September Is Here And So Are More Babies!

Hello friends!

Well, it feels like springtime here at the barn with all of our new babies! We recently posted a video of our latest newborns, Ash, Willow, and Juniper. Be sure to check it out when you get a chance and see them in all of their fuzzy glory. Nemo is so excited, as are the other animals, over the little ducks. They seem pretty excited to be here too!

We wanted to take another moment to say THANK YOU all again for our beautiful trailer! We couldn’t have gotten it without you all and now we can rest easy knowing that should we need to transport Big Bodhi Boy or any of the other sweeties, we won’t have any trouble getting them where they need to be. We are so grateful for your support, in all of its many forms.

SAVE THE DATE: Guess what time it is (almost)? Get your bowling gear ready and your friendly competitive spirit ignited because our annual Bowling Tourney is right around the corner! There will be more information coming your way shortly, but for now, mark your calendars for Saturday, October 22. We always have so much fun and donations all go towards Kindness Camp sponsorship as well as towards the rescue animals here at the barn. The Bowling Tourney will be held at the same location this year at Paramount Bowl, 2625 Kipling Street, Wheat Ridge, CO 80215. If you don’t live close enough to join us but you still want to participate, you can always sponsor a bowler or a team. Sponsorship allows for kids who are in the foster system or in residential treatment to have a day of fun bowling too! Stay tuned for more to come!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We will have Animal Assisted Therapy/Activity Groups for kids starting in October. Every child will have a mentor and these groups will focus on building confidence, fostering kindness and compassion (for self and others), developing respect for self and others, and encouraging laughter, cooperation, and purpose. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer mentor for this program or would like more information on volunteering in general please go here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html#volunteer to sign up and inquire. You are appreciated!

Our Animal Spotlight for September is shining brightly on two of our sweetest souls here at the barn, Lottie and Gertie. Lottie came to us from Longhopes Donkey Shelter and they were, thankfully, able to pull her from the kill buyer. She came in with her burro buddy and constant companion, Gertie. These two sweet girls are minis and they absolutely LOVE humans, especially children. Lottie has appointed herself as the main guard to the barn at night. I will oftentimes see her sweet face poking around the door to get a better look at what is going on out in the dark. Lottie will rest her head on my shoulder if I am working or meditating down in the barn. I pull the bucket out to sit on and Lottie makes a bee line to where I am sitting to move in close and add to the peaceful vibes that ring through the barn. Lottie is about 19 years old. If you would like to sponsor Lottie or Gertie, or any of our sweet animal friends, we invite you to read about each of them and decide which one speaks to your heart. Your generous donations are what help Project: Thrive to, well, thrive! For more information, please go here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/rescues.html.

Don’t forget, Project: Thrive is going LIVE!!! We are going to be live each Sunday during Volunteer Time (usually sometime between 12:00 noon to 2:00pm Mountain Time). Keep an eye on Facebook as we will announce when we are close to go time! You can ask us questions and tell us who you would like to say hello to that day and we will do our best to accommodate. The animals are loving it, we hope you are too! See you then!

We enjoy you all so very much and we are so happy to have you be a part of Project:Thrive! Thank you for all that you do including your continued support and encouragement. The animals couldn’t ask for better friends.

(Pictured: Lottie and Gertie love being read to by this sweet little storyteller; our new trailer; Mama Brie, Nemo, and the three newest ducklings- Ash, Willow, and Juniper!)

With much gratitude,

Project:Thrive

Baby On Board!!!!

Hello friends!

IT’S A BOY!!!!! That’s right, we have a new baby duck at the barn and we have named him Nemo. It has been awhile since we have had a newborn here and the animals and volunteers are beside themselves with joy. We couldn’t be more thrilled with his arrival. Nemo came from the egg of two of our rescued ducks. When Brie, the mother duck, wouldn’t tend to it we took it inside and incubated the egg assuming it had been fertilized. We are so glad we did because he is just darling. What a lucky boy to be born at such a loving, safe place. Welcome to the world little Nemo!

We are so happy to report that our inaugural “Our Sustainable World Film Festival” was a wonderful success. This was brand new territory for us and we couldn’t have pulled it off without the tremendous support of our sponsors, volunteers, the filmmakers, the musical performers, and the great community support we received. The films sparked awareness, questions, and hopefully continued action. We had a fabulous vegan dinner and sweets prepared by our very own amazing volunteers. Not only was this event educational and thought provoking, it also offered an opportunity for everyone to mingle and discuss ideas on how they can be a part of this important movement. We all had such a truly wonderful evening and we have already begun planning next year’s event! Thank you to all that helped make this evening so spectacular and we hope to see you all again next year!

