Dear Jean-
How can I thank you enough? This grant came as a complete surprise and will be well-used in our work to save as many of these precious wild animals as possible!
This year has been extremely busy with dozens of calls every single day for seals ashore. Our volunteers and staff have kept busy checking on each and every one of them to see if they needed our help, or were just taking a rest after their long migration from northern waters.
Those little resting seals give us the most worry because we really want them to stay where they are on the beach to sleep and regain their strength, but people will not leave them alone. Folks think they are doing good by pouring water on them, chasing them back into the sea or trying to feed them, all of which is not helping at all and is very stressful to the animals. We have to remove the seals and bring them in to our facility for observation before releasing them back to a remote beach. (Luckily, we have a very remote beach on the north end of Brigantine Island.)
I’ve enclosed a chart of the animals we’ve seen so far this year. It is very sad that we see so many animals that wash ashore dead or dying. Some of them are so sick or injured that the most humane thing is for our veterinarian to euthanize them. This often has an effect on our staff and volunteers, so we try to help them with compassion fatigue. Losing an animal that you have poured your heart and soul into is never easy and some of our staff and volunteers get very depressed over it. I am looking into having a psychologist work with us to talk with the group and help them through the grieving. Our staff and volunteers are very important to us and we want them to feel that we are doing everything to help them.
On a bright note- We have released eight seals back to sea and have two more that will be heading home in a week. Two others have problems that will not allow them to survive on their own, so we are looking for an aquarium to take them. One seal is totally blind, and the other has a heart condition and will require medication for the rest of her life.
Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kindness to our Center.
Best,
Sheila
Dear Friends,
We were absolutely thrilled to have you as a sponsor for our 10th Annual Run for the Animals, held in beautiful Brigantine Beach, NJ on May 21st!
We had over 400 runners registered, which made this our most popular run event in our 44-year history.
Your sponsorship helped to make this the most successful run ever, which brought in over $23,000! The funds raised will help us purchase pool water chiller to help keep the seals nice and cool, purchase new skylights for our ICU seal pens, repair our outdoor observation tank for visitors, and to upgrade and beautify our property to make our appearance more appealing to the public.
Bob and I would like to invite you to stop by to take a tour of the Center. Just give us a call to let us know the date and time. We’ll be happy to show you around!
Thanks again for your kind support!
Sincerely,
Sheila Dean and Bob Schoelkopf, Co-directors
(Handwritten note: “Jean – Thanks so much for your kind support! Sheila”)
Dear Friends,
Generous supporters like you allow us to continue our work of caring for New Jersey’s Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles! Our mission is to Rescue, Rehabilitate and Release these protected and endangered species back into their environment, as well as educate the public about the animals and their environment.
Over the past 44 years, MMSC staff and volunteers have responded to over 5,780 strandings of whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles and other distressed marine species. Many of the whales and all of the sea turtles that strand in New Jersey are listed as protected or endangered species by the Federal and State Government. Our team is proud of the fact that we are able to successfully release many of these animals back to the ocean so that they may live their life wild and free.
One small seal’s care can cost over $3,000 with rehabilitation costs including: food, medicine, medical analysis, and transportation. The last few years have put a strain on our budget due to an overwhelming number of rescues along with a struggling economy.
Your support makes a world of difference and we are so thankful that you have joined us in our effort to sustain our precious marine life.
Please use this document as a tax receipt for your last donation. Federal Law requires that we inform you that no goods of services were provided to you in return for your gift and that, therefore, the full amount is deductible for Federal Income Tax purposes, to the extent of the Law. Donation Amount: SIO,OOO.OO to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC).
Your donation will be used to further our mission and care for these amazing creatures.
Sincerely,
Robert Schoelko
Founding Director
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