Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimp

HOOT! Sponsor: Martha Faulkner Real Estate

by

Today is the fifth in a series of blog posts celebrating sponsors of the HOOT! 2017 Spring Fling gala.

Past posts celebrated Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, Jennifer and David Roers, Tracy Headley, and Pam Lehnert & Marc Warner.

Today is all about Martha Faulkner who uses her real estate business to support the causes that she cares most about.

 

martha
All of Martha’s pets have been adopted from Homeward Pet. Photo by Julie Austin Photography for Pet Connection Magazine.

 

Martha started as a donor and supporter and is now also on our board of directors.

 

In her own words, here is how and why Martha is connected to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

I first become involved with CSNW after a friend referred me to their blog.  We had been discussing my interest in expanding my giving plan for my business (WWW.homes4petlovers.com).  I am a Real Estate Broker with RSVP Real Estate, and I donate 10% of my commission to the animal rescue/sanctuary of my clients’ choice. I spotlight 6 different local animal organizations.  After reading the blog and the plight of the Cle Elum Seven I knew this was the type of organization and cause I wanted to support. I went to the HOOT! gala 3 years ago and was hooked.  I had a blast and got to know more about the sanctuary and a bit about each of the chimps and their stories of recovery at the sanctuary after years of maltreatment in medical laboratories. 

My interest and commitment to CSNW is reinforced by all the great work done by Diana and J.B. and the wonderful staff and volunteers. As a member of the board of directors I am able to see firsthand all the effort and work that goes in providing a home for the Cle Elum 7 to heal.  I’m also motivated by all the advocacy to support the plight of the chimpanzee’s throughout the world.

 

When asked what motivated Martha to support HOOT! 2017, she said:

 

Besides the fact that this is truly a terrific event, I gladly participate in any opportunity to support the Chimps and the continued success of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

 

martha ad

 

And who is Martha’s favorite chimpanzee?

I love them all, but Negra really pulls at my heartstrings. She has come so far in the safe and loving care of the sanctuary.

 

negra with pine cone

 

Thank you, Martha, for all you do for Negra and her family and for other animals. You are an inspiration to others who are looking for ways to support the causes they believe in.

If anyone in the state of Washington is looking to buy or sell their home, please do get in touch with Martha. She works all over western Washington, but if you’re on the east side of the state, she can refer you to another fabulous broker.

The Reason Why

by

I have the most amazing job in the world. I know so many people who would love to be in my place and help run a sanctuary for chimpanzees. There are stressful times though; a lot of stressful times, if I’m being honest.

But then there are the moments that bring me back to the mission of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the reason that I’m here, and probably the reason you are reading this.

Today, it was a simple moment.

I was finishing up a walk with Jamie (wearing a mismatched pair of boots, at Jamie’s request).

Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Annie, Missy, and Negra all came outside while Jamie and I walked the perimeter of the outdoor habitat. By the time I came to the end of the walk, everyone but Negra had gone into the green house.

Negra remained sitting by the “cabin” that we named after her, in a field of green, sampling the fresh grass, as content as any chimpanzee I’ve ever seen.

 

Thank you, Negra, for this reminder today. It’s all about these moments.

 

HOOT! Sponsors: Darwin’s Natural Pet Products

by

I am so  happy to be sharing information about HOOT! sponsors so everyone can learn the different ways that people have discovered the sanctuary and why they have decided to contribute their financial support to seven chimpanzees living in Cle Elum.

Today is the fourth in a series of blog posts celebrating sponsors of the HOOT! 2017 Spring Fling gala.

 

Past posts celebrated Jennifer and David Roers, Tracy Headley, and Pam Lehnert & Marc Warner.

 

Today, with so much gratitude, we celebrate the extreme generosity of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products.

The format for this post is a letter from Darwin’s founder Gary Tashjian:

At Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, we’ve built our business around supporting the connection between people and animals. We’ve always been inspired by the quote from Mohandas Gandhi that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” 
 
That’s why I was so excited to discover Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest’s booth at the University Street Fair in Seattle a few summers ago. Chimps (and all primates, for that matter) have a special relationship with humans, and the way we have allowed them to be treated is, I believe, inconsistent with our values. I was happy to find an organization here in the Northwest with people who not only felt the way that I did about this issue, but dedicated themselves to doing something about it. I knew that Darwin’s needed to support their efforts in some way.
 
After visiting the sanctuary and learning that the chimps’ diet consists primarily of fresh vegetables, I realized that Darwin’s had a unique opportunity to help support the sanctuary’s efforts, as we use fresh vegetables in our dog food recipes as well.
 
We reached out to Charlie’s Produce, who we work with to supply the vegetables that we use for our dog food, and asked them if they could help. Charlie’s was very supportive of our efforts, and together we put together a program that enabled us to provide an array of fresh vegetables to the chimps, at no cost to the Sanctuary.

fresh produce
 
We are very happy to be able to do our part to help these chimps enjoy a healthy diet, and to live out the rest of their lives in a safe and nurturing environment. Darwin’s is proud to be a supporter of the sanctuary’s efforts.

