In celebration of July birthdays!

Happy Birthday to all of you out there celebrating a July birthday!

As you may have seen last month, for many years we’ve sent out birthday cards to those of you who have chosen to share your birth dates with us. We just appreciate you all so much and as we move forward we’d like to have the opportunity to celebrate all of you, our amazing friends and supporters who make everything here possible, whether you share your special days or not. And to further make the best use of our resources, human, paper and otherwise, we’ve decided to try out monthly blog posts in lieu of mailing birthday cards.

So seriously, how is it July?! I’ve been thinking a lot recently how midsummer, more than any other time, just seems to burst at the seams with abundance of every kind. When life in all it’s forms of good, terrible, beautiful and painful – is being lived at it’s zenith. I think it must be an incredible time to celebrate one’s own special life.

And you also share a birthday month with one of our newest family members, handsome Gordo (who turns 33 on July 19th), and beautiful Betsy (who turns 14 on her honorary birthday of July 20th)! Naturally, Enrichment Coordinator, Chad, already has party planning well underway!

We’d love to hear from you however you choose, so please feel free to share a comment, join in the parties, or celebrate quietly from afar, and know that we are celebrating *you* and all you make possible in the lives of the chimpanzees and bovines who call the sanctuary home. Your life makes a difference in their lives, every single day. Think about that. That’s a really incredible thing and we’re beyond grateful to you for being here.

May your special day be filled with what makes your heart sing like the summer air, and each passing year, more full of life than the last.

Gordo:

Gordo and Dora:

Betsy:

Betsy and her son, Nutmeg:

Betsy, Nutmeg, Meredith and Honey:

For those of you looking for unique ways to celebrate, we have Chimp Pal options (info pages and Pal options for Cy’s group are in the works and will be available for you to check out soon!). Or if you feel inspired to share your birthday (and beyond) with Betsy, or any of her family members, you can check out our Bovine Buddy program here.  You can also celebrate your special day (or someone else’s), a special person, or a special memory, by Sponsoring a Day of sanctuary and we will share a blog post in your honor!