Dear Members, Supporters, and Friends,
Sometimes it’s hard to see how one small act can make a difference in this world.
But whether it be a word-of-mouth recommendation, renewing a membership, donating a bag of nuts, or leaving a “like” on our social media posts - your combined acts of kindness change our parrots’ lives.
YOU are our parrots’ best advocates, ambassadors, volunteers, and influencers,not just monetary donors. So today, we turn “Giving Tuesday” on its head and instead are Giving Thanks for you.
See the difference you made for Rigsby.
Rigsby’s Story
Rigsby is one of those parrots who came to us with the odds stacked against him. Sure, he was a handsome African Grey with real character and medley of sounds but… he also had no feet. And because he wasn’t handled in his former homes, he didn’t want to be picked up and preferred interaction through his cage bars. (His original home was a small wooden box with chicken wire. A pair of Good Samaritans removed him from that situation and made sure Rigsby got into PEAC to be rehomed.)
Rigsby was insecure moving about, even though he was interested in (and wanted to be part of,) what was happening around him. His wonderful foster mom learned that he had a great sense of rhythm and loved bobbing along to the music. You may have seen one of his “dance parties” on our Instagram feed! However, not having feet to “grip” a typical perch or move around via climbing on the cage bars meant he needed a special setup. Thus, Rigsby stayed in a large horizontal cage (meant for a rabbit,) with platform perches and toweled padding. This allowed space for toys and room to move horizontally. Everyone at PEAC was brainstorming how to make his cage even more comfortable when… IT HAPPENED.
It. Happened. Someone was interested in meeting Rigsby! Of course, we wondered: do they know what they’re getting into? Is this real? Oh my gosh, was it ever -> Rigsby (and PEAC,) were in for a happy surprise...
Meet Heather and Kevin (and Doodle!)
When Heather was a child, she had a friend who owned a monkey and an African Grey parrot. Heather never forgot about that parrot and once grown, she chose to adopt one through a rescue organization while living in Oregon. After he passed, she found Doodle, a female footless Congo African Grey, who had only half of her wings. Doodle was in an exotic pet store and kept in a tiny cage with a kangaroo. The store listed Doodle’s price as $3,000, much more than Heather could afford. Fortunately, when Heather made another trip to the store, she found out the city was shutting it down and she was able to rescue Doodle for much less.
Once home, Heather realized Doodle was very sick and had been on a seed-only diet. Through patience, persistence, and lots of love, Doodle was able to make a complete turnaround. Soon, Heather and Kevin made their way down to sunny San Diego and decided to stay since Doodle was a huge fan of the weather!
One of the most important things Heather wanted to give Doodle was the same ability to move and navigate her cage like other parrots. Being footless, Doodle couldn’t grip a “typical” perch and it was easy for her to slip. Heather was determined to create something better.
The perches started as plain, flat, (wide,) wooden “planks,” but at one point, Doodle cut her foot on the wood, so Heather created something softer, that was also easy to clean. She used various lengths to stretch across the cage and tiered them (one, just above or below the other,) to form “stairs.” She then wrapped the wood in foam followed by two-millimeter plastic from Michael’s. Following this, she used stainless steel staples to secure the foam and plastic and made sure the staples were covered up as much as possible. (Tip! If you try this, be sure to unroll the plastic and let it air out for a few days to dissipate any odors.)
Once Heather figured out how to design the perches, she created what she calls, “the turnaround platform.” These platforms are situated at the corner where two perches meet and allow Doodle to navigate from one perch to the other without hurting her nubs. She also uses scrap organic sheepskin purchased from Etsy and places these scraps next to or on the rest stations for a “soft landing.” (Please see some of the enclosed photos. Heather also designed a “wrap-around patio” which is a “U-shaped” flat, padded perch, that sits at the highest level and goes all the way around three sides of the cage.) Finally, Heather keeps a table next to Doodle’s cage, so she has her own expanded play area when her cage door is open.
Recently, Heather decided she wanted to adopt another footless companion bird and found Rigsby’s online profile. For Heather, it was love at first sight. Rigsby put on the charm when they met, and she knew he was the one for her! PEAC’s adoption team was very impressed with Heather and Kevin, and especially the cage Heather had modified for Doodle, (who navigates it like an expert!)
