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News Jul 11, 2014
Photo Courtesy of Savannah Lauren.
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Don’t have a cow, man…
HUG a Cow during Cow Appreciation Day
Did you know that Happy Cow Appreciation Day! Is coming up. Mark your Google calendar ‘cause in honor of National Cow Appreciation Day on Tuesday, July 15, the Santa Clarita based non-profit animal rescue facility known as The Gentle Barn really invites you to hug a cow… really –It makes you feel good!
Founded by Ellie Laks in 1999, The Gentle Barn is a non-profit, Vegan animal rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary located in Santa Clarita, CA. The Gentle Barn rescues sick, abused, and neglected animals from all over the country and rehabilitates them back to health with the help of an expert staff and dedicated volunteers. Upon recovery, the animals continue to be cared for as they live out the rest of their lives and help teach others about “gentle” kindness and compassion.
The Gentle Barn family extends beyond the rescued animals. Once the animals are healed, they help teach inner city, at-risk and special needs children that there is hope for a better future. Gentle Barn’s animals are particularly effective at establishing deep-rooted connections with the children as they all share similar stories of abuse, neglect, abandonment or worse. “When the children share similar pasts”, says Founder, Ellie Laks, “hearing the stories of the animals’ change offers them hope for a better life. As the children learn to love and understand the animals, unbreakable bonds are formed as they learn to love and care not only for themselves, but for all living beings.”
In honor of next week’s “Cow Appreciation Day,” Gentle Barn would like to invite everyone out for a visit! Every Sunday, The Gentle Barn welcomes the public to head out to Santa Clarita for open barn from 10AM-2PM. Visitors will tour the grounds, hear Ellie’s Founder speech and meet the animals! Buttercup, everyone’s favorite huggable cow, will be on hand to greet visitors and make sure nobody goes home without a hug!
In order to promote healthy, sustainable and cruelty-free lifestyles and to connect with the community, The Gentle Barn has started the Gentle 52 Spotlight program. Each week a different sponsor will be on hand to support The Gentle Barn and introduce their company to The Gentle Barn patrons. In celebration of “Cow Appreciation Day,” Shave It Valencia will be on hand on July 13th to keep visitors cool with frosty shaved ice treats served directly from the mobile ice van!
If one can’t make it out to the barn but would like to get involved, donations can be made directly to The Gentle Barn through the donations page. Whether you would like to adopt an animal, donate a bale of hay or volunteer time, Gentle Barn can always use the help. Buttercup the cow surely appreciates it too!
The Gentle Barn (www.gentlebarn.org) is a nonprofit, animal rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary in Santa Clarita, CA. The Gentle Barn brings together a volunteer staff of community members and youth program participants to help educate the public about how to prevent and end animal cruelty. The barn provides a safe haven where injured, abused and neglected animals are brought to heal and learn to trust humans again. Once the animals are taught the “gentle” way, their stories are shared with at-risk, mentally-handicapped and disadvantaged youth program participants from Los Angeles and its surrounding cities.
