Thank you Helen Tucker for taking my phone call at 1 am for 2 newborn bunnies that my cat had took from the nest. Thank you for takimg them in and helping them.God bless you
Sherri Tolson
So wonderful and caring to the animals. They put their own lives on the back burner to care for wildlife.
Volunteers put in hours of work 365 days a year to feed and rehabilitate orphaned or injured wildlife. They go out of their way to answer calls from people who want to help injured animals, but don't know what to do. I have met groundhogs Hansel and Gretel and a possum that were well cared for and very obviously loved by volunteers. PWR volunteers put their hearts and souls into helping not just the animals, but people who love animals, too!
Piedmont Wildlife Rehab, Inc., is a nonprofit that models how wildlife rescue orgs should be run. Just one example over 15 years of calling on this nonprofit: One weekend some years ago, a red-bellied woodpecker somehow got stuck in our chimney flue. Kept extending his wings to fly out, but the chimney flue was too narrow. We called Piedmont Wildlife Rehab and got a call back within no time. My husband managed to devise a safe way to get the woodpecker out of the chimney flue (maybe inspired by a volunteer who called -- I don't recall now), but getting prompt, helpful call-backs from Piedmont Wildlife Rehab meant a lot. I value Piedmont Wildlife Rehab's emphasis on education as well. Every time I have a question, it's answered.
This is such an amazing organization, and run by caring, dedicated people. They brought groundhogs to our school, and gave a wonderful presentation! The students as well as the teachers were engaged and learned so many things. There was a slideshow, props, acting, and costumes that the children loved. I was particularly impressed by the fact that, not only did these people care and know so much about wildlife, they were very knowledgeable about how to capture and maintain the interest of a vast audience of elementary students!
What a great group of people with hearts of gold. They are so dedicated to saving wildlife and educating the public. We have had the honor of hosting PWR in our store several times, and they do a wonderful job.
I've known Melissa Coe for more than 20 years, & I know that she gives her all to her friends, both human & wildlife. She has a huge heart & deep devotion to tending to the animals most people completely overlook. She will go to any lengths to do what needs to be done for them - I have seen her do it time & time again. She loves to take her animal ambassadors out for public events to teach people about conservation & what they can do to help these creatures who cannot speak for themselves. She has put her last dime, more than once, into food or shelter for the animals she is helping. I am so pleased to be able to call her a friend & also to help her raise money for her nonprofit.
I can't say enough positive things about this organization. If you want to see a truly dedicated, selfless, giving group of folks, look no further than these wildlife rehabbers. They operate with very little financial support, yet are always available to answer a frantic phone call or to drive miles and miles to transport or pick up a sick or injured animal. They barely sleep so that baby rabbits and squirrels and possums and birds can be fed every two hours. Their network of dedicated volunteers are always available step up and help fill the gap when the dollar falls short. And amidst all of the caretaking, they also find time to educate the public with school visits and appearances by Hansel and Gretel the groundhogs. Wildlife rehabilitation is often a thankless job, but one that would surely be missed if these dedicated folks did not exist.
I've been volunteering at Piedmont Wildlife Rehab for a few months now and am amazed at the work it takes to do this, not only feeding and housing sick, injured and orphaned wildlife until they can be released, but also the hours of clean up, medical attention etc., and all with very limited funds. The rehabbers are very knowledgeable and extremely dedicated to the point of working 18+ hour days when the bulk of the babies come in, which is Spring, Summer and Fall, with a few coming in the rest of the year. They always need donations of money, food, and volunteers since they are not sponsored and rely strictly on donations from the public. Please donate if you can and as often as you can to make sure this wonderful organization can continue it's work.
It's awesome to have someone in the community who loves all animals, who's willing to answer any question about wildlife. I so appreciate the work of Piedmont Wildlife Rehab! In an area that is rapidly losing wildlife habit and thus has increased orphaned birds, squirrels, opossums, etc., Piedmont Wildlife Rehab provides an indispensable service!
I have always been interested in supporting and preserving local wildlife and habitat. I had been seeking a local organization to which I could donate my expertise as a graphic artist. I found Piedmont WIldlife Rehab, Inc. online.
I contacted the president via email and the rest is history. Since then I've visited one of the places where animals are rehabilitated and have seen the care and attention they are given prior to release. PWR is a small group, but do double and triple the work of a group their size. My hope is that they can get more volunteers to help and more space for their "charges" as development in our area is an ever-increasing problem.
