spay/Neuter Clinic | Documented |
| Clinic planned | 1996 | Per TEAM |
| Clinic launched | March 1997 | Per TEAM |
| Cats served | Over 225,000 | Per TEAM |
| Earlier career | Writing, editing, public relations | Per job listings |
| Exact start date in role | No primary source | Unverified |
| Age, family, schooling, money | Not in the public record | Unverified |
The confidence column above is there for a reason. In contrast, every rival page mixes its guesses in with its facts.
Which Donna Sicuranza are you looking for?
Nobody else has answered this properly. As a result, most searches for this name end in confusion. Right now, at least four different people are described online under this name. However, only the first one runs TEAM.
1. Donna Sicuranza of TEAM, the subject of this page
She is alive and based in Connecticut, where she leads Tait’s Every Animal Matters in Westbrook. Her career is in cat welfare, although she worked in communications before that. In addition, charity records list her as Donna Sicuranza Marconi and Donna J. Sicuranza.
2. Donna Marie Sicuranza, 1942 to 2017, a different person
She was a private resident of Westchester County, New York, who died on 10 March 2017, aged 74. For over twenty years she worked at a bank in Bronxville, and she retired in 2007. However, she had no link to Connecticut, to TEAM, or to animal welfare. Her obituary is a real record about a private person. It belongs to her family. Above all, that record is not an answer to a search about somebody else.
| TEAM’s Donna Sicuranza | Donna Marie Sicuranza | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Alive, still working | Died 2017 |
| Field | Cat welfare charity | Banking |
| Location | Westbrook, Connecticut | Westchester County, New York |
| Public role | Charity director | Private individual |
3. The Mike Scioscia claim, which is false
Some pages call Donna Sicuranza the wife of the baseball manager Mike Scioscia. However, this is simply wrong. Scioscia married Anne McIlquham in January 1985, and they are still married. In short, there is no Donna Sicuranza in his family. Even so, one rival article still carries this claim in its Google snippet, although its own text says something else.
4. The painter, who does not exist
In addition, one publisher has written about the artistic style of a painter with this name. However, no such artist exists in any public record. For that reason, this identity appears to be invented.
Why this keeps happening
Sicuranza is a rare surname. As a result, search engines pool results from obituaries, charity directories, job listings and auto generated bio pages under one string. Then one page invents a detail, and other pages copy it. Over time, the error grows. Therefore, check any claim about this name for a named source. In practice, most have none.
The three name forms explained
Her name shows up in three documented forms. Older newsletters, press quotes and directories use Donna Sicuranza. Meanwhile, newer staff listings use Donna Sicuranza Marconi. In addition, some TEAM material uses Donna J. Sicuranza. However, these are not three people.
The safest way to read a record is simple. Follow the organization, the job title and the dates, rather than the surname. For example, if a document names the Executive Director of Tait’s Every Animal Matters in Westbrook, it means this person. This happens often, because long serving staff change their names. Meanwhile, old material stays online under the older form.
The problem she set out to solve
In the mid 1990s, Connecticut had more cats than any rescue network could handle. Shelters and volunteers faced a steady flow of unwanted litters. Meanwhile, feral colonies grew faster than anyone could manage them. In addition, owned cats went unfixed, because a spay or neuter at a private vet was a real expense. For a home with two or three cats, it was worse.
Cost and access, stacked on top of each other
Two barriers stacked together. First came cost. A surgery plus a full round of shots was a lot of money for a lower income owner. For a volunteer feeding a colony out of pocket, it was simply out of reach.
Then came access. Even owners who could pay had to drive a stressed cat across town in work hours. Furthermore, a caretaker with ten colony cats faced logistics that stopped the job on their own.
As a result, the usual answer was to wait for cheaper vet rates or new policy. Neither was coming. Instead, the delivery model changed. In short, if owners could not reach the clinic, the clinic would come to them.
How TEAM began
Who was Vernon A. Tait?
The charity carries his name because his gift made it possible. Vernon A. Tait was a local Connecticut animal advocate, and his estate paid for the first mobile surgery unit. However, beyond that gift and the name, little about him sits in the public record. Therefore this page does not fill in the rest.
The founding
Planning started in 1996. Dr. John A. Caltabiano led on the veterinary side, although he also served as president in those early years. In fact, TEAM’s own newsletter credits the mobile clinic to Dr. Caltabiano and Donna Sicuranza together.