If you have been following Project: Thrive for any period of time now, you are well aware that we always have something new and exciting on the horizon. We are truly on a mission and we invite you all along on this journey. We have something very special we are working on and it is currently in the pipeline for its big reveal. For now, we will offer some information on this heartfelt project as it is in its beginning stages, but we hope you will stay tuned as it unfolds and comes to life. We are working on plans to open Project: Thrive Village. PTV, as we refer to it, is all about creating an environmentally conscious self-sustaining community which is respectful and protective of all lives and will continue and grow Project: Thrive’s mission. PTV will focus on homelessness prevention by offering housing in onsite tiny homes, provide onsite jobs and life skills as well as therapeutic opportunities. Project: Thrive Village will focus its homelessness prevention program on young adults in the GLBT community and on previous foster children. Both of these groups have been shown to have an increased risk for homelessness. We will keep you posted on our progress and may even ask for some help along the way if you are interested. Please stay tuned!

Project: Thrive is going LIVE!!! We are going to be live each Sunday during Volunteer Time (usually sometime between 12:00 noon to 2:00pm Mountain Time). Keep an eye on Facebook as we will announce when we are close to go time! You can ask us questions and tell us who you would like to say hello to that day and we will do our best to accommodate. The animals were a little nervous when we told them about their screen time but we explained to them that they have many fans and people who love them so now they are ready for the limelight! They can’t wait to say hello to all of their friends in Facebook land.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!! We will have Animal Assisted Therapy/Activity Groups for kids starting this fall. Every child will have a mentor and these groups will focus on building confidence, fostering kindness and compassion (for self and others), developing respect for self and others, and encouraging laughter, cooperation, and purpose. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer mentor for this program or would like more information on volunteering in general please go here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html#volunteer to sign up and inquire.

Last month our animal spotlight was on little Pearl so it only seems fitting that this month we shine the light on her favorite sidekick, Poppy. Mr. Poppy came to us after being rescued from a dire situation. He was two weeks old and we began bottle feeding him when he arrived. Poppy is a character and didn’t hesitate to introduce himself to the other barn residents. He marched right up to Bodhi and stood in front of him until he was noticed and acknowledged. From the chickens to the goats to the pig, he has made friends with each one through his persistence. Poppy never knew his mama and was called a “bum” lamb. That means he was rejected or orphaned at birth. We took him into our arms and he calls to us and follows us around like we have always been his mommy (which I guess we really have). His favorite thing in the world is to playfully head butt Violet the pig from behind and to crawl up into our laps and be sung to. His little face rubs up against mine as he listens to his name being sung over and over. Our Poppy has certainly stolen all of our hearts. If you would like to sponsor Poppy or any of our sweet animal friends we invite you to read about each of them and decide which one speaks to your heart. Your generous donations are what help Project: Thrive to, well, thrive! For more information, please go here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/rescues.html

As always, from the bottom of our hearts, we THANK YOU! Thank you for your continued support, for spreading the word about what we do, for allowing these sweet animals to become part of your world, for believing in our mission, and for your kindness. Thank you.

(Pictured: Nemo our new duckling, Jenn who is one of the driving forces of PTV, Poppy getting kisses from our fabulous volunteer Eden – who is multitasking and brushing Violet the pig, and The Marquee from our Film Fest event).

Project: Thrive

The Film Fest Is Coming!

Hello friends!

The barn is filled with so much excitement this month! We and the animals can barely contain our joy! It is finally here. This month, in just a week and a few days, we will be celebrating our inaugural “Our Sustainable World Film Festival” (https://www.facebook.com/events/1048752108552215/ ) that will be taking place Sunday, July 24 at 1:15 PM- 10 PM at The Oriental Theater in Denver. The films to be shown are Revolution, Cowspiracy:  The Sustainability Secret, Baraka:  A World Beyond Words, and Racing Extinction.  These amazing films were chosen to promote awareness regarding sustainability, and all profits will be donated to Project:Thrive!  In addition, fantastic musical entertainment will be provided by Kristi Stice and Gypsy Swing Revue.

This is a big deal for us and for the community and we are over the moon about this event! We certainly hope you will be able to attend. If you are not in the local area, we ask that you play a role in this monumental experience by sharing the information with your friends and family on Facebook! We appreciate the help getting the word out and if this year is as successful as we anticipate then we will hope to continue it for years to come. Also, if you want to be a part of the event but you are unable to attend, you can always make a general donation to Project: Thrive and those funds will help with this event as well as the general running of Project: Thrive. A great way to make a huge impact! Donations can be made via our Facebook Page: (https://www.facebook.com/projectthrivedenver/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel ) or via our main website: (http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/).