One thing that has really concerned me since beginning my relationship with PWR is the lack of concern, if you will, of local veterinarians to get involved with helping in the treatment of area wildlife. Most will allow drop-offs, but none will get licensed to treat them. Quite a few treat exotic pets, so it shouldn't be much of a stretch. PWR has one vet that will treat their groundhogs, but it's quite a drive from PWR's facility. Rehabbers do wonderful work but there are times when vets may need to intervene.
Every where you see a new highway, a new shopping center, or a new development being built where there used to be trees and fields, wildlife have been displaced. Native animals are forced to move in search of food, water, and habitat. In the process, many are orphaned, injured, and hungry.
Piedmont Wildlife Rehab is a small but dedicated group of volunteers who take injured and orphaned wildlife into their homes. The two groundhogs they've raised from infants, Hansel and Gretel, have made huge contributions as educational ambassadors in local schools, scout troops, and community events. Hansel and Gretel represent the hundreds of animals and birds that would have died without PWR volunteers and caring Guilford County residents who bring in animals they've found.
PWR has no government-funded wildlife center, no tax dollars, and no paid staff. Yet they are providing a valuable service for Guilford County, our state, and our environment. Saving wildlife today will help sustain our native species of squirrels, groundhogs, opossums, songbirds, and migratory birds. Without their help, these species could soon be on the road to extinction.
And without our help, Piedmont Wildlife Rehab will not be able to rescue the inevitable injured and orphaned baby birds this spring. It's that simple. They are giving everything they can. They can't save our species without our financial support.
Me and my daughter, Emily, helped Melissa with some volunteer work last summer by coming on occasion to help her clean cages and feed baby birds. It is amazing to learn about all the different needs of the wildlife and see how they all get cared for differently in the wild. As a teacher, I wish this is something that could be shared more with our youth. My daughter learned so much. It was hard to see how much Melissa has to do on her own. This organization could really benefit from some constant funding and reliable volunteers. Melissa even donated some pigeons to my daughter and set us up with some donations to help get them a cage built. The experience for my daughter has been amazing. Since then, she has hatched two batches of baby pigeons. I would love to see something positive happen to make her life easier and some of the other ladies who commit so much of themselves to the cause. There are several I do not know personally such as Sue who work very hard as well. I would also like to see these ladies receive more respect and support from our local veterinarians. An outreach program or regular commitment from some of them would be priceless. Also, if they could open their minds to the fact that many of these volunteers could actually teach them a few things about wildlife. Melissa and so many others are a real treasure to have in our community!! The only reason I gave them four stars instead of five is because they don't have everything they need. With proper funds and equipment, they could do so much more. They do an amazing job with what they have to work with.
Piedmont Wildlife Rehab, Inc. is a fantastic organization that provides rehabilitation for wounded or helpless wild animals. This organization also helps educate people about wildlife as well as the dangers of trying to take care of them on their own. It has been a great pleasure to work with Piedmont Wildlife and contribute my help as much as possible. More organizations like this need to exist because there are several animal lovers finding injured squirrels or abandoned baby opossums who have no idea what to do with them. This organization provides that help. Piedmont Wildlife Rehab, Inc. is a great organization with strong leadership and volunteers who really care.
Review from Guidestar
I helped feed and care for some of the animals on a couple of occasions. I was astonished at the hours Melissa had to put in, around the clock. She is very dedicated. Her comment to me was,
They work, work, WORK to help the critters that come their way. Folks want the animals helped; want them taken off their hands; but who wants to do the work? Who wants to pay for the help? No one....but these servants. They strive to help - even when they have no money (which is all the time), even when they are full, even when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. You will find them still making a valiant effort to make a difference. Caring the way they do hurts. It's too bad we don't have more people who care the way they do. If others cared this much and worked this hard, a major difference would be made in this world! Passion. They have passion...
We are homeschoolers, so when I contacted Melissa about donating a cage, I saw it as an opportunity for an educational field trip! Melissa was very willing to have us visit and learn about the animals she had at the time. She took the time to introduce us to several of the animals and tell us about her rehab work. She also shared how lack of funding may prevent her from continuing this much needed work. My son (10 years old at the time), was so touched by this that he decided to do a read-a-thon fundraiser, by himself, to raise money to help Melissa and the animals. Melissa is a very special person and she truly has a heart for these animals. She selflessly gives of her time to care for them.
