Donald was imprisoned in a 10×10 foot concrete bunker with no sunlight or fresh water for two decades.
His crime? He turned into the wild animal he was meant to be.
His cellmates? Four female chimpanzees who starved, ached and yearned for more alongside him.
His savior? The Primate Rescue Center, our nonprofit organization that rescued Donald and all four of his friends from that damp, cold, lonely bunker.
Unfortunately, Donald’s story is one of hundreds that the Primate Rescue Center has witnessed over the last 35 years. Without sanctuaries such as the PRC, chimpanzees and monkeys who are purchased as pets or used for biomedical research would have no place to go. If it weren’t for the Primate Rescue Center, 50 primates would still be living in unsuitable environments. Fortunately, the PRC is here to rescue and provide for these animals thanks to your support.
As a nonprofit sanctuary, the PRC receives no funding from the government. Instead, we rely on kind contributions from donors to rescue and care for primates like Donald, who without the PRC would still be missing the sunlight. Providing for 50 primates is no small task. Their diet, medical, and psychological needs are extensive and amount to an annual operating budget of over $400,000. Along with donor events and small fundraisers throughout the year, another way that the PRC raises funds to provide for the primates is by participating in online giving campaigns such as Giving Day for Apes, Kentucky Gives Day, and two upcoming campaigns – Giving Tuesday and the Good Giving Challenge.
We all know that the day after Thanksgiving is known as ‘Black Friday,’ a day to splurge on the year’s best sales. You may have even heard of ‘Small Business Saturday’ or ‘Cyber Monday.’ For the Primate Rescue Center, the most important of these days happens the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. ‘Giving Tuesday’ is a global generosity movement during which individuals are encouraged to contribute to their favorite charity organization. The sanctuary looks forward to this day for months, as it is an opportunity to quickly raise a large sum of necessary funding for the primates.
Giving Tuesday this year will take place on December 3rd. PRC will be reaching out to all of our supporters through social media to ask for contributions to their fundraiser. The sanctuary needs financial support from you to support the apes’ and monkeys’ medical, nutritional, and environmental needs. PRC will host a Facebook fundraiser, share their Mighty Cause giving profile, and, as always, have their website and snail-mail available for donations.
The Good Giving Challenge is coming up soon as well. It will take place from December 3rd through the 9th. This campaign is especially important for the PRC because it is designed to support charitable organizations in the Bluegrass community. Located just outside of Lexington, KY, the PRC is hoping that donors from all over the world will choose to support the rescued primates turned Kentucky natives during this time. The Primate Rescue Center is especially excited about this challenge because there are many opportunities for donors to boost their donations. With match pools on December 3rd and 9th, prizes of $15,000 and a trivia app that allows players to earn cash for charities, PRC will be sharing details about these unique opportunities on our Facebook page so that you can help the primates.
Keeping the apes and monkeys happy and healthy is the PRC’s daily mission. Caregivers, volunteers and interns work tirelessly to ensure that each and every resident receives the highest quality of care. The financial responsibility of caring for 50 primates is a heavy burden and the PRC would like to thank each and every donor who has given to the primates and kindly asks those who are able to support our efforts on Giving Tuesday and during the Good Giving Challenge.
