I thought it was time I explained my relationship with In-Sync Exotics. In order to put this posting in context, I will need to start from the beginning...
Meet Jinxie
WAO Intake Information:
JINX (female – intact)
Born: 01/01/98 (estimate)
Weight: 300 lbs
Arrival date: November 2001 (she was 3 years old at time)
Originated from: Yoknapatawpha Exotic Animal – Oxford, MS
(born at facility)
Came to WAO from: Yoknapatawpha Exotic Animal – Oxford, MS
NOTES:
NOTES:
• Declawed front
paws
• Sister of Jambo
(euthanized 2 years ago)
• Mother of Amy
& ShieBe (males who lived at Talley)
• Formerly housed next to Ifaw and Kovu
• Came from same
place as Lance and Layla (Leslie tigers) and Beauty and Beast
(deceased former Leslie ligers)
I first heard of In-Sync Exotics when I learned Jinxie was rehomed from Talley Road property to the Wylie, Texas facility on November 12, 2010, weighing only 250lbs. I couldn't find much on her on the sanctuary's web page (most content was clearly outdated), so I sent an email inquiring on the health of my girl.
When I didn't receive an email response, I decided to call In-Sync Exotics to see how Jinxie was doing. Ironically, this facility was also featured on WAR (horrible video of the In-Sync Exotics' tigers relocating to their new home--broke my heart to see how Lope allowed the cats to be treated in his so-called animal rescue TV show, but I digress...). In-Sync Exotics planned on having Jinxie spayed, to which I initially was against because it's a risky procedure for large exotic cats--just look at what happened to T'Savo at the Wild Cat Sanctuary (she died shortly after she was spayed at WCS).
When Vicky called me after the surgery to report that Jinxie was doing great, but they found a cancerous tumor, I was very much relieved that she had the surgery so the cancer could be removed. There was supposed to be a 95% chance that Jinxie would remain cancer-free. Click HERE for more information.
I first heard of In-Sync Exotics when I learned Jinxie was rehomed from Talley Road property to the Wylie, Texas facility on November 12, 2010, weighing only 250lbs. I couldn't find much on her on the sanctuary's web page (most content was clearly outdated), so I sent an email inquiring on the health of my girl.
When I didn't receive an email response, I decided to call In-Sync Exotics to see how Jinxie was doing. Ironically, this facility was also featured on WAR (horrible video of the In-Sync Exotics' tigers relocating to their new home--broke my heart to see how Lope allowed the cats to be treated in his so-called animal rescue TV show, but I digress...). In-Sync Exotics planned on having Jinxie spayed, to which I initially was against because it's a risky procedure for large exotic cats--just look at what happened to T'Savo at the Wild Cat Sanctuary (she died shortly after she was spayed at WCS).
When Vicky called me after the surgery to report that Jinxie was doing great, but they found a cancerous tumor, I was very much relieved that she had the surgery so the cancer could be removed. There was supposed to be a 95% chance that Jinxie would remain cancer-free. Click HERE for more information.
Over time, Vickey Keahey, CEO and President of In-Sync Exotics and I developed what I thought was a really great friendship.
I volunteered to help update In-Sync presence on the web for helping Jynxie and for agreeing to take Okemo and eventually, Sabu, my handsome honey.
I proposed that In-Sync Exotics expand their web presence by updating their website with new features and pages, establish a daily blog, an interactive Twitter page, and so forth.
With Vicky's blessings, I was able to accomplish the following from Jun 2011-February 2013:
- Updated Guidestar.org and GreatNonProfits.org web pages from scratch;
- Created and maintained the In-Sync Exotics' Twitter account starting in January 2012 with 1345 people following In-Sync by February 2013;
- Created and authored/published 392 posts from July 2011 to February 2013 with 125,170 page views by February 6, 2013--published a new story five times per week;
- Created numerous Youtube videos featured on the blog and twitter from 2011-2013--some taking up to 20 hours to create;
- Created In-Sync Exotics' Pintrest.com web page and posted unique pictures and videos of the animals;
- Created In-Sync Exotics' on-line gift shop where t-shirts, blankets, hoodies, mugs, etc. featuring In-Sync Exotics animals were sold--designed all the products seen in the store raising about $1,035 (as of this date);
- Created an account with Amazon Wish List so as to solicit Easter and Birthday enrichment presents for the animals;
- Created numerous Razoo donation events such as Give A Special Gift to Save a Life of a Big Cat ($2700), Get In-Sync with our Big Cats' Needs ($2360), Cheetah Home Improvement Project ($7051); Help Big Cats Receive Their Annual Vaccinations ($2025), Wylie is Wild for In-Sync Exotics ($5685), and Big Cats Need Dental Care Too ($2400 when I left)--raising $25,221;
- Signed up In-Sync Exotics for the Chase Community Giving Grant and rallied the troops so that In-Sync Exotics received $25k in 2011;
- Recommended and made many changes to the In-Sync Exotics' website: Added a "Donate Now" button making it easier for donors to contribute; Added e-newsletter sign-up button to homepage; added media tabs to homepage (Facebook, Blog, Twitter, Flickr, etc); added "Breaking News" and "Events" boxes; added "Leaving a Legacy" web page to the Donate webpage; updated tour information; updated the animal adoption pages and forms; added Albertsons to the list of stores that supports In-Sync Exotics; created and updated the In Honor webpage; in 2012 I updated the main website often with new events or performed general maintenance.