Her background in writing and public relations mattered more than it sounds. A mobile clinic only works if towns know it is coming. Officials have to agree, and donors have to keep giving. Above all, the slots have to fill. As a result, the job is as much about talking to people as it is about logistics.
The first van rolled out in March 1997. It ran about 22 feet, with barely room for the crew and the cats. Only a few cats were treated that first day. Accounts differ on the exact number, so the honest summary is short. In short, the launch was small, and the model proved itself later.
How the mobile clinic works
The route
The clinic is a full surgery suite built inside a vehicle. It runs a published route, about five days a week, and sometimes on Saturdays. Rather than one fixed address, it stops in towns across the state. Usually, cats go in during the morning and come home the same day.
What a visit includes
A visit covers a short check before surgery, the spay or neuter itself, and a nail trim. In addition, it includes the rabies vaccine and the FVRCP vaccine, which covers feline distemper and respiratory illness. Ear mite treatment is included if needed.
Furthermore, you can add a kitten package, booster shots, a microchip, and treatment for worms, fleas and ticks. Separately, TEAM runs low cost booster clinics at fixed sites around the state on non surgery days.
Who can use it
Any Connecticut cat can use it, whether owned or feral. Stray cats and cats of lower income owners are the core audience. Similarly, rescue groups and colony caretakers are welcome. However, two things change often: the price, and whether you need proof of income or address.
On price, be careful. For example, other pages quote a figure per cat with no source and no date attached. Therefore, do not plan around any number on a third party page, including this one. Just call and ask.
How to book
First, check the route schedule for a stop near your town. Second, call to confirm a slot and the current fee. Then ask what paperwork applies to you. In addition, confirm the fasting and transport rules before the day. Finally, bring each cat in its own carrier.
Contact details are as follows. Tait’s Every Animal Matters, P.O. Box 591, Westbrook, CT 06498. Phone 860 399 5569, or toll free 1 888 367 8326.
However, note one detail about the address. The P.O. Box is for mail and donations. Meanwhile, a Boston Post Road address in Westbrook shows up in business directories. In contrast, neither one is a walk in clinic. The clinic is the van, and it goes where the schedule says.
How to check TEAM yourself
No rival page tells you this. Even so, you should not take any article’s word for a charity’s status. There are three free checks.
First, use the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. It confirms tax exempt status. Furthermore, the same search lets you pull the Form 990, a public filing that shows income, spending and officer pay.
Second, check the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection register. Charities that ask for donations in the state register there, and the list is searchable.
Third, read TEAM’s own site and newsletter archive. In particular, the staff page is the primary source for who holds the role today.
Therefore, if you are thinking about a donation, start there. In short, the Form 990 will tell you more in five minutes than any profile page will.
The scale of the impact
TEAM reports over 225,000 cats fixed and vaccinated on the van since 1997. Older figures say over 200,000, which fits a program adding cats steadily for close to thirty years. This is the charity’s own count. However, it counts real surgeries rather than reach, which makes it firmer than most animal welfare numbers.
The compounding effect is the real story. For example, one unfixed female cat and her kittens can produce a huge number of cats in a few years. As a result, fixing one cat does not take one cat out of the shelter pipeline. Instead, it removes a whole branch that never starts. Across a quarter of a million cats, that is real pressure taken off shelters statewide.
Furthermore, the van grew with demand. It went from the cramped first vehicle to a larger purpose built surgery suite. In total, the route has covered more than twenty five Connecticut towns.
Why the mobile model worked
TEAM never argued that vet care was overpriced. Instead, it cut the total cost of the decision. That cost is not just the fee. In addition, it includes travel, time off work, a stressed cat, and the effort of booking it all. Therefore, cut any one of those, and more people say yes.
First, volume. A unit doing the same surgery all day hits a per cat cost that a general practice cannot match. As a result, that saving becomes the lower fee.
Second, geography. Rural and lower income towns rarely have a cheap clinic nearby. However, a route based service treats them as scheduled stops.
Third, colony caretakers. Volunteers can bring several cats to one stop. Otherwise, every cat means a separate trip.
In addition, the service does not compete with private vets. The van handles prevention and population control, rather than general medicine or emergencies. Therefore, cats still need a regular vet for everything else.
What the job actually involves
An Executive Director keeps the charity alive. That means fundraising and donor care. Budgets, grants and staff come next. In addition, a mobile surgery unit needs licensing. Finally, there are town partnerships and all the public communication.
