Alice… Believing Anything Is Possible
The Alice Sanctuary is a not-for-profit, interactive sanctuary for animals located in Alberta, Canada, whose aim is to connect people and rescued farm animals.
The Alice Sanctuary was a dream of mine, albeit at one point a far away, intangible dream. My passion for animals, my work in social services/children’s mental health/developmental disabilities, and my drive to change the world around me collided one day when I was overwhelmed by the fact that there were not enough programs for marginalized people in rural communities.
I interned with an animal rescue organization to learn more about the care and needs of rescue animals. I saw the potential to provide an environment where individuals who have difficulties building relationships in their surrounding world could build relationships with rescued farm animals. This could be facilitated by finding similarities and strengths in these animals and their stories.
Rescued animals require attention and care, and most of them will come from situations of neglect, hardship, bear some physical issues which some of the individuals that visit may identify with. I want to build a place that will inspire, encourage, and help people strengthen their resilience, their trust, and empower them to make right decisions to build a more positive world around them.
There are other sanctuaries in Alberta who rescue and rehabilitate farm animals, giving them the life they deserve to live. We all rely heavily on donations for our day-to-day operations, and are generally reaching out to the same pool of donors. We also often apply for the same grants due to the affinity of our goals. Here we would like to emphasize that we fully embrace all other sanctuaries and rescue organizations. Anyone with a heart for helping animals in need, anyone with a sense of compassion and duty to do their part to better the world around them, anyone who endeavors to provide a voice for the vulnerable among us – we feel blessed to be part of such a movement.