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2024

A message from...

Matt Smith, Founder
and Executive Director

Click the horse for our horse news page!  

As we are getting closer to the Sanctuary's 20 year anniversary, it can offer the opportunity to reflect on my time since creating it. I've seen and experienced just about all that a life of rescue and sanctuary work can offer. It is truly a unique life and perspective from regular society. I have experienced every emotion possible from the sadness of losing a special feathered friend or losing a medical battle to the absolute joy of taking in an animal that truly needed a rescuer and a new lease in life and watch them get the spark back in their eyes and life. It is beyond rewarding to gain the trust and become a real friend to an animal that needed you. Through this work and our societal involvement, Kirah and I have known the best of people and unfortunately the worst as well and everything in between. Someday I will have to write a book but for now, I am excited to share where we are right now in life and work at the Sanctuary.

 

Currently, our bird population stands just shy of 200. A dozen birds with special needs live with us in the house receiving specialized and more intensive supervision and care. The remainder of our population live in the 6 large cage-free more natural themed aviaries, divided up based on capabilities, personality and risk to other birds. In total, we have 13,000 sq.ft. of avian buildings, however when determining year-round space, that number is cut in half because the residents remain in their indoor / insulated and heated sections much of the winter to keep warm. 

 

From the beginning, I have always stressed the importance of individuals and organizations to keep within their limits to prevent situations from becoming unmanageable or overwhelming. While this means having to say 'no' more than we would like, one must never forget that the priority is to the ones that you have already taken responsibility for - no matter the outside pressures occasionally received to take in 'just one more bird'. Admitting just one more bird can have negative effects on a flock if said bird(s) create chaos in a free-flight situation. You never quite know how a bird will react and interact with others until you do it. While many birds do great in a mixed flock, not all do, and we have been lied to plenty in regards to how well a bird does with other birds - then we are left trying to figure out where said bird can fit in. Crafting harmonious flocks of birds in captivity is a serious challenge at times and we must address situations as they are presented.

 

Birds, especially the larger species, can live a long time. A very long time in some cases. There are still many birds living here that I took in during the first years of creating the Sanctuary! Dozens of our current birds will continue to grow older with their human caregivers here. Some may even outlive us, which is why longevity and perpetuity of the Sanctuary is so important and always in the forefront of our minds. Bottom line is that we know our limits that we are comfortable with based on the workload and behavioral dynamics of the flocks. Staying around 200 individuals is imperative to maintaining a manageable situation. The purpose of me describing the Sanctuary as it stands today is to discuss what comes next.

 

Little did we know that when our new neighbors, Kim and Dave, moved in a few years ago that it would ultimately spark something new in our hearts. Kim's dream was to retire and build a horse farm, which she has done now after countless hours of barn, fencing and property improvements. She currently has 6 horses, all of which needed help and a home. From kill pens to ex-racers or other such situations, Kim has been there to give a new life to each one of them. We had always enjoyed visiting the farm, but this year was remarkable.

 

I fell in love with a horse. I didn't really look for it nor expect it. It just kind of happened. Leilani is a young once-wild mustang that lived out West in the beginning of her life. For those interested, BLM manages the wild mustangs and many are taken in to be given a home vs. the sad alternative. For nearly an hour when I first met her, I picked grass to hand feed to her and talked to her lovingly and began to work on trust and touch. For that time, nothing else existed. All my worries and problems and typical 'I need to go work on such and such' disappeared. It was just heartbeat to heartbeat and soul to soul. Now, every single visit to Leilani is magical in its own way. Kim, a very experienced horse trainer, continues to work with Leilani as well as the other horses in her care and we are grateful for the opportunity to spend time at her farm and learn from her.

 

I have had occasional experience with horses throughout my life from visiting farms with horses to riding trails on them. One of my favorite memories is riding a horse in Hawaii on the side of a windswept dormant volcano. A smile has always come over my face when I drive by a field with well-kept horses contently grazing. However, few may know that Kirah has always had a fascination and adoration for horses since being a little girl. Growing up visiting family in Nebraska with farms everywhere meant lots of horses to see and interact with. Her favorite aunt had horses. One of her favorite memories is riding a horse named Cliff who made the ride very interesting and laughable.  Quite a character from what I can tell.  Another favorite story she has shared with me is riding in Mexico for days at a time in the countryside.  I am sure in time, she'll expand on her own horse experiences with our readers.

