Blue Ridge Community College issued the following announcement on Dec. 16
The Wildlife Center of Virginia is a non-profit, animal welfare facility in Augusta County that provides healthcare to wildlife around the state. The Center was opened in 1982, has treated more than 85,000 wild animals, and is works to education the community about the importance of their cause. This year, the Veterinary Technology Club at Blue Ridge Community College teamed up with The Wildlife Center to host a fundraiser.
“Each year, for the holiday season, the Veterinary Technology Club does a fundraiser for a non-profit organization that supports animal welfare,” explained Gail Foley, a Vet Tech Club Advisor. “Winter is a particularly difficult time for wildlife due to cold temperatures, snow, lack of free-flowing water, and food scarcity. This all adds up to more wildlife needing to be admitted to the wildlife center for care. These animals have no owners looking out for their welfare or paying for their treatments.”
While planning the fundraiser, the Vet Tech Club gathered a “wish list” from the Center that included specific necessities that are crucial to the healthcare the animals in the facility are receiving. Some of the items needed included cleaning supplies, dog crates, and aquariums.
“They also need lots of native nuts, so the Vet Tech Club got together during our annual bonfire to collect as many nuts as we could,” said Cassi Little, a first-year Veterinary Technology student at BRCC. “The Distance Education Vet Tech Students, who are all over the state, were also gathering up donations and nuts. They also got to have a photoshoot with the donations when they came for one of their in-person labs!”
Since the fundraiser was set-up to run for around a month’s time, the Vet Tech Club had plenty of time to encourage students, faculty, and staff to participate. Once the fundraiser closed, “all of the donations are tallied up and given a monetary value, and then taken to The Wildlife Center,” explained Cassi. “Being able to help the wildlife is very rewarding. Being able to participate in the fundraiser is a good reminder that wildlife need care too, it's not just pets who need it. It also really shows the many different ways we can help animals and it doesn't have to be these grandiose things either, the little things count just as much!”
Overall, the Vet Tech Club raised $3,065 in donations to go towards aiding The Wildlife Center. This included: baby food, office supplies, canned pet food, peanut butter, a storage bin, cleaning supplies, and a blood rocker. Additionally, the club was able to collect nine pounds of acorns, 18.2 pounds of Hickory nuts, and 60.7 pounds of Walnuts. All of the items were delivered to the Center in early December.
“The Veterinary Technology Department is extremely proud of each and every one of our students who stepped up during this incredibly busy and stressful time of the semester (end of semester practical exams and written exams) and looked beyond their own circumstances to help other living souls in need who have no voice of their own,” said Gail.
Original source can be found here.
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