Gary Tashjian
Founder
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products

 

Big thanks to Gary and Darwin’s (and Charlie’s Produce) for the literal ton of produce for the chimps over the years and for being a Chimpanzee Champion Sponsor of HOOT! 2017!

 

 

 

Burrito sends his thanks too!

8th Annual Love a Chimpanzee Day

by

We love made-up holidays around here (holiday = party for the chimps). For the last 8 years, the chimps’ good friend Monica Best has sponsored April 23rd as Love a Chimpanzee Day. (It also happens to be Monica’s birthday!) Unless you’ve followed our blog for awhile, you probably haven’t heard of Love a Chimpanzee Day; that’s because it didn’t exist until Monica dreamed it up.

To celebrate CSNW’s 8th Annual Love a Chimpanzee Day, we decided to throw a luau party, because there’s never a bad time to throw a luau party for chimps you love. The chimps enjoyed a feast of bananas, oranges, fruit smoothie, and pineapple coconut water for breakfast in the greenhouse.

Missy:

Burrito:

(Burrito was especially happy to see former volunteer caregiver Stephanie, who stopped by for a visit!)

Negra:

Jamie:

Jody:

Annie:

(Annie really had lounging down to an art today…)

Thanks as always to Monica for conceiving of and sponsoring this delightful holiday (and happy birthday)!

Four Reasons to HOOT!

by

Here are four reasons to join us at HOOT! on May 13th at Sodo Park in Seattle.

These photos were taken today as the chimpanzees explored and enjoyed their home. Take a moment on this Earth Day to appreciate their happiness.

Their sanctuary life is only possible with the support of so many people out there, and our annual gala plays a big role in raising funds for their care and our exciting plans for the future.

If you haven’t gotten your tickets to HOOT! yet, don’t delay – buy them now! If you are unable to attend, we’ll miss you, but you can still take part by making a donation. We’ll also have just a few items available for bidding online – details coming soon.

 

hoot logo

 

Annie eating fresh spring grass:

annie eating grass

 

Burrito taking a brief break from foraging for lunch:

handsome burrito

 

This is a very contented face on Jamie:

Jamie happily sitting

 

Jody has the best drooped lip face!

Jody with drooped lip

Happy Earth Day! Thank you for helping us grow!

 

Save

Save

Save

Pine Cones with Peanut Butter

by

One of the challenges that we have at our particular sanctuary is that we have one individual who tends to claim highly-prized food items that are meant for everyone.

Pine cones with peanut butter, one of our evening enrichment items, are are a good example.

We make extra before spreading them around in an attempt to ensure that everyone can get at least one. Sometimes the other chimpanzees choose to leave them in favor of other food if they are part of a dinner forage, like they were last night. No matter what, though, Jamie tends to end up with more than her share…

 

Jamie hoarding pine cones

 

She does really, really appreciate them, though:

pine cone contemplation

Jamie lips to pine cone

Jamie eating a pine cone

Jamie eating pine cone 2

HOOT! Sponsor Tracy Headley

by

This is the second in a series of blog posts highlighting sponsors of the HOOT! 2017 Spring Fling gala. You can see the first in the series here.

We are sharing HOOT! 2017 sponsors so everyone can get to know the people behind the generosity.

So, today is all about Tracy!

Tracy Headley is a Happy Hour Sponsor, which is fitting, because she brings happiness to us at the sanctuary.

She first became involved with Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest when her friend Shawn (on the left in the photo above) invited Tracy and her partner Bruce (on the right in the photo) to the sanctuary. Shawn had won a visit to CSNW at another auction and thought Tracy and Bruce would be interested in joining him. In Tracy’s words, “That day started my love affair with seven unique and wonderful chimps.”

In more of her words, Tracy shares what that love affair has been all about:

The blog posts have allowed me to watch the chimps grow to live a life closer to what they should have lived all along.  This past year I have delighted in watching Annie, at 42 years old, discover her moxie. To see the look on her beautiful & serene face as she explores Young’s Hill-joy!  I have learned so much about chimps, and these seven in particular, from the wonderful blog posts.

Tracy is generous throughout the year, always giving donations for chimpanzee birthdays and other fundraising drives, but here is why Tracy specifically chooses to support sanctuary events with her donations:

This is our 5th year attending, and 4th year as a sponsor.  I try to budget for HOOT!, and my sponsorship is part of my budget.  It allows me to give some of my donation early, hoping that it can help with some of the party planning costs.  Plus, it is the best party of the year.

I asked Tracy who her favorite chimpanzee is, and I just love her answer:

I want to be more like Foxie.  She is fun, silly, intuitive, and a loyal friend.  I LOVE Foxie. Really there is something to love and admire about all seven.  I think I am more like Jody.  I like things orderly, and I care deeply about the well being of my family and friends. 

Here’s a photo of Foxie and Jody out exploring together.

We agree, Tracy does care deeply about the well being of her friends, and that shows in the support that she has given to the sanctuary over the years.

Thank you, Tracy, for being such a great friend to all of the chimpanzees and the humans at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!