Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Fundraising

Big Day to GiveBig!

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Have you heard the news?

Cy looking at a magazine while George (and Lucky who is behind Cy’s magazine) interact with caregiver Katelyn and some guests.

Today is the last day for GiveBIG! GiveBIG is an annual fundraising event here in Washington State when individuals and organizations invest their community by donating to their local Washington-based nonprofit. At the time of this writing, we are currently hovering around 75% of our $50,000 goal! We are so close! But there is still time! Donors have until midnight (PST) to donate to their favorite nonprofit.

I know that $50,000 seems like an impossible task, but every little bit we receive gets us closer to our goal. Donations directly help the caregivers provide the upmost care to the chimpanzees and cattle. Your donations help pay for things such as food, puzzles, treats, care medical, new enrichment toys, parties for the chimps (George’s 1 year CSNW anniversary is coming up!), the support building for the staff to diligently work in, and so much more!

We need your support now more than ever. As mentioned before, we are going to celebrate George’s 1 year anniversary here. That entire time felt like a flurry of activity that it feels like a blur. It was almost like one day we had 15 chimps and BAM! Sixteen chimpanzees were now residing at the sanctuary. Since that time it has been such a heartwarming thrill watching George settle into no only his new home, but also new family! I still get a little teary-eyed when watching him on the Bray with Cy, Gordo, Rayne, Terry, and Lucky. Just knowing just under a year ago, George was living by himself in a concrete and chain-linked fence. Now George is thriving enjoy his time outdoors or spending it playing or being groomed by one of the other chimpanzees.

Cy and George watching their neighbors during breakfast this morning.

We are also now caring for a chimp with mobility issues. With some slight modifications to some of the enclosures, Negra has been able to move from one area to the other albeit with some issues. She’s able to move around a lot more thanks to some handlebars and firehose, but we feel there is more we can (and probably will) do to help Negra enjoy her favorites spots around the sanctuary. Not to mention the medications she is on to help her continue to enjoy her sanctuary life. Be sure to read this compelling, heartfelt blog Kelsi wrote about Negra a few weeks ago.

Negra drinking from a portable water source installed in one of her front rooms for easier water access.

Please consider donating to our GiveBIG campaign to help us reach our goal and help us provide the best care we can for 16 chimpanzees and 3 cows.

Gordo on the Bray before breakfast.
Lucky taking in this morning’s lovely weather.
Fabulous Foxie with remnants of today’s lunch
Oh! And Bruce! Help us support Brucey!

 

Finding Comfort & Joy

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Where does one find Comfort & Joy?

For me, it’s a hot drink, a fuzzy blanket, and a good book on a cold day with nothing important to do.  Caregiver Ellen finds Comfort & Joy in the great outdoors with her pups, or a good meal!  Caregiver Anna finds Comfort & Joy in her ginormous beanbag chair, trash TV and a cup of tea or a relaxing massage.  Caregiver Jenna finds Comfort & Joy spending the holidays at her parents home, thunderstorms, freshly washed sheets and mashed potatoes!  Caregiver Chad, when I asked “Where do you find Comfort & Joy?” answered with “I follow the link.”   I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Chad finds Comfort & Joy snuggling his precious kitty CC (Cat Chad) in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas (Chad says I nailed it!).

Where do the chimps find Comfort & Joy?

I think it’s safe to say that Missy and Annie find great Comfort & Joy in their dear friendship.  Jamie finds Comfort & Joy in a well crafted nest with a boot and a good book tucked into her pelvic pocket.  Foxie loves her baby dolls and a delicious smoothie.  Burrito finds so much Joy frolicking with his many human friends!  Negra is happiest tucked into a cozy nest with just her face peeking out, watching a caregiver dance, and munching lettuce.  Of course, you’ll never find Cy without a magazine in his possession, ideally a good gossip rag!  Honey B, Dora and Mave, collectively known as Mora B, like to spend quality time together thwarting the shifting plans of the caregivers.  Willy B finds Joy watching chimp videos on caregiver’s phones. What brings Gordo Comfort & Joy?  A box, of course!  Rayne also loves a good box, positive reinforcement training, and when her caregivers serve her meal in the correct order.  Lucky loves Jenna, I mean, she REALLY loves Jenna!  And last but certainly not least, our dear Teeny Tiny Terry finds Comfort blowing raspberries, and Joy grooming caregiver boots and licking the backs of our hands!

