New Location!

WE HAVE MOVED! Please continue to follow us at our official blog location HERE. We have so much to share and we look forward to having you along for the fun! See you soon!

Piggy Paradise

Hello friends!

Whoever believes that pigs are not smart have clearly never spent any time with pigs! They really are like a two year old! You all know Miss Daisy, one of the newest additions to the barn. Well, she has been keeping us on our toes. We received Daisy as a little piglet so she isn’t quite as calm as sweet (sometimes grumpy) older Miss Violet.  Daisy is as darling as can be and thrives on attention but boy is she clever. Her latest mission has been to find new ways out of the fencing so we continue to try and stay one step ahead of her plots. Ever try to outsmart a little piggy? Well, it isn’t easy! We have given her dog treat dispensers and even tried giving her Bodhi’s big treat dispenser to keep her occupied, but both have been short lived. We would love some ideas from you all on some new, creative, and safe means to keep this girl entertained and out of mischief. She might just be upset because she doesn’t have a sponsor yet, so if any of you animal lovers out there would like to sponsor Daisy, we would be grateful. She loves being the center of attention and you would just absolutely make her day. Sponsoring her would most definitely be an oink of a good time!

Has anyone noticed anything new about the look of Project: Thrive? If you guessed a new, updated website then you are absolutely correct! Take a few minutes and check out the official website for Project:Thrive.  We think we looked pretty good before, but now we are just simply dazzling! We can’t stop looking at ourselves. The creative genius behind our revamped site is no other than our amazing volunteer Lisa Crowe. Lisa is the owner/operator/designer of Lightshine Design, a web design/graphic artistry company. We are so lucky to have such talent helping us here at Project: Thrive. If you are looking for web design work or graphic design, check out Lisa’s official website at Lightshine Design. A big, heartfelt thank you to Lisa for keeping us looking beautiful and functioning properly in the web-o-sphere. 

We have another great big shout out to give and that goes to every single one of you that helped in covering the costs for the barn kittens. We are in the process of getting them vetted and will have pictures of the little cuties coming soon. You all never cease to amaze us. We asked for help and you came rushing to our side. What a big difference you have made in the lives of these kitties. From all of us here at the barn, thank you!

It’s about that time again. Springtime! You know what that means. Lots and lots of kiddos coming out to enjoy the animals and learn about treating all living beings with kindness and compassion. That also means that we need volunteers. Groups, schools, and various organizations have already inquired about scheduling time to come out this spring. We will let you know specific dates and further information as it gets closer, but if you have any interest in volunteering with us during these events, please reach out and let us know via our Volunteer Page.

Don’t forget that even though we have a lot of volunteer opportunities here on site with the animals, we also have many opportunities to volunteer remotely. We know there are a lot of creative juices out there and we would love for you to share your ideas and talents with us. If you are interested, let us know how you think you can best help. We would love to hear your thoughts. Drop us a line on our Volunteer Page. With so many mouths to feed and care to give, we are always in need of donations and sponsors. If you have a little extra and you want to contribute to Project: Thrive and support our mission, we would be very appreciative. To learn more about making a donation please visit our website to DONATE. Don’t forget about AmazonSmiles! Remember that with AmazonSmiles, whenever you place an order, a portion of the proceeds will be directed to the charity of your choice at no additional cost to you. What a great way to support an organization like Project: Thrive!

As always, thank you all for your continued support and generosity. We appreciate you more than you could know.

(Pictures: Daisy the pig loves to wear pink! And two of our amazing, amazing volunteers with Bodhi- what a lucky boy.)

In Kindness,

Project: Thrive

It Takes A Village.

Hello friends,

Happy New Year! We hope 2017 is shaping up to be everything you had hoped for so far and treating you all very well. It is a new year and wonderful things are happening here at the barn including new opportunities to help our community as well as help even more animals! We hope you will find something here that interests you and we encourage you to get involved in any way you can. Lots of positive momentum here at Project:Thrive and we couldn’t be more excited.

