Funny Farm Services

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The unconditional love that comes from an animal is astounding, but the unconditional love that comes from an animal that was once in distress is nothing short of miraculous! Nearly 400 of these animals at the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary are waiting to meet you and your family!! Coming to the Farm is easy but leaving your new furry friends is very difficult. All life is precious. If there is something we can do as humans to preserve and protect it, in nearly all cases,

Pets The Power Of “Unconditional Love” A Farm Girl

One of the best places in the world to learn the meaning of Written by Matt reeves

“unconditional love” is the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary in Mays Landing, NJ. Never underestimate the power of girl,

If you’ve ever had a pet, you have a pretty good idea how much they love you and get especially a farm girl! excited when you come home and how sad they are when you leave. Those are the lucky ones. Not all animals are so lucky to have someone love them. The animals at the Funny Farm Rescue are the exceptions. They have thousands Girl Power comes from incredible role models. Everyone is inspired by someone and those people are also inspired by someone. It’s common that we look for role models that are a lot of people each year who come to visit and give them the love they need. Most animals like us or what we someday hope to become. A beginning musician may look up to a very come to the farm from very difficult situations. Many were disabled, abused, injured, or successful or super-talented musician even if they have never met them in person. Role models unwanted. Some people simply didn’t make arrangements for their pets after they were give us motivation, encouragement, hope, and dreams. gone and the animals had nowhere to go. How scary that must be for these sweet animals Laurie Zaleski is a role model for women and girls around the world. Her life and story are that gave their owners so much love. simply amazing. People everywhere are taking notice at her accomplishments despite her facing One example is a nameless little black and white baby goat with a broken leg. At less immense challenges in her life. In fact, on February 22, of 2022, her memoir called, “Funny than a month old, he was injured and was in a lot of pain. His future was dark. Through a Farm, My Unexpected Life With 600 Rescue Animals” will be released around the globe by St. series of miracles, Laurie Zaleski, the Founder of the Funny Farm Rescue, found out about Martin’s Press. Laurie’s genuine nature and sense of humor is refreshing in this sometimes crazy this little goat’s situation and didn’t waste any time rescuing him. We made a custom splint to stabilize his leg because he couldn’t stand on it at all. He needed food and water brought to his mouth while he lay in a new warm bed made just for him. Farley the Farm Manager, a 1-year-old Australian Shepard, took him under his wing world. Pre-sale numbers have already far exceeded expectations! You see, Laurie’s life is extraordinary. Not only did she build one of the largest animal rescues in the northeast from literally nothing, she faced many obstacles along the way and gave him a lot of love and attention. including some of the closest people in her life telling her she’s crazy. Her mother rescued her The little goat was black and white and looked so much like a cow that he earned the from a terrible situation and raised her and her 3 siblings alone in the woods. She has always name “Cowboy.” Over the next few days, and visits to many veterinarians, Zaleski took loved animals, mainly due to the example of her mother Anne, who was an amazing role model to him to the University of Pennsylvania, where they had the best equipment. Several herself. Laurie and her thousands of dollars were spent trying to save his leg from possible nerve damage and mother loved all animals, amputation. especially those who had He lived in the house so he could be cared for properly and received much little or no hope. socialization with other animals and people. And because of this interaction, he has no idea he’s a goat, he thinks he’s a dog! Seven months later, not only has Cowboy’s leg healed, he has captured the hearts of people all over the globe!! He makes everyone laugh and gets into everything! He is now known as the “Donations Inspector.” When visitors come and donate food for the animals, they barely have time to get out of their cars when they discover Cowboy is already inside their car! He has a wonderful, lovable, sweet personality and will stop at nothing to make you laugh and has an unlimited supply of kisses! Everyone is his friend! Somehow he knows what was done for him and he appreciates his life now. The unconditional love that comes from an animal is astounding, but the unconditional love that comes from an animal that was once in distress is nothing short of miraculous! Nearly 400 of these animals at the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary are waiting to meet you and your family!! Coming to the Farm is easy but leaving your new furry friends is very difficult. All life is precious. If there is something we can do as humans to preserve and protect it, in nearly all cases, the unconditional love you receive in return is something you will simply never forget. One thing Laurie never noticed (at first) were the girls who looked up to her as a their role model. Some girls would turn their Barbies into “Funny Farm Barbies” and they’d have an entire farm of little animals they named after the real animals of the Funny Farm. Once Laurie learned she was a role model, she did exactly as she always did, nothing different. People all around the world fell in love with her because she is real. She cheered when an animal’s life was saved and would cry when one passed on and she shared those emotions with the world. On one occasion, someone dumped 21 cats just outside the front gate. Laurie was so upset, she took to social media live video and told the world in no uncertain terms, that animals should not be discarded and treated this way! Little did she know that thousands of people around the world watched and became emotionally attached to Laurie’s frustrations, and addicted to her as a pillar of strength. People sent in donations to help cover the astronomical costs of fixing and getting 21 cats the food and vet care they so desperately needed. The world rallied around her. This was just one experience. Running a large animal rescue, there are experiences and challenges every day. Laurie Zaleski is a woman with such selfdetermination, charisma, compassion, and love. She’s an incredible woman who knows how to clear her mind, focus, and eliminate toxic people from her life. Come to the Funny Farm any Sunday or Tuesday 8-4pm year round and you’ll notice that a huge majority of the volunteers are girls! Never underestimate the power of a woman, especially when her name is Laurie Zaleski of the Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary in Mays Landing, NJ. If you think you can’t do something, look at Laurie and think again! There is almost always a way to accomplish whatever you want to accomplish! Never give up!

