Rowdy Girl Sanctuary
FROM CATTLE RANCH TO 501C3 NON-PROFIT VEGAN FARM ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Vegan Animal Sanctuary in Waelder
FROM CATTLE RANCH TO 501C3 NON-PROFIT VEGAN FARM ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Thank you for visiting Rowdy Girl Sanctuary. We are a 501c3 and our founding date is Feb. 20, 2015. Our founder, Renee King-Sonnen went vegan on Oct. 31, 2014 and on December 20th started Vegan Journal of A Rancher’s Wife as a way to express her newfound loving feelings about the cows they used to raise and sell for profit.
On Jan 8th, 2015, Renee initiated an online fundraiser that would eventually succeed in raising $36,000, enough money to buy her husband’s herd and donate them to the new non profit – the first beef cattle ranch vegan conversion in the history of Texas, the United States and most likely the world. Her husband, Tommy is now vegan and supports her at the sanctuary as the number one contributor and volunteer for Rowdy Girl.
There are many ways to get involved and make a difference. As a former beef cattle ranch that is now caring for farm animals and living a total vegan lifestyle, our farm has taken on a radical new dimension. At any given time, we are caring for approximately 80 animals that are typically raised for food; and that requires intensive special care.
We need: lots of food and water, enclosures, infrastructure, tools, large farm equipment and fencing.
We are so humbled by the donations and appreciate anything you can do to make a difference in their lives. Folks ask us all the time how they can help.
A Message From Rowdy Girl Sanctuary’s Founder
It all started with Rowdy Girl, a little 2 month old baby calf that my husband wanted me to care for, hoping I would start wanting to be a “good” ranchers wife. I bought her for $300 having no idea that she would take me down the rabbit hole where I would come out on the other side of compassion for all sentient beings – even the ones that used to end up on my plate. The rest they say is her-story.
Becoming vegan for me has been a result of living on the Sonnen Ranch, now Rowdy Girl Sanctuary with my multi-generational cattle rancher husband – I couldn’t take the red trailer leaving with the babies anymore – As a result I started watching documentaries and slaughterhouse videos and when I made the corner, I’ve never looked back. Forever Vegan!
I live on a 96 acre ranch with him. I was transplanted from suburbia to the ranch in 2009 – I fell in love with all the critters….kinda like Elly Mae Clampett – I named them all and loved them everyone – I’d go out and spend time with them, dance around them – sing to them and talk to them.
Then they started being trailered up to go to the sale barn, and the experience of watching them leave, the mamas wailing for a week and the absence of their souls in the pasture haunted me. As a result of watching a Melanie Joy documentary on Carnism, I was set up on Halloween 2014, while at my mother in laws.
She was serving Beef Stew and instead of seeing meat, I saw floating dead animal parts. I’d been vegetarian in the past and even tried a raw diet for several months, but never had the compassion connection until I LIVED IT! I love these animals – I see their souls, and they see mine – I can tell they are looking at me out of the corner of their eye. They can feel our motives.
I soon realized I could not stand to watch the babies leave their mamas even one more time to go to the sale barn FOR SLAUGHTER…and that I had to do something to prevent that from ever happening again. My husband had come to the end of his rope. He was ready to sell the entire herd and get out of the business altogether because of my revulsion to the ordeal.
The idea to create my own Sanctuary to rescue all of the cows was born from this realization and I convinced my Rancher husband to work with me to make this dream a reality. Since he was at the jumping off place and was going to sell them all anyway, I asked him if I could buy them and if he’d give me a discount. He thought I had lost my mind, and frankly I had, but it was my only hope and because of compassionate vegans across the world, my project on indiegogo was funded early May 2015.
We are home to cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, horses and a goat. I have a passion and love for FFA students that find their compassion and are unable to go to the final process which involves slaughter of their beloved animal. As a result of helping several of these families we are creating a program called “Families Choosing Compassion”.
So many folks have helped me get to this point and honestly reading all the news stories is the way to get the full history – you can find them all on the section in the website under – “in the news”
Recently, ABC 13 did a news story and it was picked up by ABC New York and CBS EVENING NEWS – Steve Hartman On The Road. From there the story went viral after Mercy For Animals featured the news story along with an article. We’ve been featured twice on Care-2, One Green Planet, The Dodo, Main Street Vegan with Victoria Moran, Bob Linden and my story was added to the ranchers section gone vegan in – Free from Harm
As a side note, my husband has watched every vegan documentary I’ve put in front of him – Earthlings, Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives, Peaceable Kingdom, Planteats, Dying to Have Known, Foodmatters, The Beautiful Truth, Live and Let Live & The Witness. He is now COMPLETELY VEGAN.
This has all happened since I went Vegan in October 2014. Visitors are coming regularly, my journal: Vegan Journal of A Ranchers Wife is now over 12,000 followers, Rowdy Girl Sanctuary page has over 15,000 followers.
