About For the Love of Finn
Our Story:
In February 2018, I had a vision of my future. I had been working with native and exotic species for two years for an educational program, which I loved but I knew I wanted to do something more.
I became a New York State Class 1 Wildlife Rehabilitator on October 15, 2018. Wildlife Rehabilitators are licensed and have requirements and guidelines set out by New York State but this is not a paid position. My next step was to become a non-profit organization.
On April 27th of 2020, For The Love Of Finn became a corporation – A non-profit organization. A few months later we received Federal Tax Exempt Status and then a few more months and we had NYS Tax Exempt Status! There was a lot of hard work, paperwork, research, money, a team, and a strong support system that made this a reality.
I believe we are called to care for this planet and everything in it. This includes wildlife. This is not something that I can do alone and it definitely takes a village. In my first year of rehabbing, I began in October 2018 and had one animal come in by December 1st. An opossum, naturally. The second year I reported on 40 animals that came through my door.
This year things changed here and For The Love Of Finn has had many supporters that offer financial donations, purchase needed items, offer encouragement, and support by prayers or positive thoughts. Because of this community, we have been able to help hundreds of animals over the last four years. Thank you for being a part of the saving lives team!
I had the pleasure of raising and socializing with a Virginia opossum, whose name was Huckleberry Finn. This experience changed my life in ways I cannot even explain but it is because of Finn that I chose the path I am on now. This is why my non-profit is called For The Love Of Finn.
Our Mission:
For The Love Of Finn was founded in 2018 and is a small home-based center. I hold a New York State Class II RVS Wildlife Rehabilitator license. For The Love Of Finn is dedicated to helping native wildlife through rescuing and rehabilitating debilitated and orphaned/displaced animals until they are ready for release back into the world. For The Love Of Finn is also committed to improving the well-being of wildlife through public education; focusing on how humans can safely and peacefully coexist with native wildlife and the importance of wildlife to man and the environment.
Accomplishments for 2022:
The year 2022 has provided the opportunity for growth. Our home-based site decided to expand and made a personal investment into renovating an area, which created our new space to house Rabies Vector Species (Racoon, skunks, and bats). I acquired my Class II RVS license on October 21st, 2022. We continue to care for small mammals and have been able to assist approximately two hundred animals, which included several different species. We have several outdoor enclosures and two of them are specifically designed for foxes. For The Love Of Finn would never be able to provide for this many animals without the support of all of you. You, For The Love Of Finn’s community, have been a part of the SAVING LIVES team! It is only through your support that we can continue to care for all of the animals in need.
What is next?
For The Love Of Finn’s 2023 goals are to really increase our volunteers and wildlife assistants, which will allow us to provide more hands and feet to help our native wildlife. To provide education about New York’s wildlife to the public; focusing on how humans can safely and peacefully coexist with native wildlife and the importance of wildlife to man and the environment. We are also looking at adding another room to our current RVS room and this would be specifically for skunks. Thank you for being a part of the FTLOF family! We cannot do this without you!