Some of you might know already, but National Volunteer Week is celebrated annually during the third week of April. Of course, just one week isn’t nearly enough time to appreciate the volunteers of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest but it does provide a great excuse to talk about them on the blog! CSNW volunteers hold down a variety of responsibilities at the sanctuary and are all integral parts of the chimp and cattle’s care.
Our Level 1 chimp house volunteers are generally found in the kitchen and foyer spaces of the chimp house. They are hard at work doing laundry, dishes and meal/enrichment prep. There’s always a big sigh of relief from the staff when we know we have a Level 1 volunteer on the schedule because they are so helpful in completing the tasks that keep our days moving along smoothly.
Washing all those blankets day after day is a truly daunting task! Here’s volunteer Carrie moving the laundry along:
In addition to handling all the same tasks as a Level 1 volunteer, our Level 2 volunteers help staff tackle the dirty task of cleaning enclosures. Our level 2 volunteers are very important when it comes to scheduling. They help free up staff so they can work on extra projects and can even cover for us when we need time off!
Last week Level 2 volunteer Sienna did some organizing in the kitchen:
Our Level 3 volunteers are trained in all the Level 1 and 2 skills but have also been trained to provide direct care to the chimpanzees. They dedicate a lot of time, patience, and heart to meet the requirements to be a Level 3. Their commitment to the sanctuary is truly astounding.
Here’s Level 3 Volunteer Lizz and Jamie having a nice grooming session together:
And volunteers Patti and Krissy (now a staff member) going on a walk with Burrito around Young’s Hill.
We also receive help from other volunteers such as the team of medical professionals that Dr. Zamzow organizes to help us during procedures in the clinic.
And the large group of volunteers that help us with fundraisers!
Volunteers have quite literally helped build the sanctuary into what it is today.
Please join me in thanking all our hardworking volunteers. We truly couldn’t do it without you!