We are looking to expand and grow. How about that for some big news! We are in the process of looking for a place with more land so that we can offer more programs, therapy groups, educational opportunities, and well, just plain ol’ good times! When we expand we will be able to consider rescuing and giving a forever home to more of our animal friends. With more space, Project: Thrive will be able to start a small community that invites individuals to join us and help us to carry out Project: Thrive’s mission. We will keep you posted on this new and exciting adventure.

Do you remember when we mentioned that we wanted to start a tiny home village to help continue to grow Project:Thrive all while helping individuals in need? Project:Thrive Village is ready to launch our first tiny home that will house an individual who will be a big part of our community and mission. There is a lot of work to do and a lot of fun to be had! If you would like to volunteer to help build this tiny home, please let Project: Thrive Village project leader, Jenn Becker know. You can contact her by email at: jenn-becker@hotmail.com. We have collected many supplies to date including a large trailer, roofing paper, a sink, pallets for wood flooring, and house wrap, but we still have a wish list to get this house launched. If you would like to contribute, we are in need of roofing staples/nails, lumber, a solar generator, and a roofing nail gun. We appreciate any and all help for this phenomenal cause!

Do you dream of turning your snowmen into sand castles? Jenn also has a great opportunity to acquire a week’s stay in a condo in either Nuevo Vallarta or Cancun, Mexico. She would like to gauge interest within the Project: Thrive community (that’s YOU!!) of who would be interested in participating in a raffle for this to help raise money for Project: Thrive Village. If think you might be interested in this raffle and the chance to win a week with your toes in the sand or if you have any suggestions, please email Jenn at jenn-becker@hotmail.com.

Remember our little kitty litter we mentioned last blog? Well they are growing quickly and as cute as ever! We are still looking for a few feline angels out there. We will need to spay/neuter this little feral kitten family so they will remain healthy and not have kittens of their own someday. A donation of $35 will cover the costs to spay/neuter AND vaccinate one sweet little kitty so they can continue to hang at the barn in good health with all of their new friends and family. There are 5 cats total who still need to be vetted. One has already been successfully taken care of, THANK MEOW to that sponsor!

Speaking of our feline friends, we are starting our search to find Senior Living Facilities to partner with Life is Better Rescue for the impending kitten season. Spring is the time of year when BUNCHES of orphaned kittens will need help. We are trying to find the right senior volunteers to help feed, hold, and love these kittens. If you have a connection with a Senior Facility, please let us know. We will set up all of the details! If you would like to participate in this fun activity, just let us know. We would love to put you to work with the senior /kitten matches.

So how about all of that goodness to start a year off right, hey? If any of this exciting news made you feel good and you would like to help out in any way, just let us know! We are always looking for caring volunteers to help in a myriad of ways, even if you live too far away to come to the barn. Sponsors and donations are always welcome and greatly appreciated too. Maybe you just want to tell your friends about us so they can share in this adventure with us too. Anyway you choose to get involved is a big deal and celebrated. Your generous support is what allows us to do the great work we do and we appreciate you more than you could know. To inquire about volunteer opportunities please visit us at http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html#volunteer. To donate towards Project: Thrive or sponsor an animal please visit us at http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html. Don’t forget that you can also easily donate through AmazonSmiles as well! It is a great feature of Amazon that allows a portion of the proceeds for any of your purchases to go to the charity of your choice (like Project:Thrive J). You can check it out at https://smile.amazon.com/.  Thank you!!

(Photos: Our wonderful volunteer Annie spoiling Daisy and a photobomb by Greycie; One of our new feral kitty residents; Bodhi and Daisy loving on each other.)

In Kindness,

Project: Thrive

The Kitties Are Coming!

Hello friends!

We have had such a wonderful December so far and with everything on the horizon, it just keeps getting better and better! Sit back, relax, and have a read of the beautiful moments we have shared as well as the upcoming events we hope you can be a part of.

