By Raiza Giorgi
publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com
The best use of social media can be to help someone who’s in trouble.
This is how the story started for founder C.C. Beaudette-Wellman of the Happy Endings Animal Sanctuary when she saw a post from a friend asking for donations for a family that had lost everything in the Camp Fire in November.
“A colleague of mine that I very much admire posted about a gal and her 4-year-old daughter lost their home in the Camp Fire and she was trying to get her horse transported back to Ohio, as she is starting over near her family,” Beaudette-Wellman said.
Paradise residents Katina Scalia and her 4-year-old daughter Adalynn lost all their possessions in the Camp Fire, except the clothes on their backs and their horse Miss Clyde.
She decided to put up $100 and ended up contacting the woman, Katina Scalia, to talk to her about the situation.
“She told me she was living at the fairgrounds in a trailer because her horse was so important to her she didn’t want to leave her until she got transported. She wasn’t materialistic and just told me that as long as her daughter and horse survived she was fine,” Beaudette-Wellman said.
Beaudette-Wellman has a soft spot for horses. She created Happy Endings Animal Sanctuary in 2007, primarily focusing on rehabilitating horses. Tucked away in Quail Valley east of Solvang, her 10-acre ranchette is home to a small brood of her four-legged babies.
She decided that Scalia’s attitude towards losing everything was so inspiring that she reached out to a few of her equine-inclined friends here in the Santa Ynez Valley to see if she could help Scalia a little more by purchasing a horse blanket for colder weather.
“People not only donated but stepped up and went beyond to help out a complete stranger,” she said.
Beaudette-Wellman’s friend Buffy Oas donated clothing and other items and her daughter, Kathy Moore Parker, helped with shipping items to Ohio. Nicole Price and Back at the Ranch donated cowboy boots for the daughter and clothing. True Addiction in Solvang also donated several pairs of jeans to Scalia.
“Out of all the negativity there is lately, it’s refreshing to know that so many people still care about one another and are willing to help out. We have such a wonderful community,” Beaudette-Wellman said.
Another acquaintance heard of the situation and offered to transport the horse at very little cost because he was headed to the same area to visit family for the holidays.
Beaudette-Wellman says she has become good friends with Scalia, who has sent her gratitude to everyone who has helped her get her and her family back to Ohio.
Happy Endings also had a great ending to their year as they were recently featured on AnimalZone, a show on Cox Cable Channel 4 launched in the spring of 2018.
AnimalZone has one mission, to help find homes for animals in shelters around Santa Barbara County. They also bring together experts in animal welfare to help expand viewers’ knowledge of nutrition, grooming, veterinary care, and other issues.
To see their episode log onto www.facebook.com/AnimalZone-2119201718109531/.
Happy Endings is always looking for volunteers with horse experience. Anyone interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at the organization, from fixing fences to brushing horses, is encouraged to contact her.
One of Beaudette-Wellman’s goals is to provide more service for local children in foster care and at risk. Inspired by the Horse Helpers Program by Barbara Perkins of American Charities Foundation, she hopes to inspire a local connection in the Santa Ynez Valley.
For more information, visit www.happyendingsanimalrescuesanctuary.org. To learn more about Beaudette-Wellman’s foundation, click on the “Donate” tab or visit the events page.
Keep up to date on social media with the handle @happyendingssanctuary on Instagram or @happyendingsanimalsanctuary on Facebook.
For more information, call 805-448-7138 or email happyendingssanctuary@gmail.com.