The Funny Farm Rescue is open Sundays and Tuesdays from 8am-4pm at 6908 Railroad Blvd., Mays Landing, NJ 08330. There is no admission as we operate entirely by donations and we don’t have any paid positions. Come see us! www.funnyfarmrescue.org For information on scheduling your next event, please contact Robin at: funnyfarmrobin@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook: “Funny Farm Rescue” The Funny Farm Rescue is open Sundays and Tuesdays from 8am-4pm at 6908 Railroad Blvd., Mays Landing, NJ 08330. There is no admission as we operate entirely by donations and we don’t have any paid positions. Come see us! www.funnyfarmrescue.org For information on scheduling your next event, please contact Laurie at: laurie@funnyfarmrescue.org Photos by Matt Reeves and Laurie ZaleskiFollow us on Facebook: “Funny Farm Rescue”The Funny Farm Rescue is open Sundays and Tuesdays from 8am-4pm at 6908 Railroad Blvd., Mays Landing, NJ 08330. There is no admission as we operate entirely by donations and we don’t have any paid positions. Come see us! www.funnyfarmrescue.org For information on scheduling your next event, please contact Robin at: funnyfarmrobin@gmail.com Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ To donate to the Funny Farm Rescue, fill out the below information and mail to: Funny Farm Rescue • 6908 RailRoad Blvd., Mays Landing, NJ 08330. Follow us on Facebook: “Funny Farm Rescue”

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Town: _______________________________________State: _____________Zip: ___________________________________ _____________ Phone: Email: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you, in advance, for your generous donation!

For the Girls – The 2020 Olympics

As the summer schedules have come to an end so have the summer Olympics. This year was an incredible jammed pack line up of sporting events that no doubt was completely memorizing. The female athletes in this year’s Olympics ranged in age from 13 to 46. Sky Brown made history as not only the second youngest competing in the Olympic games but as the youngest medalist from Britain who received her place on the podium with a Bronze medal. Then there is the almighty powerful 46 year old Oksana Chusovitina a gymnast who has been competing in the Olympics since 1992 and has 8 Olympic games to add to her curriculum vitae. If that is not enough Oksana is also a single mother. These are just the tip of the iceberg of the high level female athletes who have competed throughout the summer Olympics. There were even female athletes who were pregnant participating in the Olympic games, When you stop and think about it, how amazing will that be when you can tell your child that, yes you competed at the Olympics before birth!!!

However, what stood out the most for me was the incredible display of professionalism and compassion that the USA gymnastics team displayed to their friend and fellow teammate. The Olympics for some are a “once in a lifetime” chance to represent not only your country but to be a part of a selection process of what is considered the best of the best in your sport. It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized for the hard work, commitment and sacrifice that is made to be a high level athlete. The mental attitude and preparation is like no other (no I have never been and never will be a high level athlete) but I understand that if your mindset is compromised regardless of your profession, so is your performance.

Please allow me to set the stage, the USA Olympic gymnastics team that was comprised of four female athletes with two individuals who are not considered part of the team for overall scoring but travel, compete and represent USA. The team line up initially consisted of 24 year old Simone Biles who is considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time which places her as the most decorated gymnast on the team. Then there is 18 year old Sunisa Lee who is known for her talent and athleticism on the uneven bars as well as her perfect presentation and consistent extraordinary talent across all the gymnastic exercises. Next up is 18 year old Joran Chiles who is known for her “consistency” has proven herself a strong athlete. Rounding out the team, Grace McCallum, at 18 is considered a “hard core” competitor who had broken her hand in January during a competition that required surgery and made a comeback to qualify on the team. She is known for her talent on the balance beam making it look easy as she leaps, backflips and does handstands on a thin beam in which most of us could probably not even stand on. The last two gymnasts remaining slated to compete as individuals in the Olympics were MyKayla Skinner who at the age of 24 initially was unable to qualify for final competition on the vault and Jade Carey, 21 who earned individual medals throughout the competition. There is obviously so much incredible talent navigating not only the pressure to perform to “perfection” but let’s not forget the world is still under the control of Covid-19 and according to new reports Tokyo was considered to be in a state of emergency as reported by Annie Goldsmith writing for Town and County on August 2, 2021. All of these women spend an extraordinary amount of time together. They all have intimate details of one another and share a bond that they can only understand.

So when Simone Biles withdrew from the competition citing initially “medical” reasons and then disclosing the need to put her “mental health” first the team had to recalibrate. The USA coaches made a decision to add in Jade Carey who became the anchor for the team in the all around competition and which led the team to