IWRC 2014 Recap
We had a blast at the 2014 International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council Symposium in Cincinnati, Ohio this past weekend. We would like to compliment IWRC on their smooth and easy registration, amazing banquet food, choice of hotel and overall positive atmosphere. The best part of the weekend was getting to know so many new people. It is a joy to meet new people and introduce them to Wildlife Rehabilitation MD. We also had the honor to meet some of our current users and discuss with them how they used WRMD and their thoughts on the program. I am happy to announce that almost everybody we meet that uses WRMD says “I love it”. We hope this is the case for all users. We are requesting testimonials from all our users that we can post on our website and blog. We would be delighted to add anybody’s testimonial to our collection. You can email them to [email protected]
I think what makes WRMD so different is that we actively interact with as much of the rehab community as we can. We love learning how other people do stuff and we share our own experiences in the process. Some of our new friends at IWRC had some very poignant questions for us, that we actually get all the time. I thought I might address these common questions about, our organization The Wild Neighbors Database Project.
“What is The Wild Neighbors Database Project and how is it related to Wildlife Rehabilitation MD?”
The Wild Neighbors Database Project is our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We saw potential for more than just one project so The Wild Neighbors Database Project was created and our first project was Wildlife Rehabilitation MD “WRMD”. We in the planning phases of 2 other projects to be developed in the future.
“How much does WRMD cost?”
It is a free service. We can not charge wildlife rehabilitators for this service. That money should go to animal care or wildlife rehabilitator income.
“How do you afford to keep it going then?”
We mostly rely on generous donations from our users, but also will receive some money from grants that we are working on. If you are willing to make an end of the year gift to The Wild Neighbors Database Project we would gladly accept it. There is a Donate button on our homepage for our PayPal account or we accept checks mailed to us at The Wild Neighbors Database Project 3800 Vista Oaks Dr., Martinez, CA 94553.
“Why are you doing this and what do you get out of it?”
We do this because we want to help wildlife rehabilitators by giving them an intuitive and user friendly tool to collect incredibly valuable data about what our profession does. There is so much data that has not been collected or recorded. That knowledge is disappearing as our previous generation retires and passes away. They are the founders of our professional field and we should not have to reinvent the wheel for that which has already been done, just add to it as our knowledge grows. We saw a need, that we were skilled for, and we decided to dedicate our lives to filling that need. We are wildlife rehabilitators, we do what we do because we care, that is what makes our profession so special. We actually care for more than ourselves or our lively hoods or the human race, we care for the planet and her innocent inhabitants that have no voice.
“Are you crazy?”
Yes, probably, aren’t we all.
Thank you,
Rachel Avilla
Co-founder of The Wild Neighbors Database Project/Customer Care WRMD