This experience has transformed our lives completely. Spiritually, I will never be the same – my destiny and calling has found me. At the end of my rope, when nothing but divorce and 30 slaughtered cows looked like the only way, a dream was born that was bigger than anything I could have ever dreamed up on my own. All of my skills are now being translated into veganism, animal rights, an old fashioned farm and creating lasting sanctuary for farm animals.
We are now a recognized 501C-3 Non Profit – our EIN number is: 47-3375043
We are located on Hwy 35, 50 miles southwest of Houston.
Renee’s Transformation
I am grateful to have found veganism and the animal rights movement. It has changed me at my core. It has made me question so much about myself and come to some very different conclusions about how I see the world and live my life. Veganism opened my eyes and caused me to widen my circle of compassion to include all animals—human and nonhuman. I want to fight for justice for animals of all species and people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations.
The animal rights movement is rooted in reaching out to people and changing their hearts and minds about the way we treat animals. As activists, we learn that we can be most effective by meeting people where they are and helping them understand that compassion and justice should be extended to all sentient creatures. And I am one of those people. The message of compassion reached me and I am forever changed.
I didn’t always see the world the way I do now. Back in 2012 and before, I used to have very different views and beliefs, not just about the animals most people see as commodities and as food, but about other people, too. My political views used to be very different than they are today.
I used to have very different views about LGBTQ issues than I do today. My former views were rooted in the biased and hateful traditions that surrounded me as I grew up and I regret having been influenced by them. I used to eat innocent animals. Now I do not. I used to fear innocent people. Now I do not.
Today I stand here in absolute solidarity and affirmation of people of every race, gender, and sexual orientation. Today I stand for justice and fairness for all oppressed people including those in the LGBTQ community and believe that love is love, pure and simple. I fight for justice for all.
Isn’t it wonderful that we can be moved by life experiences to change our hearts? The capacity within each one of us to become more compassionate and justice-driven is the very hope of the animal rights movement. Without this hope, our movement is nothing. With this hope and with the action it brings, we are changing the world to be more just and compassionate.
I am the change I want to see in the world. I am choosing love, each and every day. Love continues to transform me to help me do our work—and there is much work to do for our fellow humans and nonhumans. I hope you will join me in putting that love into action and not let the demons of our past sabotage the deeds we do today.
How to Volunteer at Rowdy Girl Sanctuary
Check out the Volunteering Hours available on the calendar below.
Fill out the volunteer form and SUBMIT – Scroll down and you will see it. Everyone in an organized volunteer group must fill out the online form which icludes the waiver for clearance to RGS.
Once we get it, one of our staff members will contact you and we will schedule according to what works best for both parties.
No one under 14 years of age is allowed to volunteer without prior clearance from Rowdy Girl Sanctuary administrators.
We look forward to getting to know you! Volunteers are the life blood of our organization and we need you.
JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP – “Rowdy Girl Volunteer Team” by clicking on this VOLUNTEER LINK
WE NEED HELP WITH:
- Fencing
- Feeding, Watering, Cleaning and Caring for the animals (we are currently looking for volunteers that want to consistently help us with daily chores.)
- Baling Hay – seasonal
- Updating or expanding animal enclosures or coops
- Cleaning and organizing
- General maintenance
- Gardening & Landscaping
WHAT TO WEAR & BRING:
- Rubber boots & another pair of shoes so you can come in and out of the house or office
- Gloves
- Personal hand tools if you wish
- A light jacket and hat depending on weather
- Mosquito repellent & sunscreen
- Preferred long pants/jeans
- Vegan ONLY snacks & lunch if you are volunteering all day
- Reusable water bottle
CONTACT INFO:
(979) 314-9925 or email Renee@rowdygirlsanctuary.org Remember to fill out the form below to schedule your volunteering time.
DIRECTIONS:
Please input our address – 634 FM 1296, Waelder , TX 78959 into your navigation system. Give us a call at 979-314-9925
Mission Statement
Rowdy Girl Sanctuary is the evolution of a very special story of two native Texans—one a multi-generational cattle rancher and former hunter; the other one, his wife, an ex-rodeo lover, and former leather cowboy boot collector. Their story has turned into a mission to build an organization that rescues farm animals; and to be good stewards of their care forever in a sanctuary determined to become a state of the art animal care facility, and a plant based/environmental resource education center.
Rowdy Girl Sanctuary will inspire other ranchers to experience a paradigm shift, and help them move from participating in the cruelty of factory farming to living out compassion towards the animals whose lives usually end in brutal death. This is Rowdy Girl Sanctuary’s greatest goal.
Vision Statement
Our vision is to create a palpable atmosphere of communion and acceptance where farm animals, visitors, volunteers, and like minds from across the United States and the world will be drawn to experience our transition from a Texas beef cattle ranch to a vegan farm animal sanctuary.
Once here, our purpose will broaden to open all hearts, minds and souls to a vegan lifestyle, the horrors of factory farming, plant based food options, and the devastating impact of animal agriculture on the environment. Our hope is to produce many more animal sanctuaries transitioning from Texas beef cattle ranches to vegan farm animal sanctuaries. Rowdy Girl Sanctuary, Inc. opens its arms to help all farm animals bound for slaughter houses across the country.
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