Hooray for Volunteers!

Hooray for Volunteers!

by Wild Care Volunteer Coordinator Amy Sanders

A lot has happened in the last few weeks with our volunteers.  We’ve had crazy unexpected changes in the clinic schedule, trained a pile of new folks into clinic and rescue/transport, and I’ve begun to get serious on the Baby Bird schedule.  This has required me sending out lots of emails and making lots of phone calls.

About a week ago, it struck me hard one day, what an incredible group of folks that you volunteers are, and I asked if I could put something in Duck Tales to share my awe.  I mean, I always know you are an awesome bunch, but why this particular time?  Let me share why:

1. Clinic work (cleaning, laundry, etc.) is a daunting job. It takes a lot of effort and isn’t particularly fun (I know because I have done clinic shifts myself!).  Yet, time after time, you hardy clinic folks step up when I ask for substitutes and do extra shifts to keep our animals healthy.
2. Because when the grand Saturday clinic collapse happened (over the last month or so when the Saturday folks had to step out for varied reasons) and I expected to go through a very tough time trying to get it back up, quite a few new folks offered to train in and fill the gaps.  Saturday hasn’t entirely stabilized yet (it always seems to be a work in progress), but its covered at least in part for the next several months.  You have made my job MUCH easier!
3. Because—get this!  Two clinic volunteers stepped up and gave up their baby bird shift option to do clinic duties!  Now that is devotion!  We love you!
4. Because folks are commuting from far away to help our animals, like from Falmouth, Plymouth and even Boston!
5. Because folks are being wonderful about answering me quickly with things in progress that makes it so much easier for me to complete tasks.
6. Because this spring, over 20 new folks have trained in to rescue and transport tasks.  This makes lighter work for all of us when calls start coming in for animals in distress. 
7. Because a retired fellow contacted us out of the blue and unsolicited, and offered to do some much needed carpentry work—no charge.  This has made our outside animals safer (the owl shed and brown aviary are both being extra secured from our local weasels after they breached one of the aviaries last season.

I am about 5 months into this job and tackling my first spring.  I’ve realized a lot of things since coming aboard.  We take in about 2000 animals per year (wow!), and yet, without our Corps of (FABULOUS) Volunteers, we’d utterly collapse.  Seriously, with a staff of 8 (and only 2 of those full time), we wouldn’t have a chance of accomplishing this without you.  We’d be lucky if we could rehab maybe 100 animals.  Maybe.  YOU make the survival of these animals possible.  Since I’m not able to do so in person, pat yourselves on the back, and congratulate yourselves on your incredible devotion and hard work!  You are all amazing and WE LOVE YOU!  Thank you SO MUCH!