Anna

This week my family lost a truly beloved member. My aunt Katie Ten Eyck passed quietly in her sleep on January 7th, 2023 after being diagnosed with brain cancer last summer.  Since then, I’ve been struggling to find the right words I desperately want to write down to describe how much she means to me.

My aunt was so much more than someone I saw occasionally during family gatherings. She was a musician, a creative and a nurturer. She was a pillar in her family, filled with a genuine love and an interest in others.  For the purpose of this blog though, I will tell you how she encouraged my aspirations of working with chimpanzees.

My aunt, uncle and cousin opened their home to me after I graduated college and got the next best thing to a job – an unpaid internship at the Oregon Zoo . I lived with them, rent free, in the fall of 2011 as I scrubbed enclosures, chopped produce, and commuted on the light rail for hours on end.  My aunt cooked me dinner every night before my ridiculously early (but extremely necessary) bedtime. She listened to my work stories, visited the primates “behind the scenes” with me and overall took a genuine interest in my dreams.

When I accepted a caregiver job offer from the Fauna Foundation, she eagerly read the Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary right along with me. After I moved back to the northwest and joined the staff at CSNW it came as no surprise to anyone that she started to read and comment on the blog from time to time.

I love that I can search through the comments on our blog and still find a few snippets of her voice, preserved for all to read. Not only is this blog a diary of sanctuary life, but it seems to have also become a time capsule filled with love and kindness. For now, I’ll lay a few memories of my dear kind aunt in this beautiful digital time capsule.

Thanks for the support Aunt Katie. All my love.

-Anna

I’ll start with the not-so-good news first.  Anthony will be stepping down from his staff position near the end of the month to pursue his next adventure.

As a full time team member, I will miss his positive attitude, willingness to take on tough projects, fantastic photos and maybe even his groan worthy puns on the blog. Fortunately for the sanctuary, he will be sticking around in the Pacific Northwest and has already promised to return as a regular volunteer ASAP! I’ll let him write a proper goodbye to blog readers when the time comes.

Now for the good news, or at least my chance to advertise an exciting opportunity to that right candidate. As you might have already gathered, we are currently hiring for a Full-Time Caregiver position.  To learn more about this job opening, check out our website! Please feel free to share the posting with anyone you know who might be qualified and interested.

Here are a few photos of some of the staff during this morning’s routine.

Sofia serving medication (birth control) to Lucky:

Chad operating a hydraulic door:

Grace serving plums to Cy:

Chad performing safety checks:

Anthony cleaning a front room: