On Thursday, August 13, at 2:00 pm, tune in to watch and participate in “Rescued: Bonds between Humans and Animals” an educational and inspirational panel of speakers from three outstanding local organizations: Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding, Happy Endings Animal Sanctuary, and Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. The event will be streamed live on Facebook.com/SolvangLibrary, as part of the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley libraries’ Book to Action Community reading program occurring in July and August.
Featured speakers are Robin Serritslev, Executive Director, Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding Program, C.C. Beaudette-Wellman, Board President, Happy Endings Animal Sanctuary, and Ariana Katovich, Executive Director, Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. “All three of these groups are to be celebrated for their work with both wild and domestic animals, and for the opportunities they offer for healing to both animals and humans. We can’t wait to hear their individual stories and insights,” said library staff.
The SYV Therapeutic Riding Program’s mission is to provide quality equine assisted activities to children and adults with physical, cognitive, social, emotional and or other life challenges. Happy Endings Animal Sanctuary provides refuge to abused or neglected horses and other domestic animals and uplifts the lives of disadvantaged youth by providing a life-changing rehabilitation experience benefiting both children and horses. The mission of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is to rescue, rehabilitate and return to the wild sick, injured, orphaned, or oil-impaired wild birds, reptiles, and small mammals in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and to educate the public about living in harmony with wildlife.
In August, the Book to Action program will culminate in a donation drive for area organizations (the above, as well as ASAP and C.A.R.E. 4 PAWS), to provide them with essential supplies and materials to continue helping local animals in need. The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries will serve as collection sites for these materials and will present them to the organizations at the end of our Book to Action program.
The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries’ 2020 Book to Action program runs through Friday August 21st, and centers around the moving true story Strays: A Lost Cat, a Homeless Man & Their Journey Across America by Britt Collins. Strays describes the incredible journey of Michael King, a homeless man living in Portland, Oregon who befriends a lost cat he names Tabor. As the two travel across several states and overcome many challenges together, they form a healing bond that speaks to the special connection that we share with our animal companions and the impact that rescuing an animal can have in a person’s life. Copies of the book are available for the community to borrow from the print and digital collections at Goleta, Buellton and Solvang Libraries.
Library staff is excited to engage with the community around these impactful themes and to unite for an important cause through the Book to Action programming this summer. Click here to see the full calendar of events for the 2020 Book to Action Program, which include crafts, book discussions, storytimes, a Pet Preparedness Panel, and Virtual Author Spotlight with Strays’ author Britt Collins.
