Pedals For Pigs. Also, Goats, Cows, Horses, Chickens, Dogs, Cats, And Other Animals Who Deserve Love And Care!

I am Adrian. Although, since you’re here on this website, you probably already know who I am and that I am working on my Mitzvah Project for my Bar Mitzvah at the end of August. However, just in case you’re here by accident, I’ll tell you a bit more.

A Bar Mitzvah is a coming-of-age ceremony in Judaism, after which one can be counted as an adult in the Jewish community. The work for a Bar Mitzvah includes learning to read Hebrew, memorizing prayers, leading the community in Saturday morning service, and a Mitzvah Project. A Mitzvah Project is a good deed or righteous act that makes a difference in the world.

For my project, I wanted to help the animals at Sanctuary One in Applegate, Oregon. Sanctuary One is an organization that, “…provides a safe and loving home to rescued farm animals and pets.” They are also a working Care Farm that offers tours and training to the community. Not only did I grow up just down the road from Sanctuary One and take tours there as a child, but our family even adopted our newest pet “Frannie Lou,” the black and white, wirehaired Wonderhound, from the farm.

While I wanted to help Sanctuary One, I realized I could make the most difference if I worked hard at something and reached out to the community to support my efforts. This led me to taking on one of my hardest challenges—learning to ride the unicycle.

When I was eight years old, I asked my parents if I could have a unicycle. They said yes, but I had to wait until I turned ten. On my tenth birthday, my wish came true. Hidden within a pile of cardboard and wrapping paper was a glorious, orange unicycle. While I started out full of excitement, I quickly found myself frustrated, and within a short time, I gave up. Every few months or so, I would pick up the unicycle again only to give up once more.

In considering my Mitzvah Project, I realized that finally learning to ride my unicycle would be a perfect and unique way to raise money to help animals. Riding this unruly contraption has taken hard work and commitment, that I feel is worthy of your sponsorship. This leads us to my project…

Pedals For Pigs. Also, Goats, Cows, Horses, Chickens, Dogs, Cats, And Other Animals Who Deserve Love And Care!

After two and a half years of watching my unicycle sit there mostly unused, I dusted it off and got to work. Over the past three weeks, I have achieved quite a lot. With thirty minutes of practice each day, I’ve gone from crashing to the ground after only half a pedal, to twenty-three full rotations and finishing in a controlled dismount. With this achievement in hand, I am asking for your sponsorship toward raising funds for the animals at Sanctuary One. While your initial pledge will surely be a generous start, I think together, we can do even better.

I have come up with four goals, which will further my skills and provide more opportunities for you to give to this good cause. As I achieve each goal, I invite you to pledge again. With my efforts and your financial contributions, we can help to enrich the lives of the animals who are lucky enough to live at Sanctuary One.

Each time I complete a goal, I will update the web page, so you can track my progress and get excited about making an even bigger difference for the animals at Sanctuary one!

Whether you prefer to pledge once for the whole project or check back and support my learning goals as they are achieved, your donations to this wonderful organization are greatly appreciated!!

Thank you for supporting my Mitzvah Project and Sanctuary One!

Sincerely,

Adrian

The proceeds from this project will be used to purchase food, bedding, and supplies for the animals at Sanctuary One. Some animals I particularly enjoyed meeting on our recent tour of the farm were Pippa and Junior the pigs, Rosie and Lily, a mother and daughter pair of goats, and Alcion and Theo the cats. I also enjoyed spending time with Cosmo, the sweet and energetic terrier puppy.

Here are some of their stories…

Pippa: Pippa is an 8 years old Kune Kune. Pippa was living in California when the Woolsey Fire struck in 2018. She was left behind when thousands of homes were being evacuated. She suffered some singed hair but managed to survive the wildfire and, thankfully, she was rescued by some really caring people that eventually got her to us. Her favorite thing to do is relax in the sunshine, roll over for belly rubs, and chow down on her healthy salad made from weekly produce donations.

Junior: Junior is a full grown Kune Kune pig that arrived all the way from Dallas, Oregon on 1/21/2024. His rescuer Paula, owner of Willow Branch Horse Rescue received a call about a pig that was found running down a road last October. Paula, who only rescues horses, did not hesitate to help Junior. She was able to maneuver him into a nearby field and later came back with her horse trailer and brought him to her rescue. Even though everyone at Willow Branch enjoyed Juniors company Paula knew he needed to be around other farm animals, especially pigs since they are very social animals. After Junior had some time to decompress from his travels, our farm vet came to Sanctuary One to castrate, deworm and trim Juniors tusks and feet. Other than he has a few pounds to gain he is in great health! Junior has quickly become a staff favorite with his funny personality, he spends his days out in the barnyard with 4 goats. He is learning his name and will come when called, Junior has a wonderful personality!

Theo: Theo is an incredibly sweet kitty who loves to be with people, he will follow you around until you give him a good scratching! We do not know much about Theo's history other than he was surrendered to the local humane society because he is FIV+ and the owners had several other cats in the home so Theo had to live in a separate room. Theo will need to be an indoor kitty only and be the only other cat in the house unless the others are FIV+. If Theo sounds like a kitty that would make your home complete put in an Adoption Application today:

Cosmo: Cosmo is a baby boy with a lot of love to give! He's friendly, affectionate, loyal, gentle, playful, smart, athletic, funny, and loves giving kisses. He's curious about everything and loves to explore, but he's also very good with other dogs. He's the perfect age to join a family and settle in as their lifelong companion. We'd love to see him go to a home that can give him all the love and attention that he deserves.