Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford will host its 2024 Wine & Wildlife Fundraiser at the Community House of Moorestown on Saturday, July 13, at 6 p.m.
The nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser of the year will benefit an organization that’s dedicated to the preservation of New Jersey’s wildlife and habitats through education, conservation and rehabilitation.
“A few different things that we’re doing this year is we are having a live auction instead of a silent auction, so we’re really excited for that and we’re bringing in a professional live auctioneer,” said Lisa Franco, Cedar Run’s assistant director of development and communications.
“We will have raffle baskets… We’ll have over 100 different samples of wine supplied by Cheers Wine & Spirits in Voorhees… All of the benefits of the event are going towards Cedar Run, so as a wildlife refuge and wildlife rehabilitation hospital, all of our funding comes from donations and we’re not government funded, so events like this are some of the biggest ways that you can really give back and really help us with the cost of care.”
Wine & Wildlife, in partnership with Cheers Wine & Spirits, will also include special appearances by Cedar Run Wildlife Ambassadors, and will also celebrate those making a difference in their local communities – the staff, resident wildlife, volunteers and supporters of Cedar Run. The organization is not only dedicated to the preservation of New Jersey’s wildlife and habitats through education, conservation and rehabilitation, but also serves as a community resource on the importance of protecting and enhancing healthy ecosystems for all since 1957, according to its website.
“Right now, we’re seeing about a 33% increase in animals that are coming through our hospital,” Franco said. “Compared to last year, we’ve already hit over 3,500 animals this year and we are still getting them in with baby season, so for an event like this, it really does help with the cost of care, as well as just the upkeep of the land and just making sure all of our residents as well are getting care and food.”
Wine & Wildlife will also have a theme, one that focuses on how animals and humans can help each other – a “One Health” message.
“… One health being how everything is connected and how we all are in that circle, trying to better the environment that will help animals and will help humans and help the Earth,” Franco said. “Our mission is a three-part mission of environmental education, habitat conservation and wildlife rehabilitation.
The One Health message fits into that mission, she noted.
“… We are, at Cedar Run, One Health, and we’re really excited to be able to share that with the public and hopefully give some really good, educational lessons throughout the night that people can take home with them and really start to cultivate a really great love for the environment and for animals,” Franco said.
For more information on Wine & Wildlife or Cedar Run, visit www.cedarrun.org.
