Our Team
Jamie Rowe is our Founder and Director of Grit & Grace. Animals, both domestic and wild, are her passion and she loves educating on the importance of wildlife in our lives and in our world.
Terry Rowe is Jamie's husband and the muscle of the group. He builds all of the enclosures and other things needed for the rehab. He also pays for the things we need when donations are short.... which is, sadly, more often than he would like. When he's not building enclosures, he's busy working his "second" job at TMMK. He's a keeper!
Monica Price started volunteering with us and quickly fell in love with the animals and the opportunity to help give them back their freedom. She acquired her permit in 2023 and is a sweet blessing to this little rehab and to all of the animals that come through our door. If you were to ask her which species is her favorite, she'd probably say squirrels although she loves them all!
Caitlin Hubler has always loved wildlife and when she started volunteering with us, it didn't take long before she fell in love with the animals. She acquired her permit in 2023 and is also a sweet blessing to this little rehab and to every animal that she helps care for. She also offers her farm property as a safe haven and release site for many of our animals once they're ready to be released. She is a treasure!
Carol Skinner started volunteering this past year after she rescued an injured squirrel in her backyard. She, too, has a deep love and passion for wildlife. She acquired her permit in 2023 and has also been a blessing to this little rehab and to all of the animals that she cares for. We are so very blessed to have such giving and compassionate rehabbers here at GGWR.
Diane Nicholas is our newest permitted rehabber, but she's not new to rehabbing... she's been rehabbing fawns for the past 20 years. Diane moved to Kentucky from California a year ago. In CA, she owned and operated Kindred Spirits fawn rehab. She is truly a HUGE asset to our little rehab and we're so very thankful for the gift of her. ❤️
Kristin Pensinger is one of our amazing volunteers who will be obtaining her rehab permit very soon! She's a lover of all animals and a HUGE blessing to us here at the rehab!! We're thankful for the gift of her.
Just trying to give them back what was taken from them
The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago... had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands. ~Havelock Ellis, The Dance of Life, 1923
A message from our founder:
I receive a lot of messages and questions. Recently, I received a private message from someone asking; "why do you do it?" "Why do you put so much time and energy into trying to save those animals?" The question was directed at a little raccoon that we had in care.
I wasn't offended.
It's a fair question.
I immediately thought about the quote: "it's okay to live a life that others may not understand."
Wildlife rehabbers are a rare breed. We just are. I think we are just wired differently than other folks (well, at least I know I am lol).
When I first started rehabbing, it was because of my love for animals. All animals; domestic, exotic, livestock, wildlife. But because wildlife animals are the lesser loved animals in our world, I decided to focus primarily on them. And I try to live by our motto: "if a single sparrow falling to the ground breaks His heart, then it should also break mine."
Animals (including wildlife) are God's creation. They were all created on purpose with purpose. I think sometimes folks just think of wildlife animals as nuisance critters or targets. But, each species of wildlife play such a huge part in our environment and in the ecosystems in which they live. Their roles in our lives are fundamental and important. The majority are considered "keystone species" meaning that their presence or absence has a significant impact on the surrounding biological community. We need them in our lives for many reasons.
Personally, I wouldn't want to live in this world without wildlife animals in it. But, back to the question of "why do I do it?"
You gotta understand, the majority (90% or more) of our intakes come into care not because of something the animal did to itself, or even because of something another wildlife animal did to them... they need to come into care because of something a human did to them. Almost all of the animals we take in were orphaned or injured by human hands. These animals are (intentionally and unintentionally) shot at, ran over, dug up, dug out, mowed over, cut down, trapped, poisoned, relocated, chased, burnt, targeted, used for bait, and the list (sadly) goes on and on. And because I believe that we ALL suffer the same, I feel it is our duty to give them back what we (humans) have taken from them.
The question shouldn't be "why I do it" but instead, "why WOULDN'T I do it?"
How can I not?
Welcome
It takes a village...
Grit and Grace Farm & Wildlife Rehabilitation was founded in 2017 with the mission of providing a safe haven for injured, sick, and orphaned animals. Since then, we have rescued and rehabilitated thousands of animals, including mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Our team of dedicated professionals includes veterinarians, wildlife biologists, and experienced animal care specialists who work together to provide the best possible care to every animal that comes through our doors. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-run center in our area of Central Northern Kentucky. Our primary goal is to rescue and successfully rehabilitate wildlife mammals and then reintroduce them back into the wild to live their lives, and to fulfill their important jobs of helping our ecosystem. We are also pleased to offer educational programs to community organizations and schools with the help of our animal educational ambassadors. Our goal is to teach the important role that wildlife and conservation play in our environment, and foster compassion for nature and environmental sustainability. We serve many county and state agencies, but we receive no funding from any of them. Seeing the great need for our services, we are passionate and dedicated to helping people and wildlife co-exist. Our amazing team is committed to helping our animals. We take our convictions and turn them into action. Think you would be a good fit? See our contact page for more information.