Since bringing him home, Rigsby has slowly come out of his shell and has begun talking more and learning new sounds such as the squeaky toy her Chihuahua, Ginger, likes to chew on, along with Ginger’s bark.
Although they are not in the same cage, Doodle and Rigsby have bonded at a distance and Rigsby loves having his feathered “sister” as part of his flock. More importantly, Rigsby has learned to move around his cage and perches by watching Doodle! We could not be happier and know Rigsby will continue to bloom under such loving care.
PEAC was so inspired by Heather’s clever engineering that we wanted to share all the details. We hope it will inspire others with differently-abled parrots to modify their setups and allow them to more easily explore their world.
With Rigsby’s challenges, things were looking pretty bleak for him. But YOU were there, ensuring he had a “soft place to land” until the RIGHT home could be found. Each donation, gift, and act of compassion you provided changed his world for the better.
Donation Incentives Available on Giving Tuesday
This year, GlobalGiving will have special incentives available to donors who give to PEAC on GivingTuesday. PEAC is entirely supported by your private donations. A gift of any size will always be gratefully welcomed to support our parrots (and their veterinary bills!)
Here’s how you can help us with this special bonus opportunity.
Donations received by GlobalGiving, starting Monday, November 29th at 9:01 pm Pacific time, and ending November 30th at 8:59 pm Pacific time will qualify PEAC for a portion of a matching “incentive fund.”
Additionally, any new recurring donation will receive a 100% match for their first donation (up to $200) to be received after four monthly payments. It’s a great time of year to renew your individual or family membership and make your gift go even further!
Don’t forget, many companies have annual matching programs for their employees or provide grants at their employees’ request. Please reach out to your Human Resource department to learn about what opportunities may be available for your company’s generosity to directly benefit our parrots!
Happy Holidays!
We hope you can share this magical time of year celebrating with your loved ones, friends, and family as we prepare for Christmas and the year’s end.
Hanukkah Sameach! For those celebrating the Festival of Lights, our flock wishes you a peaceful season filled with joy.
With deep gratitude for all of your support and well wishes,
Kelly Flynn, President; Beth Lipski, Director; and Kris Feneque, Vice President; Parrot Education, and Adoption Center
First, a quick announcement, then on to the latest news you won’t want to miss!
Has your membership expired in 2021? Don’t fret - a great opportunity to renew or provide a year-end donation with guaranteed matching funds is just around the corner:
Starting September 13th, GlobalGiving’s “Little by Little" campaign will match 50% of your donation up to $50!
And when we add up these generous acts of kindness together, it results in a BIG IMPACT for our parrots!
Please mark your calendars and help support our foster flock this September! (Ps: If you choose to make this a recurring monthly donation, an additional one-time match at 100% will be unlocked after your fourth consecutive monthly gift in January!)
Visit our GlobalGiving Profile page HERE between September 13 – 17, to qualify for the match and thank you!
Because of YOU - 4 More Parrots Found Homes!
Because of your support, four more parrots were adopted since spring! Pogo, a male Rainbow Lorikeet (adopted by our new Vice President Kris, more on them later,) Lilly, a female Congo African Grey, Lucky, a male Greenwing Macaw, and Rigsby a special-needs (missing his feet,) male Congo African Grey.
We’re especially thrilled that Rigsby found a family who already had a Congo African Grey ("Doodle") also missing his feet, just like him! His new mom and dad are understanding and patient with Rigsby (who loves to interact, vocalize and dance, but not be handled too much.) They’re also extremely talented and created a unique, multi-level, wide-cushioned-perch and toy/food system that is easy to clean and allows Rigsby to move around on his “stubs” for maximum “dance party action!” Besides being a fabulous dancer, Rigsby is also wicked-smart and figured out his new set up quickly. We are looking forward to sharing more about this clever cage design in a future update – it is truly amazing!
Congratulations to the families and our former flock members who found each other! We hope you enjoy some of their “homecoming portraits” throughout this newsletter.
When Will In-Person Events Return?
