If you asked what I would do with all the money if I won the lottery, my answer would not include a racy car or a luxurious mansion. Of course I would make some material improvements. I would love to own a nice, preferrably old house with enough room for my and my husband´s activities, our animals and the occasional guest, and with a big enough garden to grow plants and enjoy coffee sessions. In short, I dream of having a lovely home. I would also put aside some funds for retirement. I might enroll in classes I find interesting or travel somewhere I´ve always wanted to go. Probably, I would buy everyone I love some awesome birthday presents that year. But I would also want to help a good cause in a significant way.
With my current means, I am trying to do what I can to make the world a tiny little bit better. I have been picking up injured birds for several years and managed to nurse many of them back to health. Our cats are all rescue animals, so is our dog. Whenever I can, I donate money to charities, unfortunately never a lot. I am very unsystematic when it comes to picking whom to help. It is pretty much a gut matter. Reading through the "about" sections of different charities, they all seem worthy of support. However, beyond that, some groups I intuitively lean towards more than others. Something about them calls out to me.
Such is the case with Burton Wildlife and Linjoy Sanctuary in the UK. At first glance, they are an unlikely choice for me because I live on the other side of the planet. I don´t even remember how I first became aware of them. It was through Facebook - that much I know. I was touched by their dedication to the rescue of wild animals. The lengths they would go to picking up injured or ill animals, caring for them and releasing them back into the wild if their health allowed for it, impressed me deeply. At the same time, I felt distressed by their difficulty in raising funds to cover their monthly expenses. The rescue center and adjacent sanctuary operate on the founder´s salary as a veterinary nurse and donations from helpful individuals alone.
Burton Wildlife Rescue receives emergency calls 24/7, rain or shine. Whoever follows them on Facebook, receives notifications on every animal that is collected, and updates about its progress. However, with around 300 animals to look after and emergency calls coming in constantly, there is little time and energy left for publicity and fundraising events. Sometimes I wish I were able to reach through the computer screen and help clean up stables or feed little critters. Donating money is the only option, but my means are limited.
When Burton Wildlife Rescue announced they were planning an online auction and asked followers to send in handmade items, the news gave me one of those "lightbulb-popping-up-above-my-head" moments. I make jewelry! So I sat down to a little crafting marathon and churned out six pairs of glitzy dangle earrings. While I always feel great about creating a piece, knowing that these pretties would serve a good purpose added a lot of extra joy to the process. I took pictures of the earrings for the auction, put them into little pouches, made a parcel and sent it off to the UK. That was one week ago. I hope they will arrive within another week.
I encourage you to support Burton Wildlife Rescue and Linjoy Sanctuary in whichever way you can - sharing their news, donating money or even volunteering if you happen to live nearby. Visit their website or follow them on Facebook to get informed about the awesome work they are doing. If you like some of the earrings I made for Burton Wildlife Rescue and would like to do a good deed, participate in their online auction. All proceeds go exclusively to the care of rescued wildlife. Other beautiful, handmade products are going to be auctioned as well, so stay updated and take a look!
