Thank you, Cathy!

 Posted by at 6:12 pm  No Responses »
Mar 042012
 

Cathy Carroll from Alberta has been writing to thank our donors who donate through Canada Helps for a very long time now – and she has done a fantastic job.

She has struggled to do this enduring a lot of pain – and didn’t say a word until she was unable to do it anymore. The pain in her wrist and hand is so bad it looks as though she will have to have surgery.  We want to say a special thank you for all the incredible work she has done to  help our birds. Wendy will continue where Cathy left off in November.

Cathy did a great job and we wish her success and freedom from pain!  Thank  you so much for your support, Cathy.

Thank You and Sponsorship Update – February 2011

 Posted by at 5:10 pm  No Responses »
Feb 262011
 

A very special thank you goes to Gerry Moore from Alliance Oxygen who donated an oxygen machine to the refuge in December 2010. We have been able to help many birds because of his generous donation.

There has been such support shown to the parrot residents of the refuge! We are truly touched. We’re still working on getting all the photos and stories together, but these are the recent parrot Virtual Adoptions (sponsorships):

Crystal B. and Steven T.  from Alberta have half adopted Mr Beaky, in addition to Sheila C.! What a lucky bird, to have so many people love him!

Moon Moluccan is fully adopted by Catherine S. in Quebec.

Derby is partially adopted by Christine S. of Ontario.

Chico Amazon and Casper Cockatiel – just arrived – now partially adopted by Jay and Jina M. of BC.

Alain P. of Quebec has fully adopted Merlin Moluccan.

Indie the Eleanora has been half adopted by Margaux P. from Ontario.

Pretty Boy the Yellow Collared Macaw has been partially adopted by Valerie M. and she is gathering up towels and pillowcases for us, too.

Cruiser the Eclectus has been virtually adopted by Michael F. of California.

Jen F. has virtually adopted Emerald the single male Eclectus that came from an Alberta breeder.  He was in really rough shape when he arrived, but is now definitely improving and has new pin feathers all over his head and some on his body too.  He will certainly look better soon when they open.  He came in with so many black feathers; we were so worried about him.

If you would like to virtually adopt one of our special parrots, please look through our gallery and find one that touches your heart. We provide over 800 birds with a Home For Life and only a handful are sponsored, so there are (sadly) many to choose from.

Music from the Heart

 Posted by at 4:04 pm  No Responses »
Mar 272010
 

On March 3rd, the World Parrot Refuge was the recipient of a wonderful benefit concert orchestrated by Toronto singer-songwriter, Lindi Ortega.  Lindi is an avid supporter of the Refuge, and organized the benefit which featured many talented and generous local musicians.  Wendy was invited to attend, and she returned with rave reviews and wonderful memories.

From Wendy:

The Benefit Concert was amazing.  The people involved are all professional singer/songwriters and/or bands.  They donated their time and work to raise funds for the Parrot Refuge – and they didn’t even know who we were.  John, the sound guy, worked all night – he is brilliant.  The room at the Supermarket was donated by the owners for the concert.  I just cannot get over how much was done by these people because they care for other living beings. 

The location will be in my memory for years.  It was like being transported back to the Hippie Era.  The whole street was definitely ‘different’.  It was way after 2am when I left, and the streets were full of people.  Coombs closes everything at 9pm!

The concert raised a fantastic $625.  Lindi worked so hard to get this organized, and believe me:  it went as smooth as cream – not even one hitch.  We even have a new contact who will be a halfway house for surrendered parrots in the Toronto area.  This concert has opened the eyes of many and has given us more exposure than we could have dreamed of.  And we have Lindi as a friend and supporter for life.  She is a true parrot person.

The World Parrot Refuge would like to sincerely thank Lindi and her friends, The Supermarket, and everyone else who helped make this such a special evening.  And for all music fans out there, do take a moment to check these musicians out.  They are all wonderful, talented, good-hearted people!

Sara Kamin
Mandipaal Jandu
The FrameWork
Emma-Lee
The Donefors
Dylan Murray
Lindi Ortega

The Supermarket, Toronto

Thank you all, so much!

Bobbie’s New Home

 Posted by at 3:10 am  No Responses »
Jul 052009
 

With Heather’s kind permission, we are posting this letter to the website. Heather recently made the difficult decision to give her friend Bobbie a home for life amongst the love and companionship of our flocks.

Hi Wendy,

Again I am so sorry that I was not able to meet you yesterday, but Stephanie and all of your staff were absolutely WONDERFUL! I cannot say enough about them. No words can describe your facility, spectacular, amazing! She took me on a full tour. Made me feel really good about Bobbie’s new home. You are all angels to these birds.

