Hello Friends of FEBS!
This post is very special to us. We were blessed and happy to show a group of Heros our little piece of heaven. We introduced them to our 800+ Parrots living happy lives in the sanctuary. This particular tour group is lovingly cared for at Steps to Recovery, Inc, for a mirage of aftercare issues due to traumatic events while serving our Country.
The bus pulled up with 30 Veterans who were very interested in meeting all of the Parrots and their funny, quirky attitudes. We handed out earplugs to help stave off any triggers and provided an in-depth tour of the grounds. Their first stop was to see our Service Bird who loves to put on a show. He spent time with almost every veteran, which they adored!
As one gentleman said to me, "They (animals) don't judge or have any expectations."
The highlight of the day was to recognize a gentleman who was sitting alone on a bench, away from the group, I felt compelled to sit with him and just let him talk about his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. The challenges he has faced since returning home, We are in awe of the work done by STEPS to RECOVERY and Marilyn Matyus, CEO and Founder for what they are doing to help these Heroic Heroes!
Our staff, volunteers and I took as much time as they wanted or needed, we hope that everyone had a fantastic experience and we are very happy to serve those that have served us! For anyone who needs us, we want to be here with a program for these wonderful souls.
We will be implementing a program within the next 2 years for PTSD and other programs for Veterans with or without special needs, as we have known for some time that animals are a great help with many stressors.
