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The Wildlife Center of Virginia

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is one-of-a-kind,  a privately funded medical facility for injured animals from across the Commonwealth. 

To make ends meet, the Waynesboro Center will host a fundraiser and auction featuring some surprising items.

Buyers will have about 150 items and opportunities to choose from during Saturday’s gala and auction at Staunton’s Stonewall Jackson Hotel.  There’s a South African photo safari, a behind-the-scenes day at the Wildlife Center of Virginiaor a work of art from the Daily Show.

In December, the stars of Anchorman II joined John Stewart on the set. Proving their penchant for a good joke, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd raided the Green Room for gifts, which they presented to the show’s host.

The Wildlife Center’s director of communications was watching the show and one of those gifts caught his eye – an original painting of a snake.

“It’s a beautiful snake – it actually has little Austrian crystals embedded in it, and it was carried out onto the stage by Paul Rudd, who presented it to John Stewart.”

Randy Huwa thought it’d be a real draw for the center’s fall fundraiser.

“So I wrote to the Daily Show this spring, told them the back story, that I had seen this piece, and that the Wildlife Center treats 2,500 animals a year including bears and eagles and rabbits and squirrels, turtles and snakes, and would they consider donating this to our auction?  The artist, whose name is Jody Morlock, is a fairly well-known artist in New York City, and she also is the make-up artist for the Daily Show.  She had hung it in the Green Room, and she donated it to us.”

Also making an appearance at the Saturday night gala, a one-eyed peregrine falcon who is a bit of a celebrity herself.  She’ll perch on the gloved hand of Amanda Nicholson -- the Center’s director of outreach.

“She hatched on the Richmond falcon-cam this spring, and people watched her and her siblings grow up.  And on day three of learning how to fly in downtown Richmond, she crashed into a building and injured her left eye.” 

The bird was taken to the Wildlife Center, but veterinarians could not save the eye.  Unable to hunt in the wild, this feathered celebrity will now serve as a goodwill ambassador, traveling to schools and community events to help educate the public.  But before she begins her tour, she’ll need a name, so the Wildlife Center will auction naming rights as well. 

Tickets to Saturday’s gala are sold out, but the public is invited to take part online.   Bidding closes at 3 p.m. Friday, 10/31.

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief