2020 Update and Holiday Greeting
Happy holidays everyone from the volunteers, board, and flock here at MAARS! We hope you’re all happy and healthy, and that we can look forward to a better year in 2021.
The past year has certainly brought its share of hurdles as we’ve all learned to navigate the world in a pandemic, and the idea of gratitude has never been more on our minds than it is this year.
The world has become a more challenging place than ever for rescues and non-profits to navigate. Independent Sector, a coalition of non-profits, reported that 83% of organizations experienced a reduction in revenue, and 53% of organizations experienced a reduction in individual giving this year.
All of this makes us even more grateful for all of your support throughout the year, and, while we want to take the time to reassure you that we remain incredibly passionate about continuing to do everything possible to protect the well-being of our volunteers, we would also ask that you all keep in mind that we’re completely dependent on your donations. Our flock needs your continued support, whether in the form of goods, funds, or time, today and in the future.
That said, life does go on as usual at MAARS in many ways, and we do have some fun things to share from the past year.
New Website Design
In late 2019, we began to undertake a major overhaul of our previous website. While still filled with great info and stories, the old site had become dated over the years and was ready for a refresh.
The new site was rolled out just before the end of the year in 2019, and we continue to tweak the look and feel of the page and continue to add to the content.
We hope you’ll stop by often to see what changes we’ve made as we continue to build the site out.
Online Auction Results
We also just completed a very successful online auction with all the proceeds going to MAARS and the flock.
We were able to raise a significant amount from this, and we want to thank our long-time volunteer Heidi Hosinski for her efforts in organizing and managing the auction.
We would also like to share our gratitude to all of you who took part, whether by bidding on items or volunteering your time to help. We’re all excited to do this again come spring, and we hope you’ll keep your eye out as the winter goes on for more details.
Shelter Improvements
Many of you are aware of the significant fundraising campaign we began in late spring of last year as we worked to #SpreadOurWings and build towards relocating to a new facility with more to offer for our flock.
Since then, we’ve made it a strong priority to continue making improvements on our current home to make it the best home possible for the birds today and strengthen our investment in the building when the time comes to move on.
The first few months of the year have seen us replace the boiler that came with the building, which will lead to much more efficient heating and lower energy costs. We’ve also continued to replace the flooring throughout the building.
We all know there’s no such thing as truly “bird-proof,” but we keep working towards a facility that’s as capable of standing up to the rigors of a large flock of parrots as possible.
The MAARS Mission and Your Support
None of us know what the upcoming year will hold for us, but one thing we know for certain is that MAARS will continue in its mission to both care for our current flock and to raise public awareness of the crisis wild birds face in captivity.
The passion of our volunteers and leaders remains unwavering, and we will still be working hard when the current pandemic crisis abates. To ensure we’re able to continue to provide the birds with the care they deserve, we need your help more than ever. Please, if you have the means, consider donating to support our flock, either with a one-time or a recurring donation.
If you’re already donating, please know we’re immensely grateful, and your continued support is essential for the welfare of this flock we’ve all come to know and love. If you’d like more information on how you can donate please head to our donation page, where you can find stories about the flock and the services we provide for them.
As always, our deepest thanks for your continued support, and may your holiday season be filled with joy!
Galiena Cimperman
Executive Director
MAARS
Support the Flock
Support the flock by purchasing unique holiday gifts from the flock including the 2021 Flock calendar, original paintings, new prints, and new greeting cards. 100% of the profits from the sales of items purchased through MAARS go directly to providing care for the MAARS flock.
You can also assist MAARS’ mission by making a tax-deductible donation, following us on Facebook and supporting our Bird of the Month, choosing MAARS as your designated charity through Amazon’s Smile program or through your sales on eBay for Charity, shopping through iGive, GoodShop, or providing food for the flock at Nuts.com.
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