Our animal spotlight this month is on sweet Pearl. Pearl came to us as a lamb through the local animal shelter. She was so terrified of humans and other animals that it was impossible to comfort her. It took her a little time but she slowly began to warm up to Bodhi (who was a calf at the time, and much, much smaller than he is now!). She seemed to feel safe when she was near him and her confidence began to grow. Pearl has come so far during her time here that now she will run to greet humans and will even let strangers pet her and give her attention. She loves to play with the goats, Bodhi, and Violet (the pig) now. It is so gratifying to watch her interact with such giddiness and enthusiasm. Pearl also really enjoys being sung to while having her coat brushed. When you hear the phrase ‘Gentle as a Lamb’, think of Pearl. She is gentle, loving and happy. She is pictured here giving kisses to one of our awesome volunteers, Layne!

If you love animals and would like to make a difference, Project:Thrive is always looking for volunteers to join our sweet team. Perhaps you want to work one on one with the animals, or maybe you want to help with the administrative side or the creative side, there are so many opportunities to share your individual talents here. For more information or sign up please go here: (http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html#volunteer).

Perhaps you might want to be a part of what Project:Thrive is doing but maybe you live too far away to volunteer? Maybe you have thought about contributing in some way but you aren’t sure how? Well, many of our sweet furry friends are still in need of monthly sponsors! For as little as $15/per month you can make an enormous difference in the lives of these animals. Every penny of your monthly donation goes towards fulfilling the needs of your animal of choice. It is a fun and inexpensive way to know you are making an impactful difference in the life of one of these sweet souls. Whichever animal speaks to you, there is an opportunity for sponsorship (sponsorship amounts vary by animal). To read about the animals we have available for sponsorship and to sign up today for monthly donations please go here to find out more: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/rescues.html .

As always, we appreciate you all for your continued support and kindness. Thank you for continuing to spread the word about Project: Thrive and for making us a part of your world. If you are new to the Project: Thrive family, you can find out more about who we are and what we strive for here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/index.html .

Summer Fun At The Barn Begins!

Hello friends!

June is upon us and we are still catching our breath from a very happy, busy May! We had a fantastic turn out for our three separate school field trips and everyone, including the animals, had a wonderful time. We are so thankful to the volunteers who helped make these days so successful, and to the teachers, parents, and children who gave us their time and attentiveness. The children participated in a variety of interactive activities while here including learning about recycling with some hands on exercises, grooming the animals, reading to the animals (one of the animals favorite parts), and more. We made a lot of new friends and hopefully the children will continue to build on what they learned about the animals and recycling while they were here.

This month we are gearing up for our inaugural “Our Sustainable World Film Festival” https://www.facebook.com/events/1048752108552215/ that will be taking place Sunday, July 24 at 1:15 PM- 10 PM at The Oriental Theater in Denver. Through June 16 (or while supplies last) we will have a limited number of Film Festival t-shirts for sale. They feature our unspoken team mascot on the front, Bodhi! The artwork is from local artists here in Colorado and proceeds will go to Project:Thrive. There are a variety of colors to choose from and only a limited time to order, so hurry and get yours today! You will be the talk of the town in this one of a kind wearable piece of artwork all while promoting a wonderful cause. We hope you will also be able to join us for the festival in July; you can even wear your shirt! Bodhi would be quite proud. For more information and to purchase your shirt please go to: https://www.booster.com/projecthrive .

We have another event coming up in early July that we are all a MOO about. Pet Painting for Project Thrive will take place July 14^th from 6 PM – 9:30 PM at Lil’ Angel, 1014 S. Gaylord Street, Denver, CO 80209. Come paint a picture of your favorite pet, or even one of the furry members of Project:Thrive, while sipping on wine and munching on yummy snacks in great company! Call Lil’ Angel (303-777-0224) to sign up today! When registering, please use code: Project Thrive. A deposit of $10 will be due at the time of registration with $50 due at the event (total cost is $60.00). Bring a photo of the pet you would like to paint. Draw and paint instructions, all supplies, snacks, and wine will be provided. Space is very limited. This event is brought to you by the generosity of: Lil’ Angel Pet Boutique and Gallery (www.lilangelpetboutique.com ) and Muddy Paws Bath House (www.muddypawsbathhouse.com ).

