Stephanie Burleigh sent a note and some photos from June's Yard Sale - another great success thanks to the efforts of many staff and volunteer members:

I just wanted to let you know that we raised $1,071.00 at the garage sale. Thank you for everything, Stephanie

Watch for our next event in the later part of July! Enjoy the summer.

From Wendy: Just a quick update -

Larry Neil worked all last week repairing the broken outside cockatoo flight. Bill Martin - Steph's husband helped too. Last weekend Doug Jones joined them and they all worked together in that incredible heat to finish it for the birds.

These guys did a tremendous job - and the birds are so grateful. They are having a blast outside in the sunshine. A huge thank you to these incredible people for all their volunteer hours.

Wendy recently posted this note regarding the First Ever WPR onsite Yard Sale (I've edited it slightly for the website - grant:

(Our) incredible group of volunteers raised $1470. The people who came were also very generous when they knew it was for the materials to make the outside flight for the small parrots. I shall purchase the materials this week when I am on the mainland and then we can rally our new group of volunteers who want to do construction. One young man who came to the yard sale on Saturday is very excited about helping to do this - and he has experience with chain link fencing - that is a real bonus for the birds !!!!

We have already received some great items for the next yard sale - AND - promises of more to come !!! I think that the Father's Day weekend would be ideal We are planning for Saturday 20th June. We need to raise enough funds for the second cockatoo flight. We have received just about enough donations for the materials for the first macaw outside flight. People have been donating on the web site directing their funds to "Give Them Wings" and "Outside Flights."

With all the love that is pouring in for these birds we will soon be able to make their dreams come true.

Love from Wendy...

Wendy received some very touching news this week that she would like to share and express our condolences to the family and friends of Jody Joval:

Here is the body of the letter:

From: The Victoria Heart Institute Foundation
To: The World Parrot Refuge

Re: Donations in Memory of Jody Joval

Please find enclosed a cheque in memory of a co-worker and more importantly a very good friend.

Jody had a lot of interests and adventures and shared with us her time with you in Coombs. Jody and her fiancé Todd went on a holiday up Island during Jody's illness and just happened to stop into your refuge when driving by. They were so inspired by the kindness that was displayed to the birds and loved hanging out with the parrots.

They ended up going back and visiting your refuge for a second time. Jody was a great storyteller and she told all that would listen about your organization.

We hope this money can help out a little.

The letter is signed by two of Jody's colleagues at the VHI. Jody's obituary is online so I've taken the liberty of pasting it here:

JOVAL, Jody August 29, 1968 - March 17, 2009 Taken away from us much too early. A daughter, sister, aunt, soul mate and great friend.

Jody battled cancer with 'the eye of the tiger' attitude. She was a great person who put others needs in front of her own. Jody was a nurse at RJH and her passion was quite evident in her daily work. Jody enjoyed fast pitch at Heywood Park where she played with the Victoria Athletics. Besides her dedication to the medical field and her love of sports, Jody was an adventurer. Jody excelled with event organization, putting together game plans, and following through on projects to ensure the happiness of others. While the great staff and volunteers of Hospice were taking care of Jody, she was still organizing another 'event'. We believe she is organizing as we speak.

While we mourn the loss of Jody, we also appreciate that she was able to enjoy a special ceremony with her soulmate Todd. It was a celebration with many special 'toasts', the way Jody would have wanted it. A Celebration of Life Reception will be held at the Arbor Reception Centre of Sands Funeral Chapel at 1803 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC, on Friday March 20, 2009 at 1:00 pm. Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations in Jody's memory may be made to The World Parrot Refuge: PO Box 645, Coombs, BC VOR 1MO 5 3 1 8 4 2

The family also has an online guestbook at this link:

On behalf of the World Parrot Refuge, thank you Jody. We are touched by your thoughtfulness and support, and our hearts grieve.

In this special campaign spearheaded by supporters Tina, Andrew, & Elvis the Budgie, we are looking for 2500 wonderful people to commit to a regular monthly donation of $10 each, to help provide a strong funding base to carry the work of the World Parrot Refuge forward.

We realize that making a commitment for the full or half virtual adoption of a parrot can be difficult in these trying times - so Tina, Andrew, and Elvis came up with the idea of the For The Birds! Campaign. If you can spare $10 a month, you can become part of this important campaign to establish long-term funding for our parrot friends.

Click on the "Donate Now" button in the top right-hand corner of any page on the website, and select the "For The Birds! Campaign" as your fund designation. In this way, we can keep track of progress toward our goal of 2500 permanent monthly $10 supporters! Remember that your donation is tax-deductible, and CanadaHelps (the organization that securely processes our online credit card donations) will issue you with a tax receipt.

Click here to download a high resolution version of the poster in PDF format to put up (if permitted) at your school, workplace, or meeting place, to bring the work of the World Parrot Refuge to the attention of your friends and colleagues.

Thank you for your support to make this campaign a success! We will bring you further news on the For The Birds! Campaign as it progresses.

The beautiful campaign poster was made by Tina, Andrew, and Elvis. Thank you for taking the initiative to lead such an inspiring campaign on behalf of our parrot family!

Please click on the thumbnails below to learn how you can help some special birds have a home for life through our "Virtual Adoption" program!

Birds who are now partly sponsored, thank you!

Birds who are now fully sponsored, thank you!

"The World Parrot Refuge is a true sanctuary where parrots live out their lives in a loving, spacious and happy environment under the guidance of extraordinarily caring people. The many visitors destined to pass through the refuge will come to understand that parrots are not toys or trophies, but beings with needs and emotions as real as our own."

– Rosemary Low (author of more than 30 books on parrots)

"This is, in a word, a great place and these miraculous creatures deserve no less, but few places can deliver it this well. It is, indeed, 'world class'."

– Stewart Metz (author and Director of the Indonesian Parrot Project), after his visit at the Grand Opening of the Refuge on August 13, 2005.