 

This year we were recipients of a substantial and unexpected donation entrusting us to do one thing and one thing only with it - use it to help care for animals at our Sanctuary. After countless hours of discussion, a few sleepless nights and an incredible amount of reflecting on well - EVERYTHING... we have decided to build a barn on the Sanctuary's property and open our hearts and home to a very small and manageable number of Equine! This was in no way a decision made lightly as we take any animals decision very seriously. What comforts us is knowing that we have the support and guidance from Kim at Ohana Horse Farm. In addition, we have already been reaching out to horse rescues and sanctuaries in Central Virginia for more perspective and guidance. 

 

This week we are closing on a barn building contract and yes, we finally own a tractor here. Kirah will be delighted to share the progress and tractor stories. She's been 'chomping at the bit' to start writing about this new endeavor, waiting for me to make this announcement. I do want to take this opportunity to make some things very clear. No, we are not transitioning to becoming a 'horse rescue' - we'll leave that to the amazing and dedicated experienced folks who do have horse rescue organizations. No, this endeavor will not take a cent from the Sanctuary's bird funds. The number and types of birds we accept may be different than what we have done in the past but we do still consider actual rescue case intakes - that will never change and birds will always be a major part of us and this place!

 

We do have the incredible opportunity to add a beautiful barn, some pasture and love which will certainly change us and the landscape of this property for the better. We sincerely hope that you join us in our excitement to continue in our lifelong commitment and dedication to giving animals in need a place to live and be loved.

 

Matt Smith

Founder

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Click above to give Kim and her horses some love on Facebook!!  

Kirah's Corner

A blog all about "Sanctuary Life".  The ups, the downs, the good, the bad, the love, the heartache, and everything in-between...

2019 -2022

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2018

The birds now own it all! (The additional 15 acres of the “old sanctuary property”) 

From Matt: This summer we have been able to share some pretty awesome news about the Sanctuary and Its growth including the recent funding and start of construction of a new large aviary. We also promised to share a second great news story and the time to do that is now. Thirteen years ago when I made the trip back home to Virginia to start the dream of building a parrot sanctuary for birds in need, there wasn’t a penny to Project Perry’s name. Just a lot of self-determination, drive and a vision for what was to be. Therefore, I needed to put my own name and money to a land & home purchase with of course a mortgage loan. I needed to spend the next many years proving to people that this kind of work and the environments that have been created is enriching to the lives of our residents and valuable to the people who seek us out for help. Since the beginning, a major guiding force in our growth has been to plan for the Sanctuary’s long-term sustainability and perpetuity. Because parrots can live so long and because there’s a strong need for the work that we do, there’s no other way to plan and grow a Sanctuary – this place must be survivable beyond its current group of caregivers despite our young-ish ages. Several different key factors have been put in place in recent years to aid in the future-planning including a strengthened Board of Directors, a budget for committed live on-site staff members, my own large life insurance policy with Project Perry as the sole beneficiary should something unexpected happen to me and a stronger annual stream of funding to properly maintain and care for our population of 230. All that was left was for Project Perry to own all of the land and structures.

Through two more years of very generous grants from Bob Barker’s DJ&T Foundation and through our own efforts of good ol’ fashioned saving up, we can now announce that on August 22nd, it finally happened! Project Perry purchased the property from myself for the remaining amount left on the mortgage note and nothing more (no “profit” was made in the sale). The birds now own all 27 acres including every structure on it. No one person is tied financially to the property and there can never be a dispute of ownership or property usage and continuance. It’s all outlined clearly that this is to always be a Sanctuary for the birds along with those who have dedicated their lives to caring for them.

Please join us in celebrating a major milestone in the growth and perpetuity of this very special place and our commitment to doing the very best job that we can, all for the love of the birds. I also want to thank Charlottesville real estate attorney Chip Royer for his incredibly generous offer to conduct this transaction professionally and skillfully to insure everything has been done legally and properly. Chip has been fantastic throughout the entire process. Also, to Bob Baker and his Foundation for giving amounts that would have otherwise been difficult to raise in a relatively short amount of time as has been done to make this step a reality – he is very special to us. Lastly, to Kirah and Caitlin who work so hard on a daily basis alongside me in the direct care and commitment to the Sanctuary’s operations. Thank you everyone who have helped this place along throughout the years, it means a great deal to me and most of all - to the birds! 