Where do YOU find Comfort & Joy?  We can help with that!

Our annual Comfort & Joy Quid Pro Throw online auction is in full swing! Register to bid on items for the chimps, that we will give to them on your behalf, and also bid on unique items for yourself or for a loved one! We will be adding new items regularly, so you’ll want to check back in throughout the auction, which ends November 20th.  Our CSNW calendars just dropped at a special pre order price!  I’m pretty sure you need one for every room in your house!  Also, WE HAVE CHIMPANZEE TRADING CARDS!!  What!?  Yep, you heard it here first!  Chimp trading cards!  How fun is that?  I wonder if they include a rock hard stick of gum?  I digress.  Do what Chad says, and follow the link!  The holidays are just around the corner!  It’s a great time to pick something up for the chimps, for yourself and for your most favorite person!  (And, if I happen to be your most favorite person, I’d like the Wearable Hoodie Snuggle Blanket with Chimpanzee Photos for You, please and thank you!)

 

 

 

‘Twas A Night Before Christmas… In July

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‘Twas a night before Christmas (in July),

When all through the Chimp House,

Not a creature was stirring,

Not even Burrito.

The stockings were washed for the chimps with care,

In hopes that more gifts soon would be there.

The chimps were nestled all snug in their nests,

While visions of new enrichment puzzles danced in their heads.

Ok that might have been a bit of a stretch (and thank you Kelsi for the idea from your blog a few Christmas’s ago), but it’s still fun nonetheless! If you haven’t heard, we are celebrating Christmas in July and are asking you to celebrate it with us by helping us to clear our wish-lists. It’s truly amazing how much support we’ve received and our wish-lists are looking amazingly sparse, but there are still a few items remaining- like Jamie’s favorite bonobo books, one of our important behavioral support medications, and every-day cleaning and office supplies! It’s hard to believe that there are just a few days left before August, but that means there’s just a few days left to help us reach our goal. From all of us (chimp, bovine, and human) here at CSNW, thank you for supporting the work that we do every day.

BONUS PHOTO:

It has been a gloriously cool, rainy day here in Cle Elum, WA and the chimps spent a lot of the morning nesting in their greenhouses where they could feel the breeze and hear the sound of the rain on the roof. A while later the rain stopped and Katelyn, who was on a walk (run? chase? sprint?) around Young’s Hill with Burrito called on the radio that Foxie was climbing on TOP of one of the new structures! Enjoy this mediocre photo of a really special moment from today. The word on the block is that Burrito also climbed one of the trees, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to snag any photo evidence. 🙂 Hopefully next time!

Enrichment Fund on Comfort & Joy

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The Comfort & Joy online auction is well underway! It started last week and will go until November 18th. I’ve been adding items as we go, and will continue to add more fun stuff before it ends!

Enrichment Coordinator Chad gave me a list of items that he had his eye on. Some are included in the auction as individual items, and yesterday I decided to create an enrichment fund under Help Fund Big Items so we can get all of those small items on Chad’s list.

One of the things we’d like to get is an Amazon Fire TV Stick, which, as I’m typing this, I’m realizing is not exactly an enrichment puzzle. It is, however, enrichment! We should be able to use the Fire TV Stick with our existing TV so that we can stream movies and television shows on Amazon Prime for Cy and friends (right now, we have a large collection of DVDs, but we don’t have the ability to stream).

There are several chimpanzees in Cy’s group who are very into their screen time.

