All Nonprofits Great and Small
With a nod to James Herriot, this week I was reminded yet again of the toughness of farm animals and the beneficence of community, especially that which is channeled through nonprofit organizations and propelled by social media.
Rewind to Friday before last when a goat – now known as “Betty White” – wandered into the yard we share with neighbors in a quiet neighborhood in Southeast Seattle. After several days of watching Seattle Animal Control officers attempt to catch her, seeing her panic and bolt, and then witnessing her return to the yard without fail (those ripe Japanese pears are hard to resist), we turned to Craigslist and posted a message about a “lost goat” in Seward Park.
On Monday morning, a glimmer of hope arrived in the form of an email from Ellen at New Moon Farm Goat Rescue and Sanctuary. She offered – on Labor Day no less – to hoof it down to our place to help with the goat. Ellen, we soon learned, is crazy about goats and recently received tax-exempt status for New Moon to “rescue, rehabilitate, and adopt animals in need.”
We also learned that there are a lot of other people out there who are crazy about goats. Ellen has a Facebook page for New Moon and began posting updates on Betty’s situation and our shared quest to give her a new lease on life. The comments and “likes” started pouring in. Several people offered to join Ellen for the rescue attempt. Betty escaped us on Monday but yesterday Ellen returned with two of her goats and together with six other humans and a Border Collie, she captured Betty and took her home to New Moon. Here’s Betty “smiling,” as one Facebook fan commented last night.
There are three things I love about this story. First, without Craigslist and Facebook, Ellen and her comrades could not have come to the rescue. Second, we are stronger together than alone – it took a cavalry of sorts to bring Betty to her new home. Third, Ellen’s passion for animals was validated by the IRS: in this country it is acceptable to form a tax-exempt organization focused on an unmet need such as rescuing mistreated animals. The real Betty White would be proud.
Leave a Reply