- Wrote several fundraising solicitations for ISE that were mailed to supporters;
- Utilized free Google commercial space advertising In-Sync Exotics for about two months on the Internet;
- Marketed three major fund raising events: Putting for Paws; Tiger Trott; Turkey Toss; and Bake Sale--in 2012 I created the Putting for Paws webpages for In-Sync Exotics that contained about 10 linked pages;
- Handmade two carloads of paper mache "balls" for the exotics cats as In-Sync Exotics celebrated it's Easter and birthday events;
- Created three unique e-Valentine's Day cards for 123Greetings.com where Aramis' card received 1,948 views and 96 e-cards were sent; Aasha's card received 643 views and 52 e-cards were sent; and Isaac's card received 592 views and 24 e-cards were sent; and
- Created the first In-Sync Exotics' Zeen on-line magazine.
Believe it or not, I had even more great ideas to implement for 2013. But alas, it was not meant to be...
The first year with In-Sync was great--Vicky and I accomplished so much and we were very excited with all the new projects coming on-line. A deal was made that as long as I received weekly pictures or videos of Okemo, Sabu, and Jinxie, and was kept informed of any health chanages, then I would continue to work hard for free at In-Sync. I felt like part of the In-Sync team as I was included in the board emails--offering ideas and suggestions on how to strengthen their programs and giving them updates on my progress.
Then something changed shortly after Okemo died. It became harder to reach Vicky by phone and often emails from me were left unanswered. Because I worked during the day, the only time I had to speak with Vicky was at night after I got home around 6:30 - 7pm. Unfortunately, this coincided with the time she spent "the cats", right before 8:00pm feeding, so our calls were punctuated with lots of interruptions from the staff or cats. What should have only been a 20 minute phone call, would turn into an hour long phone call--I didn't mind so much because I got to hear the cats in the background. As you can imagine, it was very difficult to keep the business/social media current and fresh when you live 317 miles away, so I had to rely on someone to provide me information. Vicky told me early on that the Board of Directors was not interested in helping me with social media/business decisions/ideas, so that just left Vicky as my only point of contact.
It became clear that the In-Sync Board did not want me helping out as I used to with reviewing outgoing newsletters, calendar prep, upcoming events, etc. The previous year I was included in all the board emails. In 2012, I was dropped from the board email distribution. When I learned I was to be "iced out" from the group I knew my days at In-Sync were coming to a close.
Sadly, once Okemo passed away, the photos and videos of Sabu and Jinxie barely trickled in to me, and I only learned what was happening to my favorite lions via Facebook posts from In-Sync volunteers. Most times when I inquired on them, I was told "they were doing fine." I started doubting what I was told when a volunteer told me that Sabu was having some health issues and that I should come out and visit him as soon as I could--I was heartbroken.
Then I learned that Jinxie was very ill and had been ill for short awhile via a short email sent to me by Vicky; sadly she could not be bothered to call me with this news. From then on, Vicky primarily communicated with me via text. I was at a loss as to what was going on. Vicky seemed so cold towards me during this time, causing me additional heartbreak as to what was happening to Jinxie. Then Jinxie died and I was completely devastation as I mourned her passing a second time [we believed that Jinxie died when she disappeared from the Leslie Road property in 2008]. Vicky refused to speak with me after Jinxie died -- she dodged my calls, hung up on me once, and then I received a text saying that visiting with her cats was more important than talking to me about Jinxie's necropsy report. That was the final straw for me.