We wish we had better news but at this time, PEAC is not scheduled to attend any in-person events. However, our adoption team is still working hard and with safety precautions in place. If you’re interested in bringing a new feathered family member into your life, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time!
Our classes are still on Zoom Video Conferencing and the last ones for the year are on: August 28th, September 26th, October 23rd and November 13th from 1pm to 4pm (Pacific time.) Remember: registration is free to PEAC members! Otherwise, there is a $10 fee, per person. All monies help support veterinary care, enrichment, and healthy meals for our current foster parrots. Please visit www.peac.org to sign up.
Welcome our New Board Members and Officers
Last month, the Board elected new directors to serve for term 2021–2023, and officers (for term 2021-2022.) We’re proud to announce our board and officers as follows: Barbara Crouse (Board Member and Secretary,) Gail Bradford (Board Member and Treasurer,) Dory Thompson (Board Member,) Kelly Flynn (Board Member and President,) Sue Peterson (Board Member,) Beth Lipski (Board Member,) and Kris Feneque (Vice President.)
We wish to thank Carrie Mix for her many years of service on the board. She is stepping down to focus more on fostering and we'll still get to enjoy her amazing energy at future events. Thank you Carrie!
Now let’s all cheer a warm welcome and get to know a little about our newer directors and officers.
New Board Member: Sue Peterson: Sue and her husband Ron, have both been volunteers for PEAC for many years and if you’ve attended one of our events, you likely saw their smiling faces. It all started when Sue and Ron rescued a 1 1/2-year-old Congo African Grey parrot 12 years ago. Once they got him home, they quickly realized they had no idea what would make him a happy and healthy bird. They found PEAC, started attending our educational seminars and eventually became fosters.
Currently they have three personal and two foster parrots (all Congo African Greys – we like to call them our “grey specialists!”) Sue and Ron work equally hard at caring for them as they share the cleaning duties, sprouting grains and whipping up some delicious vegetable chop. Sue (along with volunteer Gail,) runs our adoption program and helps PEAC with answering Petfinder inquiries, evaluating incoming parrots and home visits when needed. According to Sue and Ron, Parrot Education and Adoption Center is their purpose. We are truly grateful for their many years of dedication, passion and hard work. Without Sue and Ron, the PEAC nest just wouldn't be the same.
New Board Member: Beth Lipski: In 2013, Beth moved from the Bay Area back to her hometown of San Diego. She really wanted a pet-companion to join her and in May of 2014, Beth brought home Henry, a male cockatiel.
After purchasing Henry (and not having done her homework about parrots, she says,) Beth began to realize just how different having a companion bird was than other pets. To learn more about Henry, she began visiting Free Flight, (a local parrot sanctuary.) Eventually, she became part of a docent team and was at the sanctuary every weekend to educate the public on parrot species, behavior, anatomy, etc. Beth made it her mission to help the public (and people who already had parrots), better understand their companion bird and just how special and wild parrots are.
In speaking with the public, it became very clear to Beth that some people had misconceptions about bringing a bird into their home too, so it was especially important to her to help them better understand and think carefully about their choice. About two years ago, Beth was at public animal adoption event and found PEAC’s booth. She began volunteering with PEAC at events and has since become active writing social media posts and teaches the “Enrichment for Your Companion Parrot” class, a requirement for PEAC adopters. She has also teamed up with Kris to be our new Volunteer Coordinators! Thank you, Beth, for your tireless dedication to making this a better world for our birds.
New Vice President: Kris Feneque: Kris, a native New Yorker, currently resides in the Inland Empire with his 22y/o Umbrella Cockatoo, Coco, and Rainbow Lorikeet, Pogo. He rescued Coco while living in Florida nine years ago, and recently adopted Pogo from PEAC. Kris enjoys taking Pogo out for walks (in a “flight suit” with a leash – which is hard to see in their photo since it matches Pogo’s brightly colored feathers,) and both of Kris’ birds enjoy getting exercise while taking turns in their outdoor aviary too.
During the day, Kris works as the Director for Trade and Training for the luxury appliance division at Samsung. When Kris isn't taking care of his "zoo" at home, he enjoys spending time at the San Diego Zoo or frequenting theme parks (pre-COVID). Kris has always had an interest in volunteering and was formerly a docent for the Orlando and Melbourne Florida Zoo.
