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Wands for Wildlife
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2017/06 - June
A couple of months ago, Savannah Trantham, president and co-founder of Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, a Western North Carolina wildlife non-profit rehab center, had a wand-derful revelation.
She was cleaning out her make-up drawer and came across several old tubes of mascara. Knowing the secret power of the mascara wands, she cleaned them off, laid them out and took a photo to share on Facebook. She wanted to let her friends know how they could save wild lives just by a simple act of recycling. Turns out the old mascara wands are used by wildlife rehabilitators to help remove fly eggs and larva from the fur of animals. They work great because the bristles are soft and are so close together.
A friend who sells makeup wanted to share the post on her business page, so Savannah made it public.
Then the magic really began! Yahoo picked it up and made a short video, encouraging more response – to a tune of over 3.2 million views!
At first local supporters sent a few dozen. Each day a few more arrived. A few days into the solicitation, nothing was in Appalachian Wild’s post office box but a single note: “See the postmaster.” When the storeroom door was opened, Savannah and co-founder Kimberly Brewster instantly teared-up, for before them was a mountain of packages. The Appalachian Wild video had gone viral and a mountain of boxes lay stacked before them.
Savannah and Kimberly are still reeling with excitement. They hope a celebrity animal advocate will adopt their cause and keep their momentum rolling. They are unveiling a new wildlife triage facility soon. It will need supplies and equipment to fill it. Goodness knows there’s no shortage of animals to fill it.
Right now they rely on a team of dedicated volunteers who share their homes, time, and wallets to house and rehabilitate orphaned and injured wildlife. Savannah and Kimberly want to build on this foundation to make a world-class wildlife rehabilitation center. Help them by donating an item or two on their Wish List – #WandsforWildlife
Appalachian Wild is located just outside Asheville and welcomes inquiries and donations from their supporters all over Western North Carolina.
Visit appalachianwild.org or contact them (and send donations from their Wish List) to: Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 1211, Skyland, NC 28776, or email them at [email protected].
