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Our 2022 Fiesta Medal benefits

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation!

Fiesta San Antonio is back! Running from March 31st through April 10th, it's an eleven-day celebration of history, culture, music and food with over 100 events to enjoy. Fiesta medals are a beloved tradition in San Antonio with the first one created for the public in 1946. Today businesses and organizations across the city offer their own medals, including Whole Earth. They're worn proudly on sashes and vests and are popular with collectors who buy, sell and swap them. Fiesta medals can also be fundraisers for groups that give back to the community.

Our 2022 Fiesta Medal benefits Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, an organization that has been saving lives since 1977 - 45 years! The medal itself highlights the iconic smokestacks at our Alamo Quarry Market store as well as the bats who visit for a quick meal in the evening.

Our Fiesta medal costs $10, and you'll find them exclusively at our San Antonio store at the Quarry. Supplies are limited so don't wait to add it to your collection. And as a special bonus, with the purchase of the 2022 medal, you'll receive one of our 2021 medals, celebrating Whole Earth's 50th year. Get two medals for the price of one!

The proceeds of our 2022 Fiesta Medal will help sustain the work of Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation: rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing native wildlife and providing sanctuary, individualized care, and a voice for other animals in need. In 2021 alone, they cared for close to 11,000 animals and responded to more than 17,000 inquiries and calls for help.

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation began as the vision of a young woman in her mid-twenties in 1977 in San Antonio. Lynn Cuny saw that many wild animals suffered and died after encounters with humans and that many could be saved and, with help, returned to the wild. She also saw that some could not be released due to the nature of their injuries or other factors, and that they could live satisfactory lives in a sanctuary. It was her vision when founding WRR to one day have a 200 acre sanctuary in the Texas Hill Country. This vision became a reality with the help, donations and hard work of many people over the years.

WRR's respect for animals includes how they are spoken of: "Animals are intelligent, sentient individuals. We refer to them as 'he/she' or 'them/they,' or by species. The words 'it' or 'thing' are never used to refer to an animal, and 'who' is used rather than 'that.' If you do not know the gender, choose one: 'he' or 'she.' Even if your gender choice is wrong, it is more respectful than 'it.' This is an important way of demonstrating the respect we ask others to afford all animals."

The main Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation sanctuary and rehabilitation facilities are located on 212 wooded acres in Kendalia in the Texas Hill Country, about fifty miles from both San Antonio and Austin. There are six ponds, two creeks, and the Little Blanco River on the property. The topography of the land is diverse and enclosure areas were chosen according to specific needs of the species who would live in them.

Much of the 212 acres is left in a natural state for the native species of wildlife who were living there when WRR acquired the land. They built a 5,000-square-foot Hospital & Rehabilitation Nursery, a 3,000-square-foot Nutrition Center, a large maintenance building, and renovated several small buildings on the property that are now used for administration offices, animal receiving, animal enrichment, hay barns, and related needs.

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation's rescue hotline can be reached at (830) 336-2725 and is available 24/7 to provide advice and assistance to animals in need, along with answering questions about wildlife. You can also visit WRR's website at www.wildlife-rescue.org for more information and resources. We hope you'll join with us in supporting this outstanding organization.