To our surprise, and joy, we have new furry guests at the barn! A little feral kitty family took up residence and likes to hang out in the hay to stay warm and safe. Mama Kitty brought 5 little kittens to us so we are trying to make their life as comfy as possible by providing food and clean water this winter. With a few more mouths to feed, we would be so grateful for anyone who would like to sponsor them or contribute with a one-time donation to help cover their spay/neuter vaccinations, health checks, etc. We will trap them, have them vetted, and return them to their normal routine when they are ready. We just love having their sweet faces around and I think they enjoy the company too! If you would like to sponsor or make a contribution, please visit our website here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html.

We had a truly wonderful turnout for our Remembrance Ceremony as well as for our Volunteer Appreciation bon-fire. It was a great day of stories, memories, community, and good spirited celebration. Thank you to all that participated and thank you again to all of our phenomenal volunteers, both near and far! We could not do this work as well without each and every one of you and we appreciate you more than you could know. If you have been thinking about volunteering with Project:Thrive and would like some more information or to simply inquire, you can find out more here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html#volunteer.

Project: Thrive has started partnering with a truly great group, Animal Haus (http://animalhaus.org/ ), who is just getting started and already doing some pretty awesome things for pets! This organization collects dog and cat food to help families who are going through difficult times. Project: Thrive will be collecting unopened bags or cans of pet food to help this group reach out to even more families who need help this coming year! If you feel moved to help out too, you can drop unopened bags or cans of food off at our office or call us to coordinate a pick-up!  Our office is located at 6690 W 39th Ave Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, or to schedule a pickup please call 303.990.2135. The families and pets of Colorado thank you!   

Springtime will bring more than just April showers and May flowers to Colorado in 2017. This upcoming spring we will be helping Life is Better Rescue (http://www.lifeisbetterrescue.org/ ) by finding resident senior volunteers at Senior Care Facilities to help feed, comfort, and engage with the orphaned kittens that Life is Better Rescue takes in every spring. If you know of a Senior Care Facility who might be interested in getting their seniors involved, please let us know. Training will be provided and the interaction between the seniors and the kittens are the things dreams are made of. We can’t wait to get started on this project!

Our Animal Spotlight for December is on sweet and gentle Roja the horse. Roja joined our family when her 89 year young mom (a super, amazing woman) had to have a knee replacement and wouldn’t be able to ride her for a while. Roja lived most of her life at the stable with other boarded horses and adult care takers. When she arrived she was shy and it took her a while to warm up to daily chats, grooming, and singing in the barn. But, once she got in the groove she decided she really enjoyed sharing in it! She loves the attention but really enjoys the younger crowd and teaches them that being really big just means one has a really big heart and spirit. We just love our big, red girl!

Tis’ the season for giving, sharing, kindness, and caring. When thinking about gift giving this year, we hope you will consider all of the deserving animals at the Project: Thrive barn. They have been so good this year while lovingly teaching humans about kind interaction, gentle living, and trustworthy relationships. They have mended many hearts with their unconditional love and continue to show us humans what kindness and love truly looks like. If you should feel moved to contribute, please visit the following link: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/rescues.html.  Don’t forget that you can also easily donate through AmazonSmiles as well! It is a great feature of Amazon that allows a portion of the proceeds for any of your purchases to go to the charity of your choice (like Project:Thrive J). You can check it out at https://smile.amazon.com/ .Perhaps you may wish to sponsor one (or many) of our furry friends to help support them all through the year. One time donations are also greatly appreciated and help tremendously. Or, maybe you would like to participate in one of the opportunities mentioned previously. We welcome your generosity with much gratitude and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind consideration.

(Video: A couple of our new cat friends enjoying some down time at the barn.)

In kindness,

Project: Thrive

Putting Plastic In Its Place!

Hello friends!

