What is a mission?
My opinion.... a mission often starts from something small. A random act or occurrence. A comment. Something you read or see. It could come from a desire to personally reflect back into the world an act of demonstrated positivity. Or, even the drive to assist in overcoming witnessed tragedy.
A mission is often something that is solitary, even lonely at times. Because it's yours. And to truly manifest your mission into the world comes from the understanding that you... alone... will need to be the unrelenting force behind moving it forward. Because no one else will. That's not to say that others won't join alongside you for a time, but the fact remains that it's you, day in and day out, regardless of all other factors.
A mission is growth. Here's the hard truth... it's likely that you lack the resources necessary to pursue your mission. So, you seek knowledge and delve into topics you never thought you would. You attract like-minded individuals to support you. You overcome financial roadblocks. You grind. And, with a little luck (and unwavering resilience), you find, or even create, whatever it is that you need for your mission. And slowly but surely, if you have the fortitude to stick with it, step by step, your mission becomes reality.
Others might despise your mission. They might chose to compete with, or even intentionally thwart, your mission. Some will say it is too hard, or not worth it. Most won't see its value. Many will not care.
Ignore them.
You will try. You will succeed. You will fail. You'll have setbacks, and leaps forward. At times you'll be flush with resources, at others you'll be scrounging to get through to the next day. You'll find many who join you for a short time, and a select few who come alongside for the long haul. You'll learn tough lessons about yourself, while enjoying incredible personal achievements.
Embrace all of this. It's YOUR mission.
Which brings me to OUR mission... it's what has driven us since the beginning, and which started to truly manifest into a physical shape in 2018...
"To ensure, in all the ways we know how, that the wildlife we love is around for future generations to appreciate."
That's it. And it guides every choice we make as an organization:
-The ever-evolving methodology we apply to the treatment of our patients. This means partnering with colleagues, attending trainings, and knowing that every failure is an opportunity to learn.
-Ensuring that we engage in the most up-to-date and humane approach as it relates to our ambassador training. Again, working with colleagues, attending conferences and webinars, and staying on top of the latest techniques and psychological approaches.
-Our compassion first approach to educating the community on the importance of the species we serve. We do this by ensuring that our school programs (k-12) meet educational standards and S.T.E.M. requirements, and that all public programs avoid sounding "preachy"... we prefer to serve as the catalyst that leads someone down a journey of discovery and growth!
But it takes more than that....
-We embrace the opportunity to grow the knowledge and experience of others who seek to pursue a hobby, or career, in the treatment / conservation of animals. "Gatekeeping" of access and information is an outdated way of maintaining relevance, and comes from a place of insecurity, and that just isn't us.
-We contribute to university research and private studies as often as applicable, because when the community's knowledge grows, we all get better. And, as history has proven, the conservation of an entire species can start from a humble fact-finding endeavor!
-We encourage collaboration between colleagues. This is something that was missing for so long because, frankly, no one wants to feel judged for the way they carry out their work. However, to paraphrase Maya Angelou, "when you know better, you do better". And how can you know better if you are not willing to open yourself up and LEARN from others. If someone has a better way... we want to know!
-We run from a place of transparency. From my perspective, we are funded by the public, so we should be available to the public as a trusted resource. This point drives many of the decisions we make regarding the use of our funds, our data, and our time.
With all that said, if you've gotten this far, it's likely because YOU are a supporter of our mission. And for that, we truly thank you. We have done it alone at times... but we sure are glad that, because of folks like you, we don't still have to.
For now, we have some big opportunities on the horizon. And it will take a lot of people coming together to see them through. Maybe they work out, maybe they don't. But either way, it's OUR mission... and we will do what it takes to drive it forward!
Thanks for coming with us.
Jeffrey Bohnet
Co-founder, North Sky Raptor Sanctuary
🦅🦉💚
