July 13, 2025 • 32 mins
Segment 1: Amber Banda interviews Gina Roe-Davis, Founder and Director of the new Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund. This fund was created to help young women and girls have a louder voice in the arts and entertainment industry via scholarships, guidance, workshops, programs, and networking with loal charities."Cowgirl Up invites you to saddle up, break barriers, and make a lasting impact because every girl deserves the chance to lasso her dream."
.
Amber and Gina talk about "failing your way to success,' the meaning behind the name, and why this is not a "man vs women" orgainzation but rather a way to help females feel more empowered when facing our unique challenges in this industry.
.
They have 2 upcoming events. First one is a free musically based workshop at La Nube STEAM Discovery Center called "Making Waves." Registration is not yet open so make sure to follow them on social media because this one is sure to fill up!
.
The second event will take place at this year's Way Out West Fest happening Sept 2. Nusenda is sponsoring the "Battle of the Bag Slingers" Cornhole Tournament. Registration for this tournament will also get you entry into the festival, and the winner gets $500! Proceeds to benefit Cowgirl Up. Register here:
https://epwayoutwest.com/corn-hole-registration/
.
For more information follow Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund on social media or go to https://cowgirlupfund.org/
Segment 2: Amber Banda interviews Jessica Mata-Acosta, Board Secretary and Wildlife Specialist for 2nd Chance Wildlife Rescue.
.
Have you ever encountered an injured bird or other wildlife and not know what to do? Call 2nd Chance Wildlife! This group of dedicated volunteers help rescue, rehabilitate, and release native wildlife. Taking care of living things around us teaches us empathy and is a reminder that we share this world with many living creatures that play a viatl role in where we live.
.
They are in huge need of volunteers, funding, and in-kind donations. Volunteers go through training to learn vital skills to help these animals survive and thrive. They have 2 locations in the westside, and caring for these animals is not cheap! If you have the heart and want to help, follow them on social media at Second Chance Wildlife Rescue, or go to https://sites.google.com/secondchancewildliferescue.org/scwr/
.
.
Amber and Gina talk about "failing your way to success,' the meaning behind the name, and why this is not a "man vs women" orgainzation but rather a way to help females feel more empowered when facing our unique challenges in this industry.
.
They have 2 upcoming events. First one is a free musically based workshop at La Nube STEAM Discovery Center called "Making Waves." Registration is not yet open so make sure to follow them on social media because this one is sure to fill up!
.
The second event will take place at this year's Way Out West Fest happening Sept 2. Nusenda is sponsoring the "Battle of the Bag Slingers" Cornhole Tournament. Registration for this tournament will also get you entry into the festival, and the winner gets $500! Proceeds to benefit Cowgirl Up. Register here:
https://epwayoutwest.com/corn-hole-registration/
.
For more information follow Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund on social media or go to https://cowgirlupfund.org/
Segment 2: Amber Banda interviews Jessica Mata-Acosta, Board Secretary and Wildlife Specialist for 2nd Chance Wildlife Rescue.
.
Have you ever encountered an injured bird or other wildlife and not know what to do? Call 2nd Chance Wildlife! This group of dedicated volunteers help rescue, rehabilitate, and release native wildlife. Taking care of living things around us teaches us empathy and is a reminder that we share this world with many living creatures that play a viatl role in where we live.
.
They are in huge need of volunteers, funding, and in-kind donations. Volunteers go through training to learn vital skills to help these animals survive and thrive. They have 2 locations in the westside, and caring for these animals is not cheap! If you have the heart and want to help, follow them on social media at Second Chance Wildlife Rescue, or go to https://sites.google.com/secondchancewildliferescue.org/scwr/
.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I am
your host, Amberbanda, and today we have a very special guest,
Gina Rode Davis, director and founder of the new Cowgirl
Up Charitable Fund. Gina, thank you for being here with
me today.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Thank you, Amber. It's a pleasure being here with you.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And most people probably know you from Rave Marketing and events.