His interest in working with PEAC was a natural fit with his passions for parrots and educational background both professionally and within the zoos. Kris has been leading our social media and marketing efforts and has teamed up with Beth to be one of our new Volunteer Coordinators! Last month Kris jumped at the chance to be Vice President and we couldn’t be happier to have his help! Thank you, Kris!
Inspired to be a Volunteer for PEAC?!
Won’t you join us and the rest of the Parrot Education and Adoption Center flock and give your time, energy and help to rescue and rehome companion parrots? We can use every talent from being a foster to helping at future events or behind the scenes in administration. If interested, please visit our website at www.peac.org and click on the “Contact Us” button! You can also call us at 619-287-8200, email us at parroted@peac.org or simply reply to this newsletter!
We’re on Linktree!
Ever wish there was a “one-stop link” to find all our adoptable parrot profiles, website, news, social media and fundraising efforts? (Ps: we’re still rocking a See’s Candy campaign through the end of the year – so get ready to send those holiday treats and help benefit our parrots!) The service “Linktree” does just that! Save THIS LINK to your phone or computer and quickly go to what interests you most about PEAC! https://linktr.ee/peacsd
Meet 3 Parrots Who Still Need a Loving Home
PEAC has 10 parrots who are currently available for adoption. You can find all their bios and photos at peac.petfinder.com. Meet the three we’re featuring this month!
Maria: Maria can pick a pepper better than any Yellow-naped Amazon we know! This beautiful boy is ready to pick out his new home, where he can be his spicy self!
Pastorita: Every day is more wonderful with Pastorita, aka “Rita,” the Green-cheeked conure. This sweet boy loves spending time with his Foster Mom, chirping the day away - Won't you warm up your world with this "wovable" boy?
Rocky: Rocky is a 50-years-young and beautiful Blue & Gold macaw who is looking to make a great first impression. He's a seasoned boy that is looking for a confident owner to match his energy. Are you ready to meet this amazing macaw?
Summer may be ending, but our gratitude for your support is evergreen! Stay well and thank you for making a difference in our parrots' lives!
Warmest wishes - PEAC, Love and Parrots!
Kelly Flynn, President, Parrot Education and Adoption Center
Links:
Dear Donors and Supporters,
We hope this finds you and your family safe and healthy as we send you these warm greetings while our parrots are enjoying beautiful sunny springtime weather in San Diego.
When will PEAC Return to In-Person Classes?
Everyone wants to know: When will PEAC return to in-person classes and join public adoption events? The answer is: we don’t yet know or have any specific dates! California is looking to fully reopen its economy on June 15th as long as vaccination rates continue to increase and COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations stabilize. For now, it looks like PEAC will not be doing any in-person events until mid-summer at the earliest.
PEAC is continuing our online “Zoom” classes and have modified our parrot adoption process to be done one-on-one (one parrot to one adoption “family,”) with masks required. All parties are staying social distanced and whenever possible, we are using enclosed outdoor patios and locations for the meet and greet. All of our adoptable parrots are listed on our website at PEAC.org and on our Petfinder page at: peac.petfinder.com. Please let us know if you should have any questions! You can call us at 619-287-8200, email us at parroted@peac.org or simply reply to this newsletter.
Fundraising Can Be So Sweet!
Send someone you love a sweet treat while supporting PEAC’s parrots! Moms, Dads and Grads would all enjoy famous See’s Candies - and a portion of each purchase price comes directly to PEAC to support our programs and parrots. We have all your favorite treats on our See’s Fundraising Storefront! Don’t know what their favorite variety is? Gift cards are available as well! The link is at the bottom of this newsletter - or you can find the link on our Instagram profile page and Facebook! Having trouble finding our online store? Just call or email us and we’ll send the link directly to you. PEAC’s storefront is only up for a limited time - until July 1st - which means now is the best time to “treat yourself” to the best chocolate and sweets around - our parrots thank you!
Who’s Been Adopted?!
