What a great week! I got to deliver some nice checks to the Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center last week. They had a board of directors meeting and they were very nice to invite me to join them. My mom and dad came, too. I would have had a great video to show but my dad accidentally clicked his video player wrong so we wound up with a great video of his lap. My mom didn’t take a lot of pictures because she thought my dad was handling that. Oh well. Sorry Friends — I hope that you got some good shots.

Joe present fundraising check to FWNC&R director, Suzanne Tuttle.
Photo by Kari Kirkham

I also went to Big Cat CARE this weekend. My friend Manda who helped me raise money this summer came (along with her family), too. It was the first time they have visited CARE and it is always fun to see the look on faces of people when they see how many big cats are out there. Heidi Krahn, the director at CARE gave us all a great tour. Her daughter, Destiny (but I think I heard her mom call her “peaches,”) is showing 0ff something that the lion cubs were eating. Sorry if this grosses some people out. It’s the circle of life, though. And CARE is very careful about the food that the big cats eat. It has to be meat from animals that passed from natural causes.

Destiny shows off some “lion food” at CARE.
Photo by Kari Kirkham

L to R, Joe Kirkham, Abigail, Luke & Manda Tuttle.
Photo by Kari Kirkham

We also saw the lemurs. That was a big hit with Manda and her family. I am proud to say that I was accepted by the lemur family. One pooped on me. If that isn’t feeling comfortable around someone, I don’t know what is.

Check out more pictures on my photo pages.

I love going to both these places. Thanks to everyone who gave to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge and Big Cat CARE during the JoeSentMe! fundraiser this year. We made $3,350.

Thanks again!

-Joe 

Joe and lion cub at CARE.
Photo by Kari Kirkham

 JoeSentMe! Donors for 2012

Shellie Metroka, Audrey & Dan Metroka, Charles Eklund, Ann & Dan Kirkham, Kathy & Andy Rector, Linda Rector, Deborah & Dr. Frank Lonergan, Kathy & Mark Metroka, Sharon & Paul Dooley, Tina & Ron Oldham, Devery Cash, Jane Rector, David Shabon of ICI, William & Patrcia Donnally, Nancy & Gordon Marchant, Karee, Duane & Ben Galloway-Bidwell, The Resultants, Inc., Dr. Raskopf & Rockie Deutscher, 360 West Magazine, Kim & Efrain Martinez, Mary & the Artful Bead staff, Michael Poriotis, Casey Tibbet, the Trittipo-Segundo family, Marty Leonard, Lani Aker, Ann & Steve Christian, the Pearl family, Dr. Grotta & Alpha Grotta, Babs Rodriguez, Elliott Oldenburg, Ric, Alma, Sylvester & Zoe Rodriguez, Paul & Paula LaRoque.