Opening the House part 2

Another open house is done and this one had a very weird outcome.  It truly reminded me that success is measured in so many different ways.  This was perhaps the most organized we've ever been and everything went very smoothly. Not that the others weren't organized, it was just better this time.  Financially, it didn't break records but still brought in more money than most of our others. The people that came stayed for longer periods of time and truly seemed to have a good time. Now here’s the weird part; for all that, we had record low number of people.  This tells me that we have found a great formula for how to run our event; we just need to figure out a better way to get people there.  Marketing is definitely not my forte, but I’m learning all the time and already have ideas for the next one.

The one thing that made the event such a success is the volunteers.  I am truly fortunate to have some wonderful, very hard working people by my side. Having such great people that I can trust and that have been here long enough to understand what is going on made such a huge difference on my stress level. A friend of mine even commented on a picture that I was actually smiling on open house day.  There were a couple points during the day where I started talking about the work everyone was doing and I felt myself getting choked up. The gratitude I have is overwhelming.

Some of my favorite moments this year were The Cold Water Challenge with Jennifer and Glenda. They each raised money to have ice cold water dumped on them.  It was fun, especially in the heat. One of my youngest volunteers stepped up to the plate and offered to take an important couple around on a tour. He did a great job and I was very proud of him.  We were also able to get Dakota, the bobcat, to do a few of his trained behaviors in front of guests. He was reluctant and nervous but the fact that he did them at all was a great moment for everyone that got to watch.  At one point I went in to check on Ginger, the Fennec Fox, I was sitting down inside her enclosure trying to get her to come out of her house to see me. She would look at me and roll over but never came out. That is until her favorite volunteer came around. She bolted out of that house and rushed towards her.  I knew exactly where I stood in her mind (haha).  It was a wonderful moment though.  My other favorite thing was having guest vendors, since our first years were just us. Scaly Adventures has now joined us a few times but this year we had a musician (SaxMan Entertainment) and Kona Ice. I love that we can now offer such diversity to our guests.  

As tired as I am after the event is over I really enjoy the days afterwards.  Everything is clean at once, the yard is cleaned up, the animals are resting and I get a sense of pride over what we have done.  I really wish that we had the facilities to offer something far more often than twice a year.  Perhaps someday we will. The reality of it though is that I barely get a day of rest and it’s time to start thinking about the next event or fundraiser. In this business it never ends.

Introduction

When I started Safe Haven & Educational Adventures, Inc. with Nigel we had no idea where it would go or even how far we wanted to take it. All I knew was that it was something I had to do. There was a part of me that just knew it was what I was meant to do. When I look back at my past it was as if everything was in preparation and training for taking on just such an endeavour. As I set out I had a dream, even though the details were not entirely clear. Discovering those details has made the quest interesting. Despite the frustrations there was never any looking back. After all, we had nearly 250 animals in our care. Making it work was the only option.


I was raised to follow your dreams, work hard, stay determined, respect others and that happiness was most important in life.  To many people my life is extraordinary, to me it's just ordinary. I came from a middle class family where we were taught to work for what you want. I would make up my mind about something and make it work. I was never one to have a "plan B". If I had a goal I believed that I would get there and usually did.  This attitude has taken me on many adventures. I've had numerous people tell me that I should write a book because I had so many stories. I think I've started about 3 or 4 times but could never quite get into it. To me it was a bit intimidating because I've never been the literary type but there was more to it. A book is supposed to have a beginning, middle and an end. For me, I haven't gotten anywhere close to an end yet (even if it was just the first book). In fact, I still feel as though I'm still beginning. It was suggested to me to start a blog. After some thought, I realized that this was the best idea for me. I don't claim to be the best at anything, I just do the best I can at everything I'm passionate about.  Join me on my journey and you will learn some of stories of the past, discover what's going on today and experience the future together. This is a little Bit about me and the Bites, well there are plenty of those to go around, just wait and see.