Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
We received a nice new firestick TV to install for Jamie’s group and so far it’s a big hit! Now both groups can pass the time on cold snowy days when going outside just doesn’t appeal. Foxie was the first to try it out. She began by displaying at it, but quickly settled into watching videos of the other group on our YouTube channel. Soon Jamie joined in, then Annie, and later Burrito.
Don’t forget to check our Amazon wishlist for Christmas gift ideas for the chimpies!
This is the second installment in our week of thanks highlighting seven donors that represent seven different types of giving, while also highlighting the seven chimpanzees.
As I mentioned yesterday in the first post highlighting Bruce Davidson’s legacy giving, we at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest have a lot of people to be thankful for every day, and there is not a single day that goes by that I am not actively thinking about how grateful I am for all of the supporters who make up the family of the sanctuary.
Today, I have chosen to highlight Kathy Cochran for her event giving. Kathy is a retired lawyer and a current photographer (check out her amazing photography here). She was an early donor to the sanctuary, starting in 2008. Here is why Kathy gives to CSNW, in her own words,
I represented pharmaceutical companies in litigation for many years, and in that capacity learned about animal testing as a part of gaining approval from the FDA. When I heard about CSNW, I felt one way I could thank and apologize to these beings for their involuntary (and often unnecessary) servitude was to contribute to CSNW. I have since followed this sanctuary closely, and get a great deal of satisfaction knowing that this is an organization addressing the aftermath of society’s mistreatment of these intelligent and soulful beings.
What better chimpanzee to feature as the intelligent and soulful being that she is than Annie?
(above photo of Annie by J.B.)
Like many of the donors we’ll be talking about over the week, Kathy has given and shown her support in several different ways, including lending her artistic talents in designing promotional material and donating photos for our auctions. Raising her paddle during the donation portion of our gala events has been her “specialty” of sorts. Even on years when she wasn’t able to attend our gala, she made sure that there was a proxy bidder to make her donation.
Each year, auctioneer Laura Michalek has been able to leverage Kathy’s raise-the-paddle pledge to inspire others to give during the sometimes knuckle-biting portion of the auction. Kathy’s event donations have gone towards crucial general operating expenses, helped create a greenhouse out of the chimps’ original “outdoor” area, aided in the completion of Young’s Hill, allowed us to purchase and outfit a trailer into a veterinary clinic, and, most recently, have contributed to the Bring Them Home expansion fund for the chimpanzee building expansion.
That was fun to write all of that out, because it shows how integral event donations have been to the last nine years of sanctuary. Wow!
If you’re the type that plans ahead, or if you’re the type that tends to forget (that probably covers everyone, right?), and you’re able to get yourself to Seattle next spring, add the date for next year’s HOOT! gala to all of your calendars now: Saturday, May 19th.
Between Kathy today and Bruce and Burrito yesterday, I hope you are feeling the thankfulness and inspiration too.
Below are a few more photos of the beautiful Annie for even more inspiration.
This one, also taken by J.B., symbolizes how far Annie has come. Looking at her calm face as she is perched high up on the twister structure alone, it’s easy to forget the anxiety-filled Annie that we met when she arrived at the sanctuary.
Annie knows herself so much better now, and her awakening has been a beautiful experience to witness.
This is the seventh in our series of blog posts celebrating sponsors of the HOOT! 2017 Spring Fling gala.
Past posts celebrated Poppoff, Inc., Martha Faulkner Real Estate, Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, Jennifer and David Roers, Tracy Headley, and Pam Lehnert & Marc Warner.
Merritt shared how she learned about the sanctuary and why she supports the chimps.
“I first heard of CSNW in 2010 when I saw an article in the Seattle Times (I think). Always an animal lover, I wanted to help. What a great mission: to care for chimpanzees who had been caged up for years and used for biomedical research.”
And she has been a loyal donor ever since!
Merritt spends much of her time helping animals. She was a long time volunteer at the Humane Society in Bellevue, WA. Then, after moving to Whidbey Island, she became a supporter of Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation (WAIF). She is now in the 9th year on their board and is as committed as ever to bettering the lives of animals.
Merritt hasn’t visited Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in person, but she follows along on social media, as I know most of you out there do too.
When presented with one of the most challenging questions there is: Who is your favorite chimpanzee?, her response was: “It’s really hard to say which chimpanzee is my favorite. Maybe Burrito for holding his own with all the ladies, and looking as though he is enjoying himself immensely!”
Based on the video posted yesterday of Burrito playing with Foxie, I would say the assessment of his enjoyment is pretty accurate.
In true animal-lover form, rather than sending me a photo of herself and John, Merritt shared photos of her beloved companion animals.
This is sweet Nelson, who came from WAIF and passed away last year:
And this is Henrietta, who the Atwoods brought to their home in 2009 from Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue. She is about 12 years old now:
I have absolutely loved doing these HOOT! sponsor posts. It’s uplifting to me to share information about caring people and to be able to thank them for their generosity in this way, and I’ve learned new things about each of them in the process.
Big thanks to Merritt and John for your support of the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees and for all that you have done for animals in your local communities – you have made a tangible difference in so many ways.
The 2017 HOOT! Spring Fling is just a few days away! There’s still time to support the event with your donation, and there are just a few seats left if you’ve been procrastinating buying tickets. Anyone can also preview auction items and put in absentee bids on three items right here.
Tracy Headley sponsored today with this message, “I celebrate my friends at CSNW on my 50th birthday.”
Tracy is an impressive supporter of the sanctuary. You may recognize her name because she has sponsored several days, has had days sponsored in her honor, is a Chimpanzee Pal to more than one of the chimpanzees, and donates literally whenever we have any kind of donation opportunity, including sponsoring the HOOT! gala.
Tracy is clearly an incredibly giving person and a friend to all of the primates at the sanctuary. I was so excited when she and her husband Bruce signed up for a Summer Visitor day this past summer and got to see Foxie’s birthday party – – because there’s not much that tops seeing a party thrown for the chimpanzees.
Here’s a photo of Foxie from that day as she scrapes every bit of watermelon out of its skin:
and here’s a bonus photo of Burrito, who’s always up for a party:
Thank you for all of your generous support, Tracy, including sponsoring today.
Foxie, Burrito, and crew wish you the best of all birthdays today and we hope you are throwing yourself a big party!
I know Tracy would want everyone to know that we need only five more sponsored days to reach our goal of 50 new sponsored days before the end of the year. Help us get there by picking a day to sponsor for yourself or a loved one.
We spent the last two days installing the new pneumatic door that will allow the chimps to go from the front rooms directly to the outdoor area. The door is in, but there’s a little more work to be done before the chimps can have access to that area. Hopefully we will be able to post photos of the chimps using their new door this weekend.
I’d like to thank the very generous – and very patient – donors who made this project possible. It took a little longer to complete than I had anticipated, but thanks to you, the chimps will soon have more freedom to move around the sanctuary as they please.