When I volunteered to help In-Sync Exotics, I made it very clear that this was just a temporary gig from the get-go. I agreed to help create all these wonderful social media pages with the promise made by all that this would be a group effort, eventually turning the whole sha-bang over to my replacement. There was no way one person could possibly maintain all these social sites without support or input from the board, workers, and volunteers.
I wanted to create a lasting legacy that would continue on without me, to help In-Sync Exotics with their finances. When I started creating all the sites, In-Sync was in dire need of donations. Not wanting what happened to the WAO, happen to In-Sync, I worked very hard to bring in a lot of new revenue streams to the organization. It was made very clear to me that no board member at In-Sync was really interested in the "business" and "finances" stuff -- you know, the hard work behind the computer trying to reach potential donors, asking for their charitable contributions--after all, that requires real work and innovation, and we can't have that, right?
I tried to speak to one of the board members about my transition right before Thanksgiving 2012 (Volunteer Coordinator), by requesting a telephone conversation, but she totally blew off my email. It was at this point I made the decision to move on. For you see, in September, I knew that my health was failing. As my health went south, the stress I was feeling over this situation caused my blood pressure to rise to dangerous levels.
I spent an incredible amount of time on the final 2012 In-Sync Exotic's end of year video presentation for the Cat Tales Blog and decided to wait for Vicky to call me (since she wasn't returning my calls any way) so I could inform her that it was time for me to move on. Sadly, she didn't call me until the New Year Day.
When I finally received word from Vicky, I learned that Aramis was not doing well and Aasha had some medical issues. So I posted Aramis' story on the blog. Then Spike passed away and I posted his story on the blog. Then Jinxie passed away and I posted her stories on the blog. Then I was done.
Sadly, our "break-up" did not end on a good note. I was accused of some pretty horrible things when I decided to leave In-Sync (ie.withholding account information when Vicky had them all along) that were not true and those who participated in my departure "bashing" should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. I kept my word -- every time -- I never broke my word to anyone at In-Sync Exotics--I wish the same could have been said in reverse. There were a lot of other reason's why I left, but suffice to say, it was definitely time for me to go. I tried to get the Volunteer Coordinator to talk to me about my decision to leave In-Sync so suddenly and to answer any questions she may had regarding the various In-Sync Exotics' accounts. I sent email request, after email request requesting that she speak with talk to me--but she steadfastly refused each invitation. Instead, my phone number was given out to another volunteer (non-board member), without my permission, calling me about account info. I was appalled. Refusing to speak with me is one thing--giving out my personal telephone number who was not a board member really crossed the line. Truly this reminded me of the WAO board and it reaffirmed my decision to discontinue my association with this organization.
I would like to say In-Sync's volunteers are amazing, going out in rain, cold, sleet, and snow to care for the animals. In-Sync Exotics' strength is its volunteers. It's weekenss is its board of directors. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that In-Sync will be rocked with a lot of tragedies/sadness and money concerns this year. I just pray the volunteers have the strength to hang on and continue to provide the love and support the animals desperately need. It took me awhile for me to realize this, but there are serious warning signs that this sanctuary may turn into another "WAO" someday. I hope this prediction does not come to pass as I only wish the best for In-Sync Exotics.
So, with the knowledge that I will never see my precious Sabu again, I press on. My heart hurts with this decision made as there is nothing more important to me right now than Sabu. But the Lord pressed upon me to protect my heart, so it's with a heavy heart (no pun intended) that I announce that I will never volunteer at another wild animal sanctuary again.
Then something changed shortly after Okemo died. It became harder to reach Vicky by phone and often emails from me were left unanswered. Because I worked during the day, the only time I had to speak with Vicky was at night after I got home around 6:30 - 7pm. Unfortunately, this coincided with the time she spent "the cats", right before 8:00pm feeding, so our calls were punctuated with lots of interruptions from the staff or cats. What should have only been a 20 minute phone call, would turn into an hour long phone call--I didn't mind so much because I got to hear the cats in the background. As you can imagine, it was very difficult to keep the business/social media current and fresh when you live 317 miles away, so I had to rely on someone to provide me information. Vicky told me early on that the Board of Directors was not interested in helping me with social media/business decisions/ideas, so that just left Vicky as my only point of contact.
It became clear that the In-Sync Board did not want me helping out as I used to with reviewing outgoing newsletters, calendar prep, upcoming events, etc. The previous year I was included in all the board emails. In 2012, I was dropped from the board email distribution. When I learned I was to be "iced out" from the group I knew my days at In-Sync were coming to a close.