My heartfelt thanks for everyone helping to make me feel better about my decision to leave Bobbie with you. I know that he will be well cared for and he will have a successful transition. You have such a special group of people assisting you in making your facility one that shows how much you all care and love the birds.

It was heartbreaking to leave him. Even though I know that he will have lots of love and attention, and he will make new birdy friends, it was very difficult to say goodbye, or to “see you later” as I prefer to think, as I will be back for visits if you don’t mind. The silence was deafening when I got home. He is an absolutely wonderful little bird who just needs to be around other birds now and I know you will all love him. I know that you are busy but I will be emailing you to see how he is progressing, so whenever you are able to, just drop me a quick email response. Please let me know if you need anymore information from me. As Stephanie said, “He has just gone off to bird college.”

Wendy, I want to thank you again. Keep up the wonderful work. You are a true advocate for our feathered friends who sometimes are forgotten. I have an incredible admiration and respect for all of you, for your undying dedication, selflessness and compassion that you show towards all of the birds.

“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That’s the essence of inhumanity.”

Thank you.

Your new friend,
Heather

In Memory of Jody Joval

 Posted by at 7:46 pm  No Responses »
Apr 292009
 

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.

Thank You Rolf C Hagen Company

 Posted by at 12:34 am  No Responses »
Jan 152009
 

Unloading the Hagen donation.

Unloading the Hagen donation

In December, the World Parrot Refuge was blessed by an incredible donation of pelleted food courtesy of Mark Hagen, on behalf of the Rolf C Hagen Company. This nutritional diet was created by Mark, who operates HARI, the Hagen Avian Research Institute in Montreal. Mark also paid for the shipping of the donation. How can we convey our extreme gratitude for such a generous donation?

On one of the wettest days Vancouver Island has experienced in recent memory, the staff were on hand to take delivery of over four pallets of Tropican diet pellets. There were over a hundred 25 lb bags! Nobody was complaining about the weather though. The staff were laughing and in great spirits as they unloaded the pallets and stored the bags in a very dry and safe building. Even the truck driver was excited to be the bearer of such an incredible donation!

Tropican is already being used to supplement the parrots’ daily diet, and its fruity scent fills the Refuge! In the week prior to the donation, we received 12 new large parrots, 6 from a seizure by the Calgary Humane Society. Half of these birds are in really poor condition and the veterinary report says it is due to poor nutrition. We are hoping for a major improvement in these Scarlet Macaws, who are only 3 years old, and the nutrients in the Tropican will really help.

Thank you from the depths of our hearts to Mark Hagen and the Rolf C Hagen Company!

Our crew brave the cold and rain to unpack the Hagen donation.

Our crew brave the cold and rain to unpack the Hagen donation

Reunion

 Posted by at 10:12 pm  No Responses »
Jul 112008
 

We are proud to present the following video from Nathalie and Michael, who made the decision to give their beloved feathered family member, Teemu, the benefits of a flock lifestyle at the Refuge. This is a beautiful tribute to their love for Teemu, and for his new home. Thank you Nathalie and Michael!

Natalie and Michael write: This video is dedicated to Teemu (aka “Shoelace”), Wendy and the many dedicated workers, volunteers, sponsors and donors. Thank you for your caring contributions. Witnessing the endless work required to maintain the health and well-being of these intelligent creatures can only be appreciated when one sees it with their own eyes. We truly appreciate this sanctuary you are providing for the hundreds of parrots that are in need, in order that they live freely, amongst their natural flock, for the remainder of their lives.

Thrifty Foods, Broadmead

 Posted by at 12:58 am  1 Response »
Jan 182008
 

As you may remember, the wonderful folk at Postal Depot 4, Langford, operate a concession on behalf of our parrot entrepeneurs, Ben and Andy. On Wednesdays, they also sell cookies at Depot 4 and Postal Depot 1, Victoria. We owe a big thank you to them, and a special thank you to the great people at Thrifty Foods, Broadmead, who provide double cookies for a reduced price, and have done so for the past year! A heartfelt thank you goes out to the caring people at Thrifty Foods, Broadmead!

Thank You to all our Supporters in 2007!

 Posted by at 9:34 am  3 Responses »
Dec 312007
 

The Refuge is deeply grateful to staff, volunteers, donors and supporters, who have helped us through the rough times and challenges of 2007. We could not have done it without you, and we hope you’ll continue to help us in 2008 to secure this important “Home for Life” for all of our special flocks. There are so many people who don’t know about us yet – even the locals on Vancouver Island! Please let your friends know about the Refuge so they can support us too, even if it’s just by coming out to visit and say hello. Our flocks love visitors, and so do we! Thank you!

Thank You to all our Supporters in 2007!

Thank you to all our supporters in 2007!

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