When the Refuge was based in Abbotsford we always hoped for volunteers, but were far away from town and a bus route, so the chance of people coming out to work with the parrots was slim to none.

We were exceptionally lucky to have Janet and Andy Breslin and Wim Vanderbom, who never missed a day in all the years that we were in Abbotsford. They have also made visits since we have moved to Coombs, but it is rather a long way to come!

As soon as we opened the new facility in Coombs, we met people who were so thrilled with what they encountered here that they asked to volunteer in many different ways: working with the birds, cuddling the birds in the Judy Langille Wellness Centre, making toys for the birds, working to beautify the new gardens outside, or taking people on tours of the facility they love.

The first couple to offer their help were Carol and Gerard, who purchased an annual pass and then offered to be our volunteer co-ordinators. What a fantastic job they are doing! Every week we get a schedule of who is coming in and when and in which department. The volunteer program is running so smoothly.

We have a long list of current volunteers. Thank you very much, to all our special volunteers - your work is appreciated more than you'll ever know.

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! More stories coming soon!

Birds who are now partly sponsored, thank you!

Birds who are now fully sponsored, thank you!

"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.

"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)