The weather is getting cooler, the snow is starting to fall in some places, cozy spaces and warm hot chocolate is back in style, and all of us here at the barn are preparing for the cooler weather. Bodhi is most excited about being able to make snow cows and cow angels in the snow. It won’t be long now, Bodhi boy! We have had some fun events recently to report on and we have some fun things on the horizon too! Grab your spiced latte or coco with marshmallows and have a read!

We recently partnered with local third graders in two elementary schools to help raise awareness about the profound overuse and consequences of overusing plastics. The kids were asked to collect plastic waste for just one month and then divert it to us to repurpose. They took the assignment seriously and boy were we overwhelmed by their participation and the amount of plastic that came to us in that month! To date, the kids have helped us recycle the use of plastic by making hundreds of dog toys, the beginning of a greenhouse, and insulation for the barn for the winter. The kids have done all of the work AND we still have so much more plastic to utilize. Great job, students!! These are really great projects that you can do at home too! Do you have any fun ideas for repurposing plastic?

We have a very special ceremony coming up and we would love for you to join us. Saturday, December 3^rd at 3:00 pm we will hold a very meaningful, yet simple ceremony to remember and honor our companion animals who have crossed over. Their presence comforted us, their love enriched us and their devotion lifted us up. We will take time to lovingly remember them in our annual Remembrance for Companion Animals Ceremony. We will gather at the Project:Thrive barn, light a personalized luminaria, make a prayer flag, share stories, readings, and call the names of our beloved companions as the bell rings in their honor. Light refreshments will be served. If you cannot be present at our Remembrance but would like a luminaria lit in your companion’s memory and your companion’s name called, we will be honored to carry out your request. Please contact us at project.thrive.global@gmail.com.

It’s almost time to truly celebrate our volunteers with our Volunteer Appreciation Celebration! Please join us after our Remembrance Ceremony to honor all of our wonderful volunteers who make Project:Thrive, well, THRIVE! The celebration will take place at the barn at 4:00 pm on December 3^rd. We are so grateful for your gifts, talents, and hard labor and we want to share our gratitude and appreciation with YOU! We will have vegan chili, cold and warm beverages, and S’MORES (vegan, of course!) to make over the bonfire. Doesn’t that sound like fun? We will have plenty of stories, laughter, and good times to keep you warm all night. We hope you will be there so we and all of the animals can thank you in person for all that you do for Project: Thrive throughout the year. We really do appreciate all of you.

Our animal spotlight for the month of November shines brightly on the Chickens! Eunice came to us from the animal shelter. She has no beak but we soften her food for her with extra water and she gets along just fine! Eunice is very affectionate and gentle. Did you know that chickens purr when they feel safe and cared for? Eunice will gladly sit close and let you pet her. The girls take over the goat’s and Bodhi’s barn during the day when it is cold and snowy outside. We guess it is more fun to go to someone else’s house than stay inside at home all day. And yes, the boys will often hang out in the coop when it’s cold! We have included a picture of sweet Eunice, who also likes to go for car rides! Has she melted your heart yet? All of our chickens are wonderful and sweet, and oh so smart! If you would like to sponsor Eunice and the chickens, 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 continue to do this amazing work! For more information, please go here: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/rescues.html. 

That’s all for now. Thank you so much for your continued support and kindness. We are truly grateful. Stay warm and enjoy your November! We hope to see you soon.

(Pictured: Dog toys and barn insulation created from plastic waste, a picture of sweet Eunice ready for her car ride! (Silly girl), Also a picture from a previous Remembrance ceremony with our sweet donkey girls stealing some affection!)

In Kindness,

Project: Thrive

This Little Piggy...

Hello friends!

Drop what you’re doing and oh my goodness say hello to Daisy! Daisy is our newest little piglet at the barn and can you say spirited? She is just a bundle of joy that bounces around from one thing to the next in search of cuddles and kisses and FUN! She is the smartest, sweetest little piggy, not to take anything away from Miss Violet the Pig of course, but piglets are truly just so CUTE! We were ready to rescue another somebody special to live at the barn and, well, we just could not resist this precious little soul. This little girl was turned into the Denver Animal Shelter and we rescued her from there. She will have a wonderful life here with us and we are certain she will bring us all a lot of joy as well. Welcome home sweet Daisy!

