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volunteers

Learn & Earn
Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) has long been a special place for volunteering. The nature of animal care and rehabilitation lends itself to creating a compassionate and educational environment. Recently, DEFHR's volunteer programs have attracted attention from many people with diverse needs. Read further to learn how you, your kids and your friends can participate. People are needed on a year-round basis to help care for and cure the 100 plus horses, donkeys and mules that DEFHR cares for annually. Students 12 years and older can join the crew to help in the process while earning valuable credits toward their school community service hours. Kathleen Schwartz, Co-Founder and Executive Director, says "By providing a well structured volunteer regime, participants - and children in particular - are able to focus their intellectual and physical energies to maximize their skills. This, in turn, ensures that time volunteering with DEFHR staff and animals is time well spent both from the individual and animal perspective."

Internships
The buzz word for each school year is "Internship!" High school and college students alike are often asked to pursue voluntary internships in a field that interests them so that they can evaluate their own aptitude and enjoyment from a potential career perspective. Days End Farm has traditionally offered internship positions to local veterinary colleges, the Shriver Center of UMBC, Frederick High School, South Carroll High School and many other institutions throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. "Signing up for this program gives participants detailed and well-rounded experience in equine care. Interns work directly with the veterinary practice, the farrier (blacksmith), visiting and resident trainers, equine nutrition specialists and equine dentists who attends to Days End, and Days End's very own highly qualified staff," - explains Brooke Vrany, Director of Programs and Emergency Services.

Volunteerism Slows Down in September
As with most non-profits, volunteerism is often feast or famine. Schwartz reflects that "Once September hits, we swing back into the famine phase. The number of people who come by during the week simply drops off when the kids go back to school." The glass is still half full, however, because this allows a perfect time for adult volunteers to work at the farm with their peers and perhaps even spend a little personal time away from hectic family commitments. Kathy notes, "Many of our steadfast, adult helpers prefer to avoid the more bustling summer months and join us again when the pace settles down and they can spend more quality time with the animals."

Community Service Hours
Increasingly, Days End Farm has offered itself as a workplace for individuals seeking community service hours for minor offenses or hours required for high school graduation. Heather Napolitano, our Office Manager, manages the Community Service Program and arranges for site visits and probationary supervision when necessary. "A surprisingly high number of people who come to fulfill court-ordered community service or hours required for high school graduation, actually find the work quite rewarding and sometimes continue to volunteer several years after they were introduced," Heather reports.

Volunteer Opportunities
Days End Farm Horse Rescue offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. You can work in the barn and help care for the horses or assist with office duties. Days End currently has openings for barn help as well as marketing and public relations, data entry and filing, bookkeeping, writers and editors, photographers, and many more. Whatever your skills, there is a volunteer position for you at DEFHR!

 


For more information call:
301/854-5037 or 410/442-1564
E-Mail: info@defhr.org

Physical Address:
1372 Woodbine Road
Woodbine, MD 21797

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 309
Lisbon, Maryland 21765

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Days End Farm Horse Rescue, Inc. is a non-profit, volunteer based humane organization whose mission is Fostering compassion and responsibility for horses through intervention, education, and outreach.