It would undoubtedly be quite a surprise to be hiking through the woods only to run into the legendary Sasquatch, the elusive man-ape creature said to haunt the forests of the Northwest. It was no less a surprise when we at SAFE received a donation in the amount of $5,000 from the 2012 Sasquatch! Music Festival, as we were totally unaware that we’d been selected as one of the beneficiaries of the annual Memorial Day concerts at The Gorge. But it was no hoax!

Tracking down the source of this incredible gift involved a little bit of sleuthing because even though Live Nation, the producers of the Sasquatch! Music Festival, feel quite strongly about giving back to the community and sharing the proceeds with worthy causes, they don’t make a big song and dance about it (pun intended?). I finally made contact with the General Manager of The Gorge Amphitheatre, Danny Wilde, only to discover that Mr Wilde was already a SAFE supporter! Turns out he and his wife were looking for a suitable horse charity to donate to in honor of his brother’s wedding…and after reading the stories posted on the SAFE website and looking through our financials, they chose SAFE. “The stories are very touching, your dedication to the cause is unbelievable, so we were very delighted to send you a couple of hundred dollars a time or two,”  Danny explained. “In my professional role, when the opportunity came along to make a more significant donation, it was a no brainer for me to allocate those resources to your organization. I know the money will be used wisely and hope that we (Live Nation) can help make a small and positive difference to the future and well being of those beautiful and deserving creatures.”

Danny’s rescued dog Beau approves this donation!

So please join me in expressing our most sincere thanks to Danny Wilde, Jennifer Grisinger, and everyone at Live Nation, The Gorge Amphitheatre, and the Sasquatch! Music Festival for this wonderful donation. We are hugely honored. Thank you so much!