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28 | OHCC LIVING | APRIL 2021 | Welcome to April! Since we are continuing to deal with the impacts from COVID-19 and with no new news about Travel Club meetings or trips, we have been "expanding our horizons" and branching out sharing inspiring and beautiful videos and personal stories by members. This month we are excited to share the story of our Travel Club Board member, Callie Dean, who has been an avid supporter of wildlife conservation since her early twenties. When Callie retired in 2005, she wanted to be useful and began volunteering at the Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) in San Pedro, CA. The MMCC is a non-profit hospital for sick, injured, or malnourished marine mammals, mainly sea lions and elephant seals. MMCC's goal is to rehabilitate and release the animals back into their natural habitat. Not sure how she could help, Callie was thrilled to learn she would be trained to assist with animal husbandry, to do things like prepare their food and clean their pens. Callie found it to be the most rewarding experience in her adult lifetime. She even thinks that she might have changed careers had she been exposed to this "world" earlier in her life. Moving to OHCC in 2014, Callie naturally visited the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park on many occasions. In speaking with a volunteer at the Park, she was impressed with the vision statement of San Diego Zoo Global "We will lead the fight against extinction." In 2017, Callie began training as a Safari Park volunteer. While volunteers do not have any direct animal contact, they are trained as Information Ambassadors interacting with visitors to hopefully inspire them to support conservation. It is also a great opportunity to meet people from around the world in a beautiful setting. Callie calls the Safari Park "her happy place." Callie is now an Interpretive Volunteer for the Lion Camp, Tiger Trail, and Cheetah area. (Don't tell, but her heart belongs to the lions!) Some of the greatest experiences are when the park welcomes the birth of a "baby," including a white rhino, an elephant, and cheetah cubs. Callie really LOVES talking about the animals and feels she's the luckiest person in the world being with them. Travel Club Baby elephant, baby rhino, and baby cheetahs at the San Diego Safari Park