Volunteer Spotlight: Jason
The first time Jason volunteered at the farm, he knew he’d found his kind of place.
About six months in, Keryn—impressed by Jason’s hard work, skills, and kindness—asked if he’d like to take on a little more. That small step eventually led to his role today as barn manager.
“I’m basically what Keryn (Kindred founder and director) and Chris Mayworm (retired Program Director) are when they’re not here,” Jason says. “Making sure all the animals are taken care of if any problems or issues come up. Along with a team of volunteers, I’m also busy fixing, maintaining, repairing, building—getting ideas done.”
And if you’ve spent any time around a farm sanctuary, you know there is always something to fix, maintain, repair, or build.
When Jason first started at the farm, he worked primarily with the big animals: horses, cows, pigs, sheep, and goats.
“I did have some issues with Barney the goat head-butting me—typical goat—but I was able to get him over that,” he laughs.
Building a Better Life for Hazel
A couple of Jason’s recent projects have focused on making life better for our lamb, Hazel, whose back legs aren’t functional.
His first idea was a beam-and-hoist system that enables volunteers to gently lift Hazel up for cleaning, give her some weight-bearing time on her front legs, and relieve some of the pressure on her body from lying down for extended periods.
And Hazel? She seemed to approve of the whole arrangement.
Not only did the hoist give her body a much-needed change of position, but it gave her something else, too: a whole new view of the world.
The idea for the hoist came from an unexpected place. Jason remembered visiting his grandmother in an assisted-living residence, where staff used a hoist to safely help residents get out of bed and into a wheelchair.
Next came the bed.
Once the hoist was built, Jason turned his attention to another challenge: creating a raised bed for Hazel so she wouldn’t have to spend the night lying in her own urine.
A little online research led him to Bella View Farm Animal Sanctuary in Franklin, NC, where many of the animals have special needs or lifelong disabilities. Jason reached out to ask about the beds they had built for their animals. The team generously shared their materials, processes, and even a link to help him source what he needed.
And then Jason and other volunteers got to work.
A Lifetime of Problem-Solving
Jason’s ability to figure things out comes from a lifetime of working with his hands and solving problems.
“I did mechanics from probably grade 10 on,” he says, “and I’ve always had cars, trucks, motorcycles, and that kind of stuff.”
He also spent more than a decade in management at a large organization, where he developed another set of skills: delegating, motivating, multitasking, troubleshooting, and—perhaps most importantly—getting things done.
Today, those same instincts show up every day at the farm.
Maybe it’s a new plumbing system where the pipes won’t freeze in winter. Maybe it’s a fence that keeps cows out but allows sheep to come and go. Maybe it’s one of the countless other improvements, little projects, and repairs that keep the sanctuary running.
Jason has a knack for turning “Wouldn’t it be nice if…” into “Okay, we’ll build it.”
And for the animals at Kindred, that can make all the difference in the world.