Sadly, once Okemo passed away, the photos and videos of Sabu and Jinxie barely trickled in to me, and I only learned what was happening to my favorite lions via Facebook posts from In-Sync volunteers. Most times when I inquired on them, I was told "they were doing fine." I started doubting what I was told when a volunteer told me that Sabu was having some health issues and that I should come out and visit him as soon as I could--I was heartbroken.
Then I learned that Jinxie was very ill and had been ill for short awhile via a short email sent to me by Vicky; sadly she could not be bothered to call me with this news. From then on, Vicky primarily communicated with me via text. I was at a loss as to what was going on. Vicky seemed so cold towards me during this time, causing me additional heartbreak as to what was happening to Jinxie. Then Jinxie died and I was completely devastation as I mourned her passing a second time [we believed that Jinxie died when she disappeared from the Leslie Road property in 2008]. Vicky refused to speak with me after Jinxie died -- she dodged my calls, hung up on me once, and then I received a text saying that visiting with her cats was more important than talking to me about Jinxie's necropsy report. That was the final straw for me.
When I volunteered to help In-Sync Exotics, I made it very clear that this was just a temporary gig from the get-go. I agreed to help create all these wonderful social media pages with the promise made by all that this would be a group effort, eventually turning the whole sha-bang over to my replacement. There was no way one person could possibly maintain all these social sites without support or input from the board, workers, and volunteers.
I wanted to create a lasting legacy that would continue on without me, to help In-Sync Exotics with their finances. When I started creating all the sites, In-Sync was in dire need of donations. Not wanting what happened to the WAO, happen to In-Sync, I worked very hard to bring in a lot of new revenue streams to the organization. It was made very clear to me that no board member at In-Sync was really interested in the "business" and "finances" stuff -- you know, the hard work behind the computer trying to reach potential donors, asking for their charitable contributions--after all, that requires real work and innovation, and we can't have that, right?
I tried to speak to one of the board members about my transition right before Thanksgiving 2012 (Volunteer Coordinator), by requesting a telephone conversation, but she totally blew off my email. It was at this point I made the decision to move on. For you see, in September, I knew that my health was failing. As my health went south, the stress I was feeling over this situation caused my blood pressure to rise to dangerous levels.
I spent an incredible amount of time on the final 2012 In-Sync Exotic's end of year video presentation for the Cat Tales Blog and decided to wait for Vicky to call me (since she wasn't returning my calls any way) so I could inform her that it was time for me to move on. Sadly, she didn't call me until the New Year Day.
When I finally received word from Vicky, I learned that Aramis was not doing well and Aasha had some medical issues. So I posted Aramis' story on the blog. Then Spike passed away and I posted his story on the blog. Then Jinxie passed away and I posted her stories on the blog. Then I was done.
Sadly, our "break-up" did not end on a good note. I was accused of some pretty horrible things when I decided to leave In-Sync (ie.withholding account information when Vicky had them all along) that were not true and those who participated in my departure "bashing" should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. I kept my word -- every time -- I never broke my word to anyone at In-Sync Exotics--I wish the same could have been said in reverse. There were a lot of other reason's why I left, but suffice to say, it was definitely time for me to go. I tried to get the Volunteer Coordinator to talk to me about my decision to leave In-Sync so suddenly and to answer any questions she may had regarding the various In-Sync Exotics' accounts. I sent email request, after email request requesting that she speak with talk to me--but she steadfastly refused each invitation. Instead, my phone number was given out to another volunteer (non-board member), without my permission, calling me about account info. I was appalled. Refusing to speak with me is one thing--giving out my personal telephone number who was not a board member really crossed the line. Truly this reminded me of the WAO board and it reaffirmed my decision to discontinue my association with this organization.
I would like to say In-Sync's volunteers are amazing, going out in rain, cold, sleet, and snow to care for the animals. In-Sync Exotics' strength is its volunteers. It's weekenss is its board of directors. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that In-Sync will be rocked with a lot of tragedies/sadness and money concerns this year. I just pray the volunteers have the strength to hang on and continue to provide the love and support the animals desperately need. It took me awhile for me to realize this, but there are serious warning signs that this sanctuary may turn into another "WAO" someday. I hope this prediction does not come to pass as I only wish the best for In-Sync Exotics.
So, with the knowledge that I will never see my precious Sabu again, I press on. My heart hurts with this decision made as there is nothing more important to me right now than Sabu. But the Lord pressed upon me to protect my heart, so it's with a heavy heart (no pun intended) that I announce that I will never volunteer at another wild animal sanctuary again.
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