-Matt-

From Kirah: some of the residents “beaking” a copy of THEIR House/Land Deed which was sent to Bob Barker!!!

2017

The Macaws have moved into their new home!

2016

Approximately 4 years ago, I was asked to help a fellow board member with the removal of several parrots from a very filthy and dangerous home.


The owner of the home was well known to local police and animal control officers. She has a long history of psychiatric issues. The breeding and sale of the birds was how she supported herself.  We had been visiting periodically, whenever we could talk our way in, to try to talk her into letting us provide her birds with new homes.  She was about to be foreclosed on, and needed to get the birds and her dog out of the house...

DeKalb County Rescue

Three African Greys came to us from this rescue.  It was a horrible situation and sadly, one of the birds passed away during the transfer.  The two remaining birds that made it here are doing wonderfully and we hope that they will have a long and wonderful life here!  If you are interested in seeing more of these two, please visit our facebook page and look at our video folder for their videos from December 2016.  Our page is public, so even if you don't have facebook accounts, you can still view!  Thanks!

  • Wix Facebook page

February 2015

Let us start with the rescue of 8 Wild Greys.   Taken from the wild many years ago and put into boxes to small and made to breed.  Lack of sunshine, lack of proper food, and lack of freedom.  It was quite a ride up to New Jersey and a long ride home.  We had to unload these little guys from the back of the van and into the quarentine room in the dark.  We got everyone comfortable in their new cage with fresh food filled with everything a bird could want.  They settled in and the next day they greeted the day with the sun shining through the skylights and two sets of glass doors.  There was a long road ahead of them, but they greeted the start of that road head on.  Read about their journey here on the page that was set up for them early in 2015.

February- October 2015

The small bird aviary was in need of a serious upgrade.  It was the first aviary built at Project Perry by Matt many years ago.  Our population of small birds grew and therefore the accomidations needed to grow as well.  Fundraising began in the cold winter months and we were blessed with a large donation by Bob Barker which made it possible to build a new 1,250 square foot aviary "full speed ahead".  Things moved very fast between land clearing, Macaw Aviary, Caretaker Cabin Construction, and this paradise for the small birds.  

Summer 2015

Macaw Aviary Construction

The Macaw Aviary is 3,900 square feet.  Construction will resume in Spring of 2016.  Like all of the aviaries already here, it will be climate controlled as well as open where the birds will be able to enjoy the forest that surrounds the aviary.  We are hoping to move the first residents that are already living here into the aviary in Fall of 2016.  New applications for Lifetime of Care will hopefully be able to start in Spring of 2017.  

Caretaker Cabin

The caretaker cabin is being built for our on site caretaker.  Caretakers will be living on site to help us care for the birds living here at Project Perry.  The cabin exceeded our expectaions.  It is the perfect little home in the woods.  506 sq ft of space is perfect for one person. We are so thankful to Bob Barker and the Pat Palmer Foundation for making this possible.  

Hello Everyone!                                                          April 14, 2015

 

Matt and I have wanted to share this news publicly for about 3 weeks, but we needed to be sure that we were allowed to publicly acknowledge the foundation and the person(s) behind the foundation’s generosity. Around a year ago, contact with a foundation was made and a month and a half ago, a phone call came in. After 2 hours of Matt speaking on the phone… we waited. Two weeks later, Matt received a phone call with some of the m...ost amazing news ever.

 

Bob Barker has donated $200,000 to Project Perry. Can you believe it? With this donation, Project Perry will purchase the additional land needed for expansion. The Small Bird Aviary is covered, and sometime in the next 1.5 or 2 years, a 4,000 sq ft Macaw Aviary will be built and named after Bob Barker. We can not express our gratitude to Bob Barker, his foundation, and his foundation representatives who have been a part of this.

Matt has created a sanctuary for parrots that is without doubt an amazing facility and a paradise for parrots in need of sanctuary.  Matt has worked so hard, and I cannot even begin to express how proud I am of him. Thank you to Bob Barker for your generosity and faith in this amazing facility that was started with a dream…

 

-Kirah

 

OMG... I didn't mention... BOB BARKER himself called to talk to Matt! LOL. Matt was star struck! lol

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