This is a notice that the Annual General Meeting of the "For the Love Of Parrots Refuge Society", is going to be held at the Gift Shop at the Refuge on Saturday, May 24, 2008, from 3:00-4:00pm.

If you are in the Nanaimo area this Saturday, May 10, how about heading out to the Country Club Mall for the 2nd Annual SPCA Pet Show? Sasha and Dixie will be there representing the Refuge, and will be chaperoned by some feathered ambassadors. Memberships and other goodies will be on sale. Sasha and Dixie will be looking for hard-working volunteers to join our team. They will also be providing information about the virtual adoption program, and other facets of the Refuge operation.

The SPCA asked Esther if he would make the draw for their raffle. Esther agreed graciously, and is getting his beak polished for the occasion.

Likewise, if you are in Parksville on Saturday, May 10, our founder, Wendy Huntbatch, will be operating a display at the Parksville SPCA open house, and will be available to answer your questions.

Volunteers Anne Neil and Margaret Trotter recently represented the World Parrot Refuge at the Brant Wildlife Festival

This year's woodcarver's competition featured some of our parrots. They did quite well, judging by the ribbons!

The carvings sprang from a presentation Wendy Huntbach gave to the Vancouver Island Woodcarver's Club.

If your group would be interested in Wendy's talk, aided by some feathered friends of course, please contact us for details.

A group of us gathered at noon today (22 March 2008) in the Special Needs Unit of the Refuge for an exciting event. Howard Blank, on behalf of the Great Canadian Casinos Nanaimo, presented Wendy Huntbatch, founder of the Refuge, with a cheque for $11,111.48! Many of our beloved residents gathered around to see if they could help to examine the cheque, but fortunately nobody shredded it to build a nest! This incredible donation is actually "found" money, that is, unclaimed money that is collected at casino venues and saved for charitable donations. Great Canadian Casinos continues to be an incredible supporter of the Refuge, and Howard Blank's personal support has made a world of difference to all the parrots of the World Parrot Refuge. This money will be the "seed" money to start building the WPR Avian Veterinary Hospital, and brings the dream of full medical services on-site closer to reality. Thank you to everyone who came out to show support, and thank you to the Great Canadian Casinos Nanaimo!

Here's a video of the ongoing construction in the Macaw House. During the filming, I was helped by two very able assistants: a talkative Amazon named Lou, and everyone's buddy, Esther. Enjoy - Grant

Grant Corriveau is a special volunteer who devotes much of his time to helping our parrot friends. Grant has a wonderful blog with anecdotes, photos and videos of his experiences as a volunteer at the World Parrot Refuge. Share his adventures, and learn why it's such a heart-warming and emotional experience to be part of giving these amazing parrots a "home for life". Visit Grant's site here - West Coast Chronicles.

Thanks for all you do, Grant!