Tomorrow is July Bonus Day on GlobalGiving!

Summer camps, wildlife programs, backpacking trips, tours, outreach events - summer is our busiest season at Piedmont Wildlife Center. It's also the time when we're reminded daily why we work hard to connect people with nature:

• Seeing a kid who's afraid of getting dirty take their first step into the woods.

• Watching a family's eyes light up when they meet Apollo and realize the bird calling outside their apartment at night is a barred owl.

• Helping teens discover inner strength they never knew they had on a backpacking trip to the mountains.

As a small nonprofit, PWC relies on your support to make these magic moments possible - and tomorrow, Wednesday, July 12th, your gift can connect even more people with nature when you give to PWC on GlobalGiving.

This Wednesday, July 12th is July Bonus Day on GlobalGiving! Starting at 9 AM EST, GlobalGiving will match all donations of $100 or more made on their platform. The bigger the gift, the higher the match:

Donations of $100-$499 will be matched at 30%
Donations of $500-$749 will be matched at 40%
Donations of $750-$1,000 will be matched at 50%

As an extra bonus, an anonymous donor has offered an additional 100% match on the first $1,000 we receive on July 12th! Between GlobalGiving and this private match, your gift of $100 becomes $230... $500 becomes $1,200...  $750 becomes $1,875... and $1,000 becomes $2,500!

Can we count on your support this Wednesday, July 12th? Learn more about July Bonus Day and view our GlobalGiving projects below - then mark your calendars for July Bonus Day on July 12th!

Help PWC keep shoes out of landfills!

It's time to give that pile of worn-out shoes the "boot"! Now through the end of 2022, help PWC save some lost "soles" from the landfill - while also raising money for conservation, citizen science, and outdoor education!

We've partnered with sneaker recycling company GotSneakers to collect athletic shoes for recycling. Simply drop off your used sneakers in the collection bin at PWC (or send them with your kid to camp) and we'll send them off to be repurposed or recycled! Even better, PWC will receive a small donation from GotSneakers for every pair in recyclable, fair, good, or excellent condition.

All conditions and brands accepted. Only athletic shoes, please. No dress shoes, heels, rain boots, sandals, slip-ons, water shoes, wedges, or work boots. Please note: we can only accept shoes in pairs.

How to find us: PWC is located in Leigh Farm Park (364 Leigh Farm Road, Durham, NC). When you arrive, please park in the main parking lot. Walk down the paved road past the staff gate, the visitors center, and the historic farmhouse, and follow the path as it curves to the right into the woods. PWC is located in the historic cabin, just past the staff parking lot. You’ll find a blue collection bin on the front porch of the cabin!

You helped us raise $4,014 this July Bonus Day!

Here at Piedmont Wildlife Center, we begin every meeting by reflecting on what we're grateful for. Today, we all have one thing on our mind: YOU!

On July 20th, July Bonus Day, 20 people who answered the call to support conservation, environmental education, and nature connection. We'd hoped to raise $3,000 this July Bonus Day - but because of your generosity, we received a whopping $4,014!

Here's how these funds will help further our mission:

• $2,720 will expand our on-site box turtle research and Turtle Trekkers citizen science project by purchasing new radio telemetry receivers, printing bookmarks and other educational materials, and defraying the cost of sending our staff to the next Box Turtle Connection conference

• $390 will purchase a year's worth of heat lamp bulbs for all our reptiles, cover routine veterinary exams for 3 Ambassador Animals, feed Apollo the barred owl for 2 months, and buy 2 containers of superworms for our resident box turtles

• $280 will cover an average summer camp scholarship of $235 for 1 camper and restock 2 first aid kits

• $260 will cover a $230 afterschool scholarship to help 1 student attend our program this fall and purchase 1 case of IvyX poison ivy wipes

• $260 will provide a free wildlife program to 1 classroom at a Title 1 school and feed our box turtles for 1 month

• $104 in donations to our general operating fund will give us the flexibility to respond to unexpected situations as our programs continue to grow!

We could not have done this without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support of Piedmont Wildlife Center!

July Bonus Day may be over, but you can still support us on GlobalGiving. Check out our projects below to see all the ways you can connect people with nature in the Triangle and beyond:

On July 20th, your gift goes even farther

July Bonus Day is next Wednesday, July 20th - and we're gearing up to celebrate our most generous donors! With their donations of $100 or more, these Protectors of the Piedmont allow us to:

• offer low -or no-cost nature programs at Title 1 schools

• ensure our Ambassador Animals receive the best possible care

• provide scholarships to campers and afterschool students in need

• keep our on-site box turtle research running

And more! As we prepare for the next #20YearsOfPWC, we know we can't do it without them - and you.

This July Bonus Day, our partner GlobalGiving is offering a special opportunity to get donations of $100 and up matched. The bigger the donation, the higher the match! Starting at 9 AM EST on Wednesday, July 20th, GlobalGiving will match:

• 30% on donations from $100-$499

• 40% on donations from $500-$749

• 50% on donations from $750-$1,000

In order to be eligible for matching, donations must be made online through GlobalGiving on the morning of July 20th while funds last. (We recommend donating early, before 10 AM EST!)

Can we count you in? Follow the link below to see all the PWC projects you can support on GlobalGiving... and mark your calendars for July Bonus Day next Wednesday, July 20th!

We received $5,000 for Title 1 school programs!

Attention Title 1 school teachers: Your adventure starts here!

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve received a $5,000 grant from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund! This generous grant will allow us to offer FREE wildlife programs to twelve Title 1 classrooms in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Chatham counties during the 2022-23 school year.

The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund supports conservation and education initiatives that conserve wildlife and habitat, connect new audiences to the outdoors, and protect our outdoor heritage. We are all about nature connection here at PWC, so we are thrilled to have their support as we bring educational, fun, and inspiring wildlife encounters to NC students who may otherwise lack opportunities to access nature.

Are you a teacher at a public Title 1 elementary school? Applications are NOW OPEN for our free Title 1 programs! Qualifying schools will be selected on a first come, first serve basis. Programs will happen in October, November, January, or February of the 2022-23 school year. Learn more and apply today!

P.S. Want to help us offer low- or no-cost programs to even more Title 1 classrooms this year? Support this project on GlobalGiving! GlobalGiving is currently offering a match on new monthly donations up to $200: