Some of our Volunteers after an Event!

Come Play With Us!

You can Make a Difference in the life of a child!

Hear what the Volunteers Say about their experiences...

Speaking from the "Heart".

For me there is no greater gift then the love of a child. These past 3 years as a Big Animal have been the most rewarding times of my life to know that we could make a difference in a child's life & help them experience so much love & joy in their world of heartache & pain. To see their eyes sparkle, faces smiling, and the joy and enthusiasm in them just knowing we're there & will be back again is the greatest gift anyone can receive. We've stretched & grown so much in our lives because of it & have created purposes in other peoples lives allowing them to be a part of us. I can only relate to how I feel when I hold my 2 1/2 yr old Granddaughter and squeeze her so tight feeling the depth of the love I have for her so deep in my heart it makes me cry. I get so overwelmed never dreaming I could love somebody so deeply & so much and I'm so grateful that she'll never know any other life but the life of total support & love. That's what we bring to all the homeless, abused & sick children we touch and I thank God everyday that he's given us the support, love & strength enabling us to do so. This is submitted to you with lots of love & pride for who we are. Gail Palermo

The beauty of a Big Animals event is the simplicity.

The first time I volunteered to be a Big Animal I had some apprehension. I expected to have to perform and be clever to entertain these children. They were living in a homeless shelter in downtown San Diego. And I didn't know much about how a large orange bear with an affinity for honey was supposed to act. But to my amazement, once I put on the big bear suit and stepped out into the children's courtyard I became a superstar. Kids poured out of the dorms to get their pictures taken, get a big hug, or high-five the giant orange bear. Smiles were contagious and even the parents and workers got in on the action. With all the good energy, love, and fun we had the time just flew by. After our gig was over I changed out of the costume and returned to the courtyard in my regular clothes. All the same kids where there, all the same parents and workers. But I was totally anonymous. Nobody knew me. And I still didn't know anything about how a giant orange bear was *supposed* to act. What I learned was that the beauty of a Big Animals event is the simplicity. You don't need to *know* anything. You just show up and the kids make it happen. Anonymous

Big Animals did an event at a home for "developmentally challenged" adults/children. It was a bit unusual for us, since we usually focus entirely on children. One of our members, Dave Navarrski, organized it as part of a leadership course he is taking. We were happy to help out. Following is a comment from one of the volunteers who attended the event."

Regarding our event at the center for "developmentally challenged". At first, I was nervous about going, and not really knowing what to expect. The caregivers at the home were so inspiring. They were so Good to the patients and truly cared about them. It was wonderful to see how caring and loving the parents were. I was over my apprehension in 5 mins.

The staff at our event were so appreciative of us being there. They said no one comes for the children because they're afraid. They had
music, they provided a BBQ and all the fixings, plus cakes. They
were great and so grateful. Some of the parents were there to pick up their kids and adult family members to take home for the week-end and were having such a good time they stayed for the party. They really appreciated the pictures Deborah and MaryEllen took of their kids with the animals.

I thought the face painters (Robin and Shirley) were excellent with the patients. The kids were treated like everyone else. I would go back in a moment's notice. I'm so glad Dave picked this place as his community project. I learned a lot. Phyllis Ashman

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