Once Upon A Time...
Melissa Patricelli has been working and volunteering with young people and rescued farm animals for over a decade. Although her educational background is in child psychology, she has always had a passion for animals. She spent the better half of her career life in the field of counseling. She volunteers at shelters, vacations at sanctuaries, and attends regular workshops with the focus being how to run a rescue organization. Her dream is to bring her two loves together and provide healing, kindness, and stability for the animals as well as the children connecting with and caring for them.
When Melissa started volunteering at animal sanctuaries and rescues, she realized that there was a major gap in the rehabilitation of the abused, neglected, and abandoned farm animals she was supporting. That gap could only be filled by the compassionate hands and hearts of young people who had also struggled with abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Bringing “forgotten” kids together with “forgotten” animals to share the possibilities of growing, learning, and empathizing became her life’s work.
In 2018, Melissa and her husband, Ryan, bought a property in Creswell, Oregon with the intention of one day opening a sanctuary to teach the people about the therapeutic power of caring for rescued farm animals, and to reopen the hearts of the animals who had long ago decided that people were not their friends. It is with great pleasure and humble gratitude, that I am able to be a part of this mission. A mission whose aim it is to teach and promote empathy, kindness, and compassion.
In a world where we have random normalized acts of violence against children, the elderly, and animals on a daily basis, an organization like the Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary is more than necessary. It is imperatively essential to the survival of our future generations. It is only through the reality of pain and suffering, that we can harbor a kinship to those who seem so different from ourselves. Melissa’s goal is on the cusp of a culture steeped in indifference. This is no easy task that she’s set out for herself, and those of us willing and able to support her. Your involvement is paramount to the success of this organization! Every little bit counts, and every one of us has the power to shift the current trends of apathy. What can you do today, right now, to begin changing the way you see the lives of animals in captivity? How simple can you make it, helping children in need?
This post was originally created January 23rd, 2019 by Amy A. Ehn