Junior Volunteer Spotlight - Shayne Sifford

Shayne began volunteering at The World Bird Sanctuary on a cold winter day in February of 2012.  Youngsters can become Junior Volunteers at the age of 13.

Junior Volunteer Shayne Sifford

Shayne is usually a Sunday volunteer.  He is an awesome kid. Joy radiates from him. He loves animals and that love shines through when he shares his knowledge and love of the creatures he cares for with our guests.  

Shayne is especially fond of our display and program Rats.  Yes, I said Rats.  He cuddles them, lets them crawl all over him and shares them with guests who come through the front door of our Nature Center.  Does the thought of cuddling Rats and letting them crawl on you make you shudder?  It is not something that I go out of my way to do, but Shayne does it every weekend, and by sharing his love of these misunderstood creatures with guests he helps to dispel some of the fears and misconceptions many people harbor about rats.

When you walk into the Nature Center and see Shayne beaming with joy, peek up on his shoulder to see if the rat named Betty is up there.  If not, maybe it will be the rat named Veronica.

Shayne’s Mom, Lisa, is also a wonderful volunteer with a great spirit.

Former Staff person Emily Hall and I brought our Free Flight Bird show called Raptor Awareness to Sperring Middle school, which is the school Shayne attends.  Shayne was in the audience for our presentation as we had the trained birds fly over the middle schoolers’ heads. We acknowledged Shayne during our presentation.  We brought Shayne up to take some photos immediately after the program.

Shayne Sifford with Mischief our White-necked Raven and former Staff member Emily Hall.

We love seeing Shayne on Sundays at World Bird Sanctuary’s Nature Center. He brings joy to us all of us and to our animals. Come in on a Sunday morning and meet Shayne and his animal friends.

Photos and story by Michael Zeloski, Director of Education 

Junior Volunteers

Did you know that the World Bird Sanctuary has a Junior Volunteer program?  Some of our best and most valued volunteers began volunteering as a “Junior” volunteer. 

Shayne Sifford, for instance, began as a “Junior volunteer” back in February 2012.   Junior volunteers are not allowed to handle the Birds Of Prey.  However, Shayne and all junior volunteers are able to handle many of our mammals and reptiles during Junior Volunteer years.

Shayne Sifford handling Oliver the Screech Owl (photo: Mike Zieloski)

Once a Junior Volunteer reaches the magic age of 16, and has been volunteering for over 40 hours, they are eligible to begin handling the Birds Of Prey on a case-by-case basis.  Much of it depends on the person’s understanding of how their body movements and actions affect a bird behaviorally.  If a person is calm and can read the bird’s behavior then progress can be made.

Shayne began handling Birds Of Prey under the close supervision of staff members.  The pictures of Shayne with Oliver the Eastern Screech Owl, shows how much Shayne has advanced.  I love Shayne and his big heart.  I am glad to see this young man make such great progress.

Shayne is now 18 and will be a Senior at Lindbergh High School in August 2015.  His enthusiasm and strong work ethic never ceases to make me smile.

If you are between the ages of 13 and 16 you, too, can be a Junior Volunteer!  If you are 16 or older you can become a full-fledged volunteer eligible to handle birds of prey.  No prior experience with birds is necessary.  All training will be provided under the close supervision of our experienced staff. 

If you are interested in volunteering, go to our website and fill out the junior volunteer application and then be ready to attend our once per month Volunteer Orientation.

Submitted by, World Bird Sanctuary Director of Education Michael Zeloski

Junior Volunteer of the Year

In our October blog Director of Education Mike Zieloski wrote a post introducing Junior Volunteer Shayne Sifford. 

Shayne Sifford & Director of Education Michael Zieloski (photo by Gay Schroer)

It is our pleasure to announce that Shayne has been given the Junior Volunteer of the Year award at the World Bird Sanctuary’s annual award ceremony. 

What is a junior volunteer you may ask?  First of all let’s look at the definition of a volunteer. The dictionary defines a volunteer as “…. a person who willingly and without pay gives their own time, expertise and talents.”

Volunteers are vital to the success of the World Bird Sanctuary and are welcomed as family.  Our volunteer program offers something for everyone, including the unique opportunity to work directly with birds and animals.  The minimum requirement is 16 hours of work per month.  Previous animal experience is not required and all training is done on-site.  All volunteers are required to become a WBS Friend.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  However, there is one more criteria.  Applicants must be at least 16 years old to handle birds of prey.

Junior volunteers must be at least 13 years old, but must be at least 16 years old to handle the birds of prey.  They have the opportunity to assist with daily chores in the education and animal management departments.  This position allows young aspiring naturalists to be in a safe proximity to the animals, while learning about conservation and animal care.   Some would be discouraged by this waiting period—but our truly dedicated Junior Volunteers use this time to learn all they can about the birds while experiencing the responsibilities of caring for our other live animals on a daily basis…an education within itself.

Shayne’s unbridled enthusiasm shines through every Sunday when he arrives at the World Bird Sanctuary’s Nature Center ready to work at whatever task needs to be done—whether that involves cleaning cages or greeting visitors.

If you happen to visit us on a Sunday look for Shayne.  He’ll be happy to tell you all about whichever animal he’s caring for at the moment.

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer