Last month, our Charity Spotlight featured an organization dedicated to helping Long Island’s native wildlife. Volunteers for Wildlife is a 501(c)3 non-profit wildlife hospital and education center established in 1982 and “dedicated to the preservation of Long Island’s wildlife and natural habitats through education and rehabilitation.”

Volunteers for Wildlife admits over 2,200 wild patients native to Long Island including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. They offer more than 200 fascinating education programs each year, operate 365 days a year and respond to 10,000 calls from the public. Over the organization’s life, they have helped more than 30,000 animals representing more than 300 species.

The work they do to care for wildlife helps to support our local habitat and keeps our environment vibrant. As you can imagine, there is a big demand for the services provided by Volunteers for Wildlife. As Wildlife Rehabilitators, by law they cannot charge for services, which is one of the many reasons we encourage you to support this worthwhile organization.

While there are various ways you can help, why not participate in their only 2021 fundraiser, their family-friendly Walk for Wildlife event on October 2. It’s the perfect way to spend a beautiful fall day in nature. The Walk is held at The Seminary, 440 W Neck Rd, Lloyd Harbor, NY 11743 from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for kids ages 4 – 16. You may want to consider becoming a sponsor, with opportunities starting at $250 (Duckling) to $10,000 (Eagle). Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated.

If you are not available on October 2, we have listed below a few other ways you can support Volunteers for Wildlife.

• Make a financial donation to support care and treatment for patients and resident animal ambassadors.

• Symbolically adopt a resident Wildlife Ambassador animal or sponsor a Wild Baby to support its care.

• Consider volunteering your time. Volunteer opportunities (for ages 18+) include resident animal care, education program participation, patient rehabilitation, and patient rescue and transport. Their website also includes suggestions for ways kids under 18 can volunteer, including bake sales, donation drives, and other projects.

Learn more about Volunteers for Wildlife. Take the time to enjoy and appreciate nature in your own back yard – Walk for Wildlife!