When Tim and I founded Lily’s Place Animal Sanctuary in 2019, our volunteer team could be counted on one hand—and that count included the two of us.

We were driven by a vision to provide sanctuary and exceptional care to animals so often dismissed as “just farm animals,” as if they were somehow less deserving of compassion than any other living being we hold dear.

Six years later, on International Volunteer Day, I find myself reflecting on how profoundly things have changed—not in our mission, but in the community that has rallied around it.

This past spring brought an unexpected test. Tim needed life-saving surgery—planned, but no less serious—that would require him to step back from all the physical work we rely on him for. As someone who has always been immersed in our daily operations, the thought of him being sidelined was daunting. How could we fill his shoes for the better part of 2025?

The answer came not from us, but from Lily’s Place volunteers (including my parents!).

Our volunteers, alongside our incredible summer students Judas and Jessica, stepped up in ways that still move me to tears. They covered animal care 7 days a week, 2 shifts a day. They cleaned stalls, filled water buckets, administered medications, and offered comfort to every resident who needed it. Our remote volunteers—dedicating over 40 combined hours weekly to behind-the-scenes work kept administrative tasks from spiralling out of control.

While I sat by Tim’s side through his multiple surgeries, I knew the sanctuary was in capable hands. The animals were not just surviving; they were thriving. That knowledge gave us both the peace we needed to focus on Tim’s healing.

To every single person who has donated their time—whether you’ve cleaned a stall on a Saturday, closed the barn on a weekday, answered emails late at night, completed numerous supply runs, or simply shown up when we needed you most—thank you.

You are the reason the residents of LP have a place where they are seen, valued, and loved as the individuals they are. I see the positive impact that your efforts have on them day after day. It helps them put pep back in their step, form friendships, and settle into the good life.

Despite this work testing all of us at times with sorrow, grief, and just plain exhaustion, it brings so much peace to know that we are never doing this work alone.

From the bottom of my heart: thank you to our volunteers for making this sanctuary what it is today.

Happy International Volunteer Day!

– Jamie

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