Our animal spotlight this month is on Augie the Goat! He is such a character. When visitors come by he is one of the first to the gate to say hello. Once you make your way onto the pasture you can count on many nuzzles from this silly little guy. He is a people “person” and he just loves attention. Give him some cuddles and you have a lifelong friend. Augie loves to explore and can be found in some pretty bizarre places, including curled up snoozing in the feed tray (to the surprise of his brothers and sisters). Augie is similar to that one friend we all have who has the best sense of humor and can always find a way to make you smile. Augie is pictured above during a reading session with one of the students from our recent field trips and he loves being read to! Thank you Augie for being the class clown and for always bringing us a smile or two, or three.

Have you ever thought you might want to be a part of what Project:Thrive is doing but maybe you live too far away to volunteer? Maybe you have thought about contributing in some way but you aren’t sure how? Well, many of our sweet furry friends are still in need of monthly sponsors! For as little as $15/per month you can make an enormous difference in the lives of these animals. Every penny of your monthly donation goes towards fulfilling the needs of your animal of choice. It is a fun and inexpensive way to know you are making a compassionate difference in the life of one of these sweet souls. Perhaps you have a great sense of humor and you can identify with Augie the goat! He would love to have you as a sponsor! Whichever animal speaks to you, there is an opportunity for sponsorship (sponsorship amounts vary by animal). To read about the animals we have available for sponsorship and to sign up today for monthly donations please go here to find out more: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/rescues.html .

As always, we appreciate you all for your continued support and kindness. Thank you for continuing to spread the word about Project: Thrive and for making us a part of your world. If you are new to the Project: Thrive family, you can find out more about who we are and what we strive for here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/index.html .

With gratitude,

Project: Thrive

Bodhi's New Friend

 

Hello friends!

May is gearing up to be a very thrilling month here at Project: Thrive and we are getting ready for quite an eventful summer as well! The excitement is building and we hope you can be a part of some of the wonderful activities we have coming up.

We have three big Kindness Camps/Field Trips booked and we are in need of additional volunteers who are interested in helping teach the children about compassion, kindness, and responsible living through learning about and interacting with the animals. The camps are currently scheduled for May 16, May 24, and June 2. If you have some time to spare and would like to participate with any, or all, of these wonderful days just let us know and we will get you set up. The animals would love to see you too!

If you haven’t heard the big news, tickets for our inaugural “Our Sustainable World Film Festival” are on sale now! The festival is being held Sunday, July 24 at 1:15pm – 10:00pm at The Oriental Theater located at 4334 W 44^th Ave, Denver, Colorado 80212. Films to be shown during Our Sustainable World Film Festival are by some of the most talented, innovative film makers in the industry. Our line-up includes: Revolution, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, Baraka: A World Beyond Words, and Racing Extinction. Musical entertainment for the evening will be provided by Kristi Stice and Gypsy Swing Revue. For more information including how to purchase tickets for this one of a kind occasion, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1048752108552215/ . This is the start of a beautiful tradition and we would love for you to be a part of it!

We feel so completely honored to have been one of 6 nonprofits featured in the 2015 Annual Report of the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance Group. What wonderful exposure for the work we are trying to do here at Project: Thrive! We hope you will take a moment to read the article that we are so proud of. Have a look here: 2015 Annual Report of the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance Group. Our story can be found on page 16 of the report. Very exciting, indeed.

Our animal spotlight this month is on our Bodhi Boy, pictured above. Consider this your moment of Moo. We gave Bodhi a new toy recently and little did we know how much he would love his new friend, the giant inflatable green ball. Bodhi will not part with his ball and he pushes it around with his nose and gives it big kisses too. The other day we watched as he was chasing it around in the high winds like a puppy chasing a tennis ball. The other night we noticed he was in the pasture standing over his ball trying to nudge it around and play. To his dismay and bewilderment, it was half deflated and wasn’t budging. He kept looking up in an attempt to get something done immediately about his deflated friend and couldn’t understand why we didn’t jump to his attention after several pleading moos. Well, it was late and after the chores of the barn and getting everyone settled for the evening we just didn’t have time to help his green friend before locking up and turning in for the evening. The next morning there Bodhi was laying out in the field with his goat and sheep siblings and the big green, now fully deflated, ball. He looked so sad that we couldn’t delay any longer. We finally brought his green ball friend back to life and all was right in the world of Bodhi once more. 

Thank you all so very much for all that you do to support our sweet sanctuary. We appreciate every single effort and hope you will continue to spread the word so that we may continue to grow and help even more children and animals through our combined work.