We’ve had six adoptions so far in 2021! Misty, a female Eclectus; Shadow, a male Senegal parrot; Zorro, a male White-bellied Caique; Pickles, a female Red-crowned Amazon; Pancho, a male, Yellow-naped Amazon and Mimi a male, African Grey parrot.Congratulations to all of our flock and their new families who found each other this year! We hope you enjoy some of the pictures provided by their new families in this newsletter.
Meet Three Parrots Who Need a Loving Home
PEAC has 8 parrots who are currently available for adoption. You can find all of their bios at peac.petfinder.com. Meet the three we’re featuring this month!
Kermit
Kermit is a soon-to-be 20 year old female Military Macaw. Having been in only two (known) homes, Kermit really enjoys hanging out on her play-stand during the day, chewing up wood toys and has shown a preference for women. Just like any parrot, she likes to be a part of your phone conversations! Some of her favorite words are, “Hello, Kermit, and come here.” Being a silly girl, she also mixes up the words “cracker” and “Aflack” to “Aflaker!” Once Kermit gets to know you, she is a big lover and loves to just sit on your arm. Kermit is known to do well with children and other animals, but prefers other companion birds to keep their distance. Do you have room in your heart and home for this precious little girl?!
Lilly
Lilly is an 11 year old Congo African Grey parrot who been in one family her entire life. She has a sweet disposition, is super smart, and is already learning to target train in her foster home. Lilly would get along well in a home with other birds and dogs, but she will need her own protected space so she can have a lot of time outside of her cage-- an outdoor aviary would make Lilly especially happy! Lilly is clearly a “morning” bird as she likes to make “yawning” noises when her human wakes up and enjoys dancing, singing children’s songs and grooving on old school disco! Because Lilly really needs to have her eyes on her “person”, she can become anxious and pluck when they are not around, however, she would make a great companion once she gets to know and trust “her people.”
Rocky
Rocky is a 50 year old male Blue & Gold Macaw who came to PEAC following the passing of his owner of 50 years. He's a super sweet boy, steps up readily for both the woman and man in his foster home. He speaks in a really quiet woman's voice and has "pirate conversations" with the man in his foster home. He also has a complicated and mysteriously semi-mumbled talk with himself once he is covered and in bed. Its hard not to giggle when you hear him go! He loves showers, eats well of fresh chop, veggies and fruit and is learning about pellets instead of seed mix. Rocky is a wonderful, funny and engaging character; are you ready to add some laughter to your family?
Every time a new parrot comes into our homes and lives, I am amazed at their resilience and willingness to trust and love again. They deserve our best efforts to ensure they have everything they need, including a safe home and a loving new family.
Thank you for supporting PEAC and making such a huge difference in our birds’ lives!
Wishing you health and happiness this Spring!
With gratitude,
Kelly Flynn, President, Parrot Education and Adoption Center
Links:
Dear Members, Supporters, and Friends,
First a heartfelt THANK YOU to all who have donated during our year-end campaign or who regularly contribute to support PEAC. We can't thank you enough for your generosity; YOU are what makes PEAC able to continue the work we've done for over 24 years. We're honored by your giving and trust.
Time is running out for last-minute contributions should you wish to make a gift or renew your membership by the end of the year. We are still several thousand dollars away from our year-end goal to keep PEAC and our work going.
If you are in a position to help financially, please know that the CARES Act makes charitable gifts entirely tax-deductible, even for taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions. And many employers have ramped up charity donations through their “employee matching programs.” Ask your human resources department if there is an opportunity for your company’s generosity to benefit our parrots either this year or for the next! A donation of any size will always be gratefully welcomed.
However, we know this is a difficult time for many families, so there are other ways to help PEAC besides a financial gift and that is by spreading the word about PEAC to your friends and family! Let everyone know about the work we do and the classes we have coming up in the new year!
SHARE one of PEAC’s adoptable parrot profiles in your community or on social media, forward this newsletter to a friend, or tell us your story about parrot adoption, and don’t forget to tag it with #PEACsandiego. Eighty percent of individuals are influenced to take action by a peer’s suggestion on social media – YOUR VOICE makes a difference, and together we are an unstoppable force for parrot rescue and education!
