Founder

Dr. Marlene Mahipat, President/Board of Director was born in Trinidad and moved to the United States in 1990 to pursue an education in Chiropractics. She received her Associates Degree from Brevard Community College in Florida and a Bachelors’ Degree from Regents College before moving to South Carolina where she attended The Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic graduating with a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree in 2001.

Dr. Marlene Mahipat moved to Maryland in 2002 to pursue a career in Chiropractics where she started a company called Mediquest in 2004 to provide patience with cost-effective chiropractic care that meets the needs of the general public as well as those with special needs such as pregnant women and infants.

Dr. Marlene Mahipat also devotes time to charities. She founded Helping Orphans Prosper Everywhere (H.O.P.E.) in 2006 – a non-profit 501C children’s foundation – that focuses on providing food, clothes, vitamins and educational supplies to underprivileged and displaced children. She also started People Letting Every Animal Survive Euthanization (P.L.E.A.S.E.) in 2006 – a non-profit pet foundation that focuses on helping otherwise healthy animals from being put to sleep and on-going projects to help elderly with food and vet bills for their pets. She also has volunteered for the last seven years doing weekly deliveries for Meals-On-Wheels to the elderly, shut-ins and people who cannot afford to purchase food or prepare meals themselves.

Dr. Mahipat is the recipient of many awards for her charitable works. She does Meals on Wheels two days a week and also operates a second non-profit foundation called P.L.E.A.S.E. (People Letting Every Animal Survive Euthanization). She won the Maryland Top 100 Women Award for 2009. Her past awards also include the Women Making a Difference Award from the Baltimore County Commission for Women and the Outstanding and Dedicated Service to the Community Award from a Baltimore area Rotary Club. She was also Meals on Wheels Volunteer of the Year for 2009.

Board Members

Dr. Jerry Katz, Vice President/Board of Director is a podiatrist and was born in New York. He has been in private practice for 22 years. He has been involved with PLEASE Foundation since 2004.

Ali Lopez, Secretary was born in the United States to Puertorican parents, then the family moved to Dorado Puerto Rico at age of 1 year old. He fell in love with animals at the age of 4 and been involved in the care of domestic and exotic animals since then.

At age 11 Ali began to work for a local pet store where he quickly became resident "Animal Geek", where he was approached by the owner of Safari Park Zoo to take care of Jaguar and Tiger cubs on my free time. After graduating High School Ali joined the U.S. Army where he served for six and a half year.

In 1988 he began to work for Aquarium Center in Randallstown, MD. as a sales/aquarist . In 1996 Ali became the Curator for the Animal department of Rainforest Cafe where he opened the stores in Tyson Corner, VA and Costa Mesa Ca. In 2000, he moved back to Randallstown as a manager for Aquarium Center. In 2008 Ali had the honor of working for the National Zoo in D.C. and is now working with the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center helping to bring back the Whooping Crane from the brink of extinction.

Chris Yates, Treasurer is from Salisbury, MD and have lived in the Baltimore area since 2008. He does volunteer work for Catholic Charities and is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Chris is active in charity work for the local community and is the foundation's development office which means grant writer.

Dr. Angel Purdy is a native Baltimorean who, since early childhood, has always wanted to be a veterinarian. Unfortunately, her dream of directly affecting to health and welfare of animals was never realized due a serious allergy to felines. Upon graduating from Western Senior High School, Dr. Purdy attended college at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. Before changing her major to Biology, she was a Wildlife and Fisheries Management major. Dr. Purdy has always been interested in caring for all animals regardless of whether they are domesticated or not.

Dr. Purdy attended medical school at the University of Kansas where animal research was not a mandatory component of the education process. She went on to complete a five year General Surgery residency at the State University of New York in Buffalo and a one year Burn Surgery fellowship at the Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. She then spent two years at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to become fully trained in the artistry of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. She relocated to the Baltimore area in 2004 and has established herself as being an informative and caring physician.

Dr. Angel Purdy is knowledgeable and skilled in all areas of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Mark McCabe, Canine Behaviorist has 25 years of experience working with dogs. Mark started his career with animals as a behavioral research assistant at the Walter D. Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA Mark has 25 years of experience working with dogs. His involvement with dogs started when he owned the Lynn Aquarium and Pet Shop and brought a very talented local trainer into his shop who specialized in problem behaviors and training dogs for personal protection as well as a German sport called schutzhund. Mark apprenticed under this trainer for several years.

Mark works with owners from all over the country but primarily in the tri-state area of MD, VA and D.C. and can be found at www.myk9fun.com or markmccabek9@gmail.com