With much gratitude,

Project: Thrive

The Rainbow Bridge

It is with heavy hearts we share the news that we recently lost three very special souls here at the barn. Our sweet blogging chicken, Little, along with two of her duck friends, Lulu and Minnie, were victims of a fox attack. The attacks occurred during the day and we were quick to discover that the culprit was a very sick young fox who was in desperate need of medical care. The fox returned to the barn a few days later and we were able to detain her and take her to a nearby wildlife refuge. They were able to aid in her recovery and she will be returned to the wild in another location. Though we are deeply devastated over our losses, our hearts are filled knowing we were able to save Ms. Fox. We do everything in our power daily to protect the sweet souls here at the barn but sometimes in life the unexpected happens, much to our dismay.

Little, Lulu, and Minnie enjoyed a very happy life here at Project:Thrive and they brought us much joy while they were with us. Little was starting to take the world by storm with her blog and we know that she would want us to pick up where she left off and continue her journey. We will continue to blog our latest news, upcoming events, and recent happenings here with the animals to keep you updated and informed. Little would have wanted it that way.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement, we appreciate it more than you could ever know.  

Project:Thrive

Will you be my Valentine?

Hello all of my sweet Valentines!

Well, I don’t know about you but this little chicken has been very busy! So much going on at the barn these days. Just the other day there was the Super Bowl which I thought meant my dinner was going to be presented in a super big bowl, but it wasn’t. Evidently it was some kind of game between a horse and a big cat. Mom told us the horse won. That doesn’t surprise me though because Roja, my horse sister here at the barn is very strong and big, but also very gentle. She can run really fast though. So, that is all I know about all of that. I like cats and horses.

We had a lot of snow not too long ago and it makes it hard for a little chicken with little legs to get very far. Mom shoveled me a path so I could get around to see my friends, so that was very nice. I like the snow. I enjoy catching snowflakes on my beak and making chicken snow angles too! What is your most favorite thing about snow? Perhaps one day I will learn how to ski. I bet I would surprise a lot of people coming down the slopes!

Guess what? We have a new friend visiting at the barn! She is furry like my other brothers and sisters, she likes hay, and she is big and likes to run around the pasture. She is not human. She is a horse! Just like Roja. Her name is Grey but we call her Greycie because she is so pretty and graceful. Her human friends that she used to stay with needed some help caring for her so my mom brought her in to play with us for a while. We are so excited. Roja and Greycie have become the best of friends. Everyone here at the barn loves her. One time Bodhi was trying to eat her hay and Greycie told him real quick that wasn’t ok so he mooed and moooooved along. She is a little scared of the ducks when they waddle towards her, which I think is so silly! It is so much fun having her here. It is like having a slumber party every night. She likes when the volunteers come to visit because everyone wants to brush her and love on her. We know how to make someone feel welcome here at Project: Thrive!

My New Year’s Resolution of getting 10,000 likes to our Facebook page is moving right along. Thank you to every single one of you who invited your friends to like us! We have had several hundred new friends join us and I will tell you what, it sure does make a chicken feel good! Those of you that still want to play along and help us out, just click on the left hand side of our page where it says “Invite friends to like this page” and you can choose who you want to send the invitation to. Isn’t that the most fun you have ever had? Let’s see how many we can get this month!

We also have a very exciting crowd funding happening for about another month or so. Basically, Bodhi Boy is enormous and though he thinks he is a lap dog, he is just too big to sit in a car with his head out the window. So, we really need a trailer to transport him and my bigger brothers and sisters to the vet when they need to go. So many human friends have already donated and every little bit helps! If you or someone you know can help we would really appreciate it! You can go here http://www.loveanimals.org/farm/a-trailer-for-bodhi.html to find out more and donate if you can! Even just sharing the information with your friends is a big deal and we appreciate it tremendously.

We are always looking for volunteers and my brothers and sisters could all use sponsors too! We are all able to be here safe and warm because of people like YOU! So thank you, thank you for all of your love and support. If you are new to the Project: Thrive family and want to know more about my home and what goes on here at the barn, you can find lots of fun facts and information here http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/index.html.  I think the most important thing to mention though is that if you volunteer at the barn you get to see ME! That is kind of a big deal. Just sayin’.

That is all for now. I have included a picture of me and my sister Pearl. She was trying to teach me how to fly in this picture by nudging me off of my perch. It didn’t work. Oh well, I will keep trying! I hope you all enjoy your February and I will pop back by again in March with some fun updates. Thank you for supporting my chicken blog and for loving Project: Thrive as much as I do!

Sending you all so much love, cluck, cluck, cluck-

Little x