Well, we are well on our way into October and we are having a blast here at the barn! We recently held one of our Kindness Camps and what a tremendous turnout we had! Children from throughout the community enjoyed one on one time with a mentor as they spent quality time with the animals. The children (and the mentors) enjoyed quiet time with each animal, grooming them, reading to them, learning about them, all while showing kindness, compassion and understanding to each other. At the end of the camp, the children created Journey Sticks made from sticks they found around the property. They were asked to include anything they would like on their stick that would remind them of their special day at the barn and to remind them to be kind to animals, others and themselves, and to enjoy the moment. All of the sticks were beautiful and many included feathers that had fallen to the ground, leaves, horse hair (from grooming), flowers, and so on. As we went around the group to find out more about each of their personal sticks, it was heartwarming to hear how much the day really meant to these children. The animals enjoyed every minute of it too! It really was a wonderful experience for all involved.

Call for Volunteers! We have a similar event coming up this coming Friday (10/14) and we are in need of some additional volunteers if you would like to join us. It promises to be a great day and though you will be volunteering, you will have a bunch of fun! The field trip will be children from a local school who will be coming to spend time with and learn more about the animals. Very similar to the Kindness Camp we just held. We would love to have you here and the animals would love to meet you and spend time with you too! If you are interested in joining us and making a difference, please go here to sign up and inquire: http://www.projectthrivelocal2global.org/donate.html#volunteer .You are so very much appreciated!

Attention Bowlers! Attention Bowlers! We are sorry to report that we will need to postpone the Annual Bowling Tourney to sometime the first of the New Year. We want as many people to be able to participate as possible and unfortunately, the date we had scheduled (October 22) will prevent too many people from attending due to schedule conflicts. Do not dismay though! We will let you know in next month’s blog the new rescheduled date so that you can get it on your calendar, get your team together and practice before the big day. Should you have any questions or concerns at all regarding this cancellation, please do not hesitate to contact us at: project.thrive.global@gmail.com. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

November is a month that is very near and dear to our hearts here at Project:Thrive. It is the month that we hold our Annual Companion Animal Remembrance ceremony here at the barn. We have created this space of remembrance to honor the animals we loved so dearly that have passed over the rainbow bridge. During the remembrance we will share memories and take time to pay tribute to their sweet souls and all they brought to our lives.  The ceremony will be followed by a nice warm bonfire and a volunteer appreciation gathering where we will honor those animals that are still living and who enrich our lives daily, as well as the wonderful volunteers who make Project:Thrive so special and keep us running. We hope you will be able to attend this very beautiful time at the barn; we would love to see you! The official date, sometime early-mid November, will be released soon with additional information to follow.

Last month we spotlighted Lottie and Gertie, so it only seems right that this month we spotlight the sweet and gentle Izzie and Allie! We love our sweet donkeys at the barn and if you haven’t spent any time with these sweet souls, please put it on your list of things to do. You will fall in love, we are certain. Allie (grey and gracefully aged) is the mother to Izzy. Even though Allie and Izzy went through some traumatic experiences when they were rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management they both are so gentle and patient. Allie is very motherly and will follow the humans around and just stand near them either to watch over them or to snuggle in for a little affection. Allie loves putting her face close to her human. Both Allie and Izzy love being sung to. No matter what they are doing when a song begins they will come in really close. Izzy is about 15 years old and her mother, Allie is around 20. They with touch your heart on your very first visit to the barn and I can promise they are souls you won’t soon forget. Kindness is in their nature. If you would like to sponsor Izzie or Allie, 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, we thank you for your continued support, kindness, and generosity. We could not do what we do without you and we are grateful for each and every one of you! We hope your October is full of fun, colorful falling leaves, and all of the things that make this season so wonderful. Hope to see you at the barn soon!

In kindness,

Project: Thrive

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