December E-News
Make your holiday gift and make Heartland's season merry 
& bright!

As you enjoy this holiday season with family and friends, we hope you'll consider making a yearend gift to provide care for our many rescued animals both current and future, or to contribute to our scholarship fund for a youth in need of our therapeutic programs. Make a gift of $250 or greater between now and December 31st and we'll mail you this beautiful wooden Baine ornament, the perfect holiday gift for any animal lover in your life! Don't delay, as quantities are very limited!
Heartland partners with UW Madison for landmark study

We are thrilled to announce that Heartland has formed a partnership with the University of Wisconsin School of Human Ecology (SoHE) to research how caring for our rescued animals benefits children's physical and emotional health. We hope this landmark study is just the first of many collaborations with SoHE and other institutions that validate the good in our connection to animals.  More details will follow in the coming months.

Love working with kids and animals? We are hiring a Programs Manager!
In order to expand our people programs and help more kids in our community, Heartland is looking to hire a part-time (20 hours per week) Programs Manager. The Programs Manager would be responsible for planning Heartland's existing programs (Animal Hearts and Barn Time) plus planning new programs, registering program participants, collaborating with our Executive Director on grant applications, and more. See a full job description here. A desire to work with farm animals and people (adults and youth) in an outdoor/barn environment is a must! For more information, contact Dana at 608-219-1172 or email [email protected].
Welcome home!
Heartland welcomes new family members to the barn in time for the holidays

Meet Slate!  Slate is a young, male turkey who was abandoned in Mt. Vernon and living in a tree. The woman whose property he lived on was worried about how he would survive the winter and we knew we had to step in. Slate is a sweet, shy fellow who is starting to warm up to our staff and volunteers. We're happy to give him a safe and loving home! 


Rowdy and Moo Update: At the beginning of December, we welcomed twin brothers Rowdy and Moo. These boys are 6-year-old Nigerian Dwarf goats  who did not have socialization with other goats for most of their lives. They were recently surrendered to a wonderful farm sanctuary who had a sudden change in their financial status. Also, due to their lack of social skills, the twins were being bullied by a horse and other goats at the sanctuary. For these reasons, it was decided that Heartland is the best place for Rowdy and Moo. We are happy to help out a fellow sanctuary by easing their financial difficulties, and we are fortunate to have experienced volunteers who can spend time socializing the boys with the Heartland goat and sheep crew. The boys are already fitting in perfectly with our older goat crowd, and are having a ball meeting the volunteers and exploring the barn. 

Slate, Rowdy and Moo are still looking for sponsors! Welcome them to Heartland with your loving sponsorship today!
Heartland thanks you!

Shout out to Paula and Nina!
Meet Paula and her daughter, Nina! Nina and Paula are dedicated volunteers and supporters of Heartland. Nina has participated in our Barn Time program and is now a regular animal-care volunteer. Paula often volunteers with Nina, and the two of them recently nominated Heartland to receive a landscaping grant from Greenscapes in Madison. We won, and the Greenscapes crew recently installed a beautiful entrance to the barn and a patio! Thank you, Nina and Paula, for all you do for Heartland!
Thank you, Greenscapes!
Heartland wants to give a huge shout-out to Greenscapes in Madison for their crash makeover of our barn entrance! Those familiar with Heartland may remember the dirt hill (which was often muddy) leading down to the barn entrance. This hill was incredibly slippery in the spring and winter months. Greenscapes has completely changed this with installing a gorgeous stone pathway and beautiful, sturdy stone steps! Plus, they gave us a beautiful patio outside of our office trailer. We can't believe our eyes! Watch the video of their amazing project!
Volunteer of the Month:
Alyssa Kowaleski
Meet Alyssa, Heartland's December Volunteer of the Month! Alyssa started volunteering at the barn this summer but has stepped up so much, it feels like she's been here for years! Alyssa is mainly a barn/animal care volunteer, but also started helping out at Heartland's special events! She's also a Stable Supporter, so she helps out Heartland in so many ways! We are grateful for you, Alyssa! Read more...
January's Volunteer Info Session
Our next Volunteer Information Session is Wednesday, January 18th from 7-8 PM at the Verona Public Library. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about volunteering with us! To RSVP, email [email protected].
Right now, we especially need animal care volunteers on Monday and Wednesday mornings, as well as Friday and Saturday evenings. Learn more!

Dana Barre
Executive Director & Founder
Heartland Farm Sanctuary
Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   View our videos on YouTube   View on Instagram   Find us on Google+