This afternoon, I had YouTube playing for Willy B on my tiny phone screen:

I left my phone there for a while because Rayne had also taken an interest with Dora, Mave, and Lucky sidling up once in a while to watch a little.

So, there’s the start of my pitch for the Big Items funds. You’ll see two appliances on there too. HUGE thanks to those who have already donated towards a frost-free freezer and new dryer!

In addition to donating towards those three funds, there are SO MANY fun comfort & joy items for you to bid on – some for the chimpanzees and some for you to win for yourself! Check them all out now, and keep checking back for new fun stuff!

Here are a couple of bonus close-up photos from today.

Lucky:

and Terry:

❤️❤️❤️❤️

It Takes a Village

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Today is the perfect day to express gratitude for everyone who helps Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest be the organization it is. I have been thinking about this a lot lately… how many people love the chimps near and far.

We have directors who have dedicated their entire lives to the chimps. We have staff who have moved across the country, away from their families, to work with the chimps. We have volunteers that help caregivers clean multiple times a week. We have volunteers that help us keep up with the endless amounts of laundry, that organize our kitchen so the caregivers have more time to spend with the chimps, and/or come and fill 100+ chow bags. We have donors who drop off a bag of peanuts and a bag of magazines consistently, without saying a word. We have online supporters that comment on our blog and social media every single day. We have supporters who buy something off of our Amazon Wishlist every week. This list goes on and on, truly.

There are so many little things that help us be hugely successful. Thank you so much for helping us care for the chimps! Thank you to all the volunteers for doing what you do. Thank you to my co-workers for caring for the chimps day-in and day-out.

We wouldn’t be able to do it without each and every one of you. Thank you for the never-ending support for CSNW.

Tonight is HOOT 2023, our biggest fundraising event of the year! If you are unable to join us in Seattle, you can join us virtually for free! Please secure your spot here and join in on the fun! Don’t miss it!

Photos from today!

Honey B with a bamboo stick:

Lucky (front) with Terry (back):

Mave:

Jamie:

This Life of Fortune

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Two fundraising updates and a story about our bovine friends today.

First, yesterday alert blog readers took it upon themselves to start a group fundraiser for a much-desired, literally named “Big Ass Fan” evaporative cooler. Right now we have $895 pledged towards the $1,899 cost of the fan, with $1,004 left to raise. I myself have pledged $100 and have been having pleasant visions of receiving that cooler.

If you would like to participate, you can email me ([email protected]) and let me know your pledge amount. Donations towards the fan can be made online on our donation page (just specify in the gift note section it’s for the cooler), or you can mail a check to the sanctuary at PO Box 952, Cle Elum, WA 98922. You can donate now or pledge first and donate once I let you know that the total has been reached. Thank you all so much!!

Second, counting today, there are only three days left to take advantage of Early Bird pricing for the HOOT! gala! The gala is a pretty big deal in terms of fundraising but also in terms of connecting with supporters. We are hoping to see many familiar and new faces in-person in Seattle on September 16th!

For those not in this area or otherwise unable to attend the fundraising fête, you can still participate! We’ll be having an online auction open to anyone, and for those who buy a virtual VIP ticket for just $20, you will also receive a special invitation to an exclusive Zoom tour of the sanctuary to take place on Sunday, September 11th at 2pm.

A big shout-out goes to our sponsors of HOOT! 2022. Numerous individuals are now sponsors in addition to generous Gala Sponsor Concord Construction. What would we have done without them these last few years with all of the expansion!! We are so grateful to have worked and continue to work with them to expand the lives of the chimpanzees and beyond honored to have their sponsorship for the gala.

Also a big thanks to Happy Hour sponsor Martha Faulkner Real Estate. Martha was a very helpful board member for years and is an all-around animal lover, giving part of her commission to multiple animal groups through her business, hence her website: homes4petlovers.com.

If you are interesting in sponsoring as a business or an individual, you can do that directly here or if you’d like more information, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Third, it’s hot, ya’ll.

