Last year, over 4500 hours of Volunteer time were given to the Sanctuary.   As this indicates, our Volunteers are very important to our ongoing work.   There are many ways that you can take part.

In the most general terms, each DSC volunteer falls into one of two groups. On Volunteers’ Day (2nd Saturday in May) and DONKEY DAY (2nd Sunday in June) we have need of dozens and dozens of people who will contribute their skills. Whether they paint a window, pick up rocks, clean a paddock, mend a fence, cook a grilled cheese sandwich, relate the donkeys’ stories, or help to park cars: all are doing specific jobs that need to be done in order for our facility to function or for us to raise much-needed funds.

The second group of volunteers, however, is made up of people who are seeking a different kind of experience. They come out to assist in that area of equine care that is commonly referred to as ‘grooming’. This is very much a symbiotic activity: benefits to each party arise out of the process. For the donkeys, regular grooming helps to improve both circulation and the quality of their coats. At the same time, the brushing itself is extremely soothing for the animal who, coincidentally, is becoming more at ease in human company.

This second kind of volunteering is in many ways more abstract. There are no goals to be met (how many donkeys can I groom in an hour?) nor major skills learned (an introductory session usually serves to teach the basics). Instead, grooming is an activity wherein two beings, one homo sapiens and the other equine, can come together to share in a mutually beneficial act. The exercise should be approached as an experience in and of the now. It is worlds away from most day to day lives and there is little more to be gained from it than the extremely gratifying sensation of living in the moment, in the present, moving the brush or curry comb back and forth on the donkey’s body.

Our volunteers come out to help on any day of the week (NB: We can not accommodate any more Saturday volunteers until further notice.) The commitment can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
Interested? If so, come to the Sanctuary Farm for an orientation/training session. These are held 4 times a year on Saturday mornings at 10. Future training/orientation sessions will be on:

• Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 10

If you plan to attend, we advise you to wear old clothes, boots and bring work gloves. When you arrive, go through the gate and park in the parking lot near the end of the lane. Go right down to the barn and ask for Kyle. We look forward to meeting you.

Each donkey and mule at the Sanctuary Farm is examined and groomed at least every week, if not more frequently, and it is with the help of our wonderful volunteers that we can realize this goal. In addition, there are always special maintenance chores that need to be done.

DSC Volunteers should be at least 16 years of age. We will train you in the fine art of grooming donkeys and mules and you will have the opportunity to share in a world that is quiet and peaceful, far far away from your daily concerns.

To begin, our Volunteers come out on Saturdays 9-12, year round. Once experience has been gained, you are welcome on any day of the week.

Interested? If so, come to the Sanctuary Farm on any Saturday morning. Park in the lot and go right down to the barn. Our staff will answer questions and show you the right end of a hoof pick.

Saturday, June 12th 2010 - Set Up Day
Sunday, June 13th 2010 - DONKEY DAY!!

If you can join us, please call 519-836-0697 or email info@thedonkeysanctuary.ca . See you then!

MEET, GREET AND GUIDE

The DSC Farm is open to the public on Wednesdays and Sundays, May 1st - Thanksgiving. Over the years we have come to appreciate that many of our visitors like to talk (!). They have questions to ask, observations to make and there is lots of information to share with them.

We are looking for Volunteers, 16 years and older, who can commit to attendance on at least one Open Day per month. There will be a training session in April and another in June. You will be asked to greet our visitors, to introduce our work, our wonderful residents and to answer questions. Don’t worry, there will always be staff around to fill in any blanks.

If you can help in this way, please call 519-836-1697 or email us at info@thedonkeysanctuary.ca

PHOTOGRAPHY

Is photography your hobby? If so, we would appreciate to share your skills.

There are good donkey pictures and not so good donkey pictures. We are always looking for the former, for use on our website especially. If you work with a digital camera and are available to come to the Sanctuary on a regular basis to photograph our residents, we would love to hear from you.

Please call 519-836-1697 or email us info@thedonkeysanctuary.ca

Of course, photographic credit will always be given!