as i understand and remember this story...back in the late 60's a group of american idealistic young people founded a new enlightend spiritual goup in europe. some tabloid called them a 'cult' and they sued. next they were down in mexico, looking for the meaning of life on an isolated mexican beach with a bunch of homeless dogs and they met an old man who said their future lay in an ocean of sand.
and hence in angel's canyon, in the desert of utah, best friends animal sanctuay was born.
now best friends is one of the largest well run animal shelters in the world with millions of supporters and a multi-million dollar annual budget.
it is a good story but not really a lot of help in figuring things out around here.
over the last few months i have watched several people sign on to our animal sponsorship program. and i have watched an equal number, after a year or two of dedicated support...drop off of the same.
and that is normal..maybe money gets tight, maybe they find a different charity that they want to support, maybe they don't like something or other from the blog, maybe they just get bored and have done their part and move on to something new.
in any case..we are grateful for the help they gave and do understand that life does go on and change.
it is the same with our volunteer corps ..there are a very few handful of dedicated souls who are woven tightly into the fabric of saints and stay. but mostly folks slide in and out..after a few weeks, a few months, maybe even a few years and then quietly fade away.
and again we are so grateful for the time and the care that they gave.
but the natural ebb and flow of how these things go makes it a challenge to care for a bunch of homeless senior and special needs animals whose needs and numbers do not ebb and flow....with them it is a continuous high tide of needy souls.
so for them i erect a small and storm free lake with a dam of a couple of well paid jobs, a willingness to stretch and bend, a huge mortgage that i have no hope of ever payng off and a promise that i will be here for them for as long as i possibly can.
but then what?
i so wish for that freaking elusive crystal ball...i need something or someone to tell me that for unwanted animals like our special saints, there will always be some relatively decent resting place.
Way to go Bunny!! I agree with Kate about visibility and marketing. I do public/media relations, communications and event management in Calgary but if you would like my help, let me know.