Meet Suzanne Velasquez | Director/Board Member/Onsite-Volunteer
We had the good fortune of connecting with Suzanne Velasquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Suzanne, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I feel risks make life exciting! The fear of trying and failing is so much better than the regret of not trying at all. I don’t want to look back and think I should have taken more risks. I have taken two risks in my life that changed my life forever. The first was ending a 31-year marriage and moving 2000 miles away from my adult children and grandchildren to begin a new life here in Arizona. The second is committing to John and Tish that I will be responsible for caring for the 29 donkeys and 1 mule currently and any more that arrive here at Forever Home Donkey Rescue. Agreeing to continue caring for the rescue gave the rescue a future long past John, Tish or me and becoming a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit allows us to be able to accept donations, grants, and bequests so that our rescue can continue to provide the best care for these beautiful creatures. I cannot imagine my life if I did not take that risk to serve as a Director/Board Member/Volunteer here at the rescue. I was searching for a purpose after my marriage ended. Here at Forever Home Donkey Rescue I found it. Risky? Yes. Rewarding? Absolutely! I always tell guests when they thank us for what we do, that I get paid in unconditional love from these beautiful creatures and that I feel the donkeys have rescued me. I cannot imagine my life if I did not take the risk to live my life here at the Rescue. How lucky am I?
What should our readers know about your business?
The mission of Forever Home Donkey Rescue & Sanctuary is to help donkeys in need of rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming. We focus on providing education and protection from animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect as well as a sanctuary for donkeys that need a forever home. I feel our business structure sets us apart from other rescues. We are an All Volunteer Rescue. No salaries are paid. Every donation dollar goes directly to the care of the donkeys.
We have agreed on a limited number of animals we can have in the sanctuary. There are two reasons for this. First, it is the care the animals receive. By keeping our number at 30 donkeys, we know that we can give good quality care to each and every donkey. We have our eyes and hands on each donkey every day, multiple times a day. Second, by knowing our max number, and with the support from our donors, we know the amount of money needed to care for each one.
We offer free tours and will always offer free tours. We believe it is important that anyone that wants to visit and learn about donkeys can come here and do so without the worry of cost. Education is the only way we will end the abuse and/or neglect of the donkeys. The more people we educate the better the donkey’s life is. Our donkeys enjoy the socialization with our guests. We love sharing our donkeys and their stories with our guests.
It is not always easy. There are times when we are at our max capacity that we have to tell people who are desperate to rehome a donkey that we can not take them. We do offer guidance but we just don’t have the room. We know there is a need for more donkeys to go into the sanctuary. If we took in all the donkeys that needed to be rescued, we would be overwhelmed in caring for them. There would be donkeys that would fall through the cracks. We would be failing the donkeys horribly. Financially, we would be begging for funds every minute of every day because of the cost of taking care of so many animals. It is just not the right thing to do for the donkeys or for the life of the rescue. We would have to close, and then we are not helping any donkey, not educating anyone and we would have failed our mission.
The lesson that I learned is “quality of life”. When we have a sick animal that needs to be put down, we have learned to take our feelings out of the equation. We have a “quality of life” measurement for each donkey, which changes with time. It is hard. We love each and every animal that has come through this rescue I actually cry when they leave us by rehoming or death. We do our very best but sometimes it is out of our control. We make the tough call to euthanize.
I really don’t want the world to know just about our rescue or me. I want them to know about the donkey and its plights around the world, not just the stories of the donkeys on our 30 acres. If our story can start a conversation or bring a smile or make a memory that is enough for us. It is all about donkeys.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh wow, Cochise County has so much to offer! The first stop would be the Benson Visitor’s Center. This Visitor’s Center has so much railroad history, it is a museum by itself. The staff is wonderful and so knowledgeable. Kartchener’s Cavern State Park and cavern tour is a must! A living cavern and wonderful tours. The whole town of Bisbee is a day to itself! Art, food, and mine tour…you can not go wrong anywhere in Bisbee! The Mescal Movie set is so worth seeing. One of the best movie set tours. The scenery around the set is amazing! A little ways further and we would visit the Historic Empire Ranch and learn the history of the cowboy. Most people like to visit Tombstone when they are in the area. I like Ft Huachuca and its museum honoring the Buffalo Soldiers. A trip to the Chiricahua National Park would be a one-day trip too. While returning from the park, we would stop by the Amerind Museum located in Texas Canyon. The drive to both the National Park and Texas Canyon is breathtaking. What is a trip to Southern Arizona without a horse trail ride at Double R Guest Ranch? Of course, we would all be hanging out with the donkeys at the rescue every day!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We have a huge appreciation for all our volunteers here at the rescue. They are an essential part of the rescue. Not only do they help with the upkeep and care of the facility and donkeys but they also are huge advocates for the rescue. We have the best volunteers who truly love caring for the donkeys and our donkeys really love them! We welcome anyone that would like to volunteer even if it is just for a day.
John and Tish Hiestand, the founders of the Forever Home Donkey Rescue and Sanctuary. They started the rescue 25 years ago with the purchase of a donkey (BlackJack). Looking for a companion for BlackJack they found a need to provide a forever home for donkeys with medical needs or a temporary home for donkeys on their way to their forever homes. They ran the rescue as a Private Sanctuary until I arrived in 2019. They both are in their 80’s and a question arose on how the rescue can continue after they are no longer able to care for the donkeys and/or after they are gone. They had a plan in place but all the donkeys would have to leave the rescue to go to another rescue. This would mean Blackjack who has been here for 25 years would have to leave his home and go elsewhere. A decision was made to become an All-Volunteer 501(c)(3) Non-Profit. That way we can still provide a service to the community and care for the donkeys living in sanctuary here at the rescue. The Rescue will go on long past all of us. John and Tish did not plan for the rescue to form. It was borne from their love for donkeys and they made the choice to spend their retirement years caring for these animals.
Website: www.foreverhomedonkeyrescue.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foreverhomedonkeyrescue
Image Credits
Roger Thompson Photography Laura McClure Photography Suzanne Velasquez- Beyond Restraints Imagery David & Thavone Washer
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