On September 18, 2015, I (Hoann) attended the Wishing Well Sanctuary’s inaugural fundraiser, Ballgowns ‘n Boots, along with Cosmopawlitan groomer, Marianne.
The event was held at The Old Mill Inn in Toronto. We enjoyed an exquisite and scrumptious vegan meal, beautiful rustic decor and florals, a huge silent auction (Marianne won 2 items plus the centrepiece!), a live painting demo of the sanctuary ducks by artist Mark Grice who auctioned off his painting, awesome music by a DJ and live band Shawn Brady, and thought-provoking talks by Humane Education and Mercy for Animals. I was particularly touched by the speech by Wishing Well Sanctuary volunteer coordinator, Mona, about why she started volunteering there and how the experience has changed her life for the better. Founder, Brenda Bronfman, also shared her story about why she started the sanctuary and its mission to promote compassion and peace for all beings. The purpose of this place deeply resonates with me. Snapd media has their event coverage posted here.
I first visited the sanctuary in 2013 on my wedding anniversary as a fun little trip. It was their Open House. Click here for photos. The sanctuary is only an hour’s drive north of Toronto in the town of Bradford. As soon as you enter the grounds, you feel a sense of peace and calm. There was an aura of love in every little detail from the benches to each structure to the people there. The animals were peaceful, loved and cared for. There were horses, ducks, chicken, sheep, goats, a llama, pigs, cows, donkeys and even a barn cat… and a team of dedicated volunteers. I felt instantly connected to this place and wanted to go back.
I returned later that winter, just once, with former Cosmopawlitan employee, Tara, to volunteer. We spent the day changing bedding, preparing meals, helping out with general chores. It was so wonderful being with the animals. Despite dressing for the weather I found it COLD! How do they do this day in, day out?! Kudos to the one & only employee and the team of volunteers who help out rain or shine, in freezing cold temperatures to sweltering heat. If they don’t care for the animals, who will? Their commitment is truly inspiring. And the animals? It must get cold for them too! Heat lamps were going, there was lots of hay laid down and there was shelter but it was freezing! This is one of the reasons for the Ballgowns ‘n Boots fundraiser.
Phase 1 of the Wishing Well Sanctuary’s barn restoration project is to fix up the part of the barn housing the pigs and sheep so they can stay a bit warmer this upcoming winter 2015-16. They’ve been doing patch-work fixes but the fundraiser was put on in hopes of raising the $30,000 needed for a proper restoration. They still need lots of help reaching this goal. If you feel moved to help, you can donate here. Every little bit helps!
To find out more about the Wishing Well Sanctuary, click here.
[…] Read about the event recap here. […]