Her earlier career maps onto that last part directly. For example, TEAM’s own records list her as Executive Director and as editor of the newsletter. Similarly, older Connecticut news coverage quotes her as the spokesperson. In a small charity, the person who runs it is often the person who explains it.
Longevity is the other thing worth noting. Public records link her to TEAM from the early years to the present. Meanwhile, turnover is high in this sector. As a result, that continuity is an asset in itself. In practice, town contacts, donor trust and route logistics all build up when one person holds them for decades.
What the record does not say
Several details are not backed by any reliable source. Her date of birth and age are unknown. Similarly, her hometown, schooling and qualifications are undocumented. In addition, her family, marital status and children are not on record. Her salary and personal wealth are not published either. Furthermore, nobody has documented what first drew her to animal welfare, or the exact date she took the role.
If a page states any of these as fact, be careful. For example, ask whether it names a charity document, a public filing, or a named interview. A lot of recent content about this name exists only to catch search traffic. As a result, it invents these exact fields, because bio templates expect them.
However, her pay is the one exception. Officer pay appears on the Form 990, which anyone can read. In short, that is a filing rather than a rumour.
TEAM compared with a normal vet
| Factor | TEAM van | Private vet |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | High volume spay, neuter, vaccines | Full general medicine |
| Location | Route across Connecticut | Fixed address |
| Animals | Cats only | Usually more |
| Feral cats | Welcome | Varies |
| Cost | Low, donation backed | Market rate |
| Emergencies | Not the focus | Available |
| Best for | Fixing, core shots, parasites | Illness, injury, ongoing care |
Therefore, use the van for prevention and population control. Then keep a local vet for everything else. In practice, the two work together rather than replacing each other.
Frequently asked questions
Donna Sicuranza is an American nonprofit executive and the Executive Director of Tait’s Every Animal Matters, a Connecticut animal welfare charity that operates the TEAM Mobile Feline Spay/Neuter Clinic. She also appears in records as Donna Sicuranza Marconi and Donna J. Sicuranza.
No. Mike Scioscia married Anne McIlquham in January 1985 and they remain married. Pages linking Donna Sicuranza to him are incorrect.
No. At least one publisher has produced an article describing her artistic style and techniques. No artist by this name is documented anywhere in the public record.
No. Donna Marie Sicuranza was a private New York resident who died in March 2017 aged 74 after a banking career. She has no documented connection to Connecticut or to TEAM.
Both names refer to the same person. Newer organizational listings use the fuller form while older newsletters and press coverage use the shorter one.
A nonprofit charity headquartered in Westbrook, Connecticut, named after animal advocate Vernon A. Tait, whose bequest helped fund its founding. Its flagship program is a mobile feline spay and neuter clinic serving cats statewide.
Planning began in 1996 and the clinic began operating in March 1997, using a small retrofitted vehicle before expanding to a larger purpose built mobile surgical unit.
TEAM reports more than 225,000 cats sterilized and vaccinated aboard the mobile clinic since 1997. That figure comes from the organization’s own published materials.
Yes. Both owned and feral or community cats from Connecticut are eligible. The service was designed with colony caretakers in mind.
The service is aimed particularly at owners with limited income, rescue groups and colony caretakers, and accepts Connecticut cats generally. Eligibility rules change, so confirm directly with the organization rather than relying on any third party page.
Fees change and are not reliably published on third party sites. Call TEAM at (860) 399 5569 or 1 888 367 8326 for current pricing. Treat any specific figure you see quoted elsewhere without a date and source as unreliable.
A brief exam, the spay or neuter surgery, rabies and FVRCP vaccinations, a nail trim, and ear mite treatment where needed. Kitten packages, boosters, microchipping and parasite treatment are available in addition.
Yes, microchipping appears among the services offered alongside the core spay and neuter package.
It is a nonprofit charity accepting tax deductible donations. You can verify federal tax exempt status and pull its Form 990 through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, and check its state registration through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
There is no reliable public source for her age, birthplace or family background. Any page stating these confidently is very likely presenting invented information.
Sources
- Tait’s Every Animal Matters official website, for programme details, staff listing and contact information
- Connecticut state service directory listings, for the mobile clinic’s service description and operating schedule
- TEAM newsletters and archived Connecticut press coverage, for role, founding credit and spokesperson references
- Public nonprofit directory records, for headquarters and contact details
- Pelham Funeral Home obituary record, for the 2017 Donna Marie Sicuranza entry
- Published biographical records for Mike Scioscia, for the marriage correction
Service details, fees and eligibility change. Confirm all practical information directly with the organization before making an appointment.