Don’t forget to follow us on @peacsandiego (Twitter,) @peac_sandiego (Instagram,) and @peac.org (Facebook,) – all of our adoptable parrot profiles are available at peac.petfinder.com, just click on “view our pets”.
Thank you for being a voice for our adoptable parrots!
Lucky # 17 = Ruby was Adopted!
I bet you’ve been wondering how we got to seventeen parrot adoptions this year… Here is our special surprise: Ruby was adopted! This sassy Green-cheek conure is being spoiled by her new mom and dad, Cait and Doug, and they sent us some adorable pictures we hope you enjoy.
Because of our members and supporters, you have changed the lives of Skye, Tiki, Winnie, Baby Lou, Amos, Pierre, Carmen, Twiggy, Picasso, Crackle, Mango, Albert, Hobbes, Masuru, Georgie, Arthur, and Ruby - who were all cared for, loved and rehomed this year thanks to you!
Congratulations on helping EVEN MORE parrots find a home this year than last year!
A Special Thank you to The Purring Parrot!
For those of us lucky enough to live in San Diego, you are probably familiar with “The Purring Parrot” in Mission Valley. They specialize in boarding parrots and cats, each in their own enclosed and fully customized and temperature-controlled areas. Many of the areas are ‘themed’ to reflect fun locations (Paris! Egypt!) and the staff love to provide enrichment and exercise throughout the day for their charges. Additionally, they keep a good supply of toys and toy-making parts/pieces for sale, food, and just about anything a parrot needs. (All the crazy bits and bops of the toy-making area have to be seen to be believed! Every time I visit, I find something new to entertain my picky macaw and never leave empty-handed – Kelly.)
Throughout the years, The Purring Parrot has constantly supported PEAC by donating supplies and multiple cages of all sizes to our parrots, including another two just this past weekend. I truly don’t think we’ve done enough to say “thank you” to Maria and her skilled team who have never forgotten us. Thank you all!
Have a Holly Jolly Holiday!
We are excited to continue into our 25th year of serving our community, and we hope you will join us to help even more parrots and parrot owners in 2021! Our monthly classes (via Zoom) start January 30th, and you can sign up at PEAC.org!
Wishing you and your family health and happiness in the New Year,
Kelly Flynn, President, Parrot Education and Adoption Center
Dear Supporters and Friends,
Giving Tuesday has become a global day of celebration focused on giving back to our communities. For PEAC, it's the kick-off of our once-a-year fundraising campaign.
Our goal is to reach $20,000 to ensure the veterinary costs and care for our adoptable parrot program, which has helped re-home many companion parrots back into an educated and loving household.
Here’s how you can help us reach our goal with this special bonus opportunity for #GivingTuesday.
Donations received by GlobalGiving, starting Monday, November 30th at 9:01 pm Pacific time, will qualify PEAC for a portion of a matching “incentive fund.” Additionally, any new recurring donation will receive a 100% match for their first donation. It’s the perfect time of year to renew your individual or family membership and make your gift go even farther!
Don’t forget, many companies have annual matching programs for their employees or provide grants at their employees’ request. Please reach out to your Human Resource department to learn about what opportunities may be available for your company’s generosity to directly benefit our parrots!
PEAC is entirely supported by your private donations. A gift of any size will always be gratefully welcomed!
Two More Adoption Announcements
Starting next June, we will begin our twenty-fifth year of service for our community!
Every week I hear from our supporters who have been with us for years and years, (and I am one of you!) so it gives me great pleasure to share the latest impact of your steadfast support: “Georgie” (our female Panama Amazon,) was adopted by Alfonso and Elizabeth, AND “Arthur” (our female Yellow-naped Amazon,) was adopted by Athena and Brian! Both are home sharing their first holiday season with their families and we couldn’t be happier! Somehow, PEAC seems to attract the cutest parrots and most wonderful adopters -- and helping them find each other makes everything we do worth it!
This means seventeen parrots (so far!) were given a second chance and found loving homes in 2020 because you took action to support our education and adoption programs!
Please know that everything PEAC has accomplished these (almost 25!) years, has been because of your compassion and continued dedication to supporting our parrots. Help us make our next year the best one yet!
With deep gratitude,
Kelly Flynn, President, Parrot Education and Adoption Center
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