Today was my day to do “cattle care”. In the winter, that means giving our four bovine friends hay, mucking out the barn, and making sure there is an ample supply of water.

In the early summer they are able to free-feed in the pastures, helping us with fire control, so we don’t need (yet) to supplement their food. They aren’t spending as much time in the barn, so there’s less mucking to do, though we do try to pick up in areas where they congregate to keep the fly population under some control.

With the addition of the large pasture on the property above the original sanctuary property this year, you just never know where you are going to find the cows.

Today, I couldn’t find them at all.

They weren’t at the barn, where I stopped to make sure the water trough was full.

And they weren’t in the pasture by the pond, where I have been finding them on most Fridays since they’ve been given access over a month ago.

I followed their well-worn path down towards the spring, and found them doing exactly what they should be doing in 100+ degree weather, hanging out in the shade, ready to stare me down.

But wait, where was Betsy?

Seriously, where was Betsy? I called her name. No response. I called louder. Still nothing.

Despite my best efforts at self-mind-control, I can be prone towards thinking the worst and I was starting to get nervous. Betsy is not usually away from her herd.

I walked further down the path adjacent to the spring. Ahhhh. There she was.

In the patch of lush greenery at the edge of the spring.

She too was keeping cool right near the water.

On my way back across the property, I spied another mom laying low in some shade.

It makes me so happy that Betsy, Meredith, Honey, and Nutmeg can, like momma deer, follow their instincts and choose the smartest spot to be on the property.

They are no longer beholden to the humans making all decisions for them or viewing them as a means to their own ends. They are residents of this land. Not as unlikely as the chimpanzee residents across the way, but, like the chimps, while not free, definitely freer than many of their species who have been forced into a life of servitude.

By luck or by fate (if you believe in that kind of thing), we get to be a part of their lives.

Celebrate this gift with us by participating in HOOT!, online or in-person. We have a lot to celebrate!

Giving Days and Days of Gifts

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Today’s theme: gifts, giving, and gifts given.

Before we get to today’s update, though, I want to remind everyone that Giving Day for Apes is this Tuesday! It’s not too late to set up your own fundraising page via the sanctuary’s Giving Day for Apes page (just click on the big “Fundraise” button to get started). To see pages that others have created, scroll down on our page and look under “Campaigns supporting this organization.” All donations made on any of those campaigns will go directly to the sanctuary and will be eligible for the cash prizes offered!

Of course, the special fundraisers aren’t the only times that our supporters make generous gifts to the sanctuary.

Earlier today, we posted the following message:

Mary Horton sponsored this special day of sanctuary for her mom and long-time friend of the chimpanzees, Vicki Fagerlee… Vicki, you make a lasting difference in the chimpanzees’ and cattle’s lives, helping us ensure their joy, well-being and comfort for all their days forward. We’re so grateful to have you as part of our chimp and bovine family. Happy Birthday, from all of us here at the sanctuary!

It may have been Vicki’s birthday today, but she has been the one buying gifts for the sanctuary lately. Last week, we received notice that someone purchased a new mirrorless digital camera from our Amazon Wish List. Shortly after, the device arrived at our front gate with all the accessories we need to keep taking photos for the blog. The new Canon RP is much newer, lighter, and versatile than the donated Canon Rebels we have been using, and it has many new features that we have yet to master. Today, I spent some time to tinker with the auto-focus settings, low-light capabilities, and preset modes, but it definitely feels like learning to take photographs all over again. This technology has advanced quite far over the last ten years, so we appreciate that Vicki is helping us to stay current. I can’t wait to see what content we can create with this generous gift, and I really can’t wait to share the final products with you all.

Annie
Foxie and Missy
Jody and Foxie
Burrito
Burrito

P.S. Even the newest cameras have a difficult time focusing on Burrito’s face when he plays chase and tickle like an absolute maniac. In this case, I think I focused on his tiny white nose hairs. I wouldn’t have it any other way.