It's the all female leadership team at al Paso in
al Paso, and it was this Cowgirl Upfund was born
from the passion and purpose of Rave Marketing events. Now
I've known you for a little bit and I know
about Rave. I had no idea it was all female leadership.
(01:00):
Base of kudos on that. I love that.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Thank you. Yes, we're really proud of it. You know,
in the event business, there's a lot of multitasking going on.
And not to say, listen, we work with guys, you know,
males all the time. But it just so happened that,
you know, I got a very talented group of girls,
women that are good at their job and keep me
in line and keep me, you know, getting better at
(01:24):
my craft as well. So we all support each other.
It's it's quite fun.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I've met them before, I've seen you guys work together,
and I love the dynamic you all have. They're really
awesome girls. And again, whenever we're talking about during this conversation,
you know, female empowerment, or we're talking about girls get
it done, we say something like that. That's not to
say other people can't get it done, right, We're just
doing Oh and we love them all, We love them all.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
No, yeah, this has nothing to do with that at all.
And I hope people understand that, you know, we we
support all genders. This just happens to be something that
we're passionate about and we wanted to do something about it.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You saw a gap in the market, you saw an
underreper and that's what we're addressing. And I myself have
two daughters, nineteen and ten. And you know, I was
raised by a single mom, so I love what you're doing.
My grandma was a spitfire, you know. So it's all female,
all female power that we're used to. So we're gonna
talk more about this cowgirl up charitable fund. Now. I
(02:18):
asked you this before, but what is the difference between
the a charitable fund and a nonprofit organization?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Well, a charitable fund is usually hosted or kept by
a foundation, and in this case, the Postle del Norte
Community Foundation houses our fund. It's set up through their
five oh one C three. They manage all of the
business part of it, the you know, making sure that
we're compliant, that the money is being spent the way
it's supposed to be spent. They manage all the books,
(02:47):
they manage, you know, obviously all the regulations that make it,
all the charitable work. Yeah, all the stuff that we
don't have time to do and rather have somebody that's
professional do it. So we're really proud to be working
with them.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, that's true. And those types of foundations, you know,
I learned last year. They people give money there and
they can say, hey, I want this money to go here,
go there, go there. So now we're going to talk
about the Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund. Why was this fund
created and who does it benefit?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Okay, so the Cowgirl Up Charitable was created because we
saw as a female based company here in all pass
so we saw the opportunity to be able to give
back to our to our community through what we do
in the arts, and we consider it arts obviously, arts
is so many different things fall under that, but in
(03:39):
our case, we see that in the entertainment industry, in music,
in radio and all sorts of different things that fall
under ours, we see women that don't know about the
different opportunities that are available as far as careers go.
So we wanted to support and be able to use
our experience and how we were able to do it
(04:02):
and pay it forward, if you will. So we started
the fund being able to at least give opportunity to
those girls and women that are seeking careers in you know,
in the creative services field, if you will.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So let's see what are some examples of the creative
services you know? Not because when I think arts, I
think painting, or I think maybe you know, they want
to be a singer or play the guitar. But like
you said, what you do, it's part of the arts.
What I do is part of the.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Arts, exactly, exactly, And that's part of the reason why
we wanted to do this is the education part, the support,
the mentorship, you know, the being able to do intern programs,
to do grants, to do scholarships in the fields that
most you know, perhaps girls and women, young women that
are starting off, don't even realize that there's major careers
(04:51):
in that that you can, you know, go into if
that's what your your passion is. But sometimes some people
need a little help, you know, they'll support a little
direction if you will. So we do event production, event management,
event promotion. It's a highly male dominated industry. And I'm
not saying at all that I haven't been supported by
(05:12):
males in the industry. As a matter of fact, they are.
They were my mentors and saying you should look at
this direction and kind of guiding me through my career
and saying you know, you can, you and you should.
You know, there's no reason, and I think it never
even dawned on me. So this is personal to me,
and that I just know what I went through, knowing
(05:33):
some stuff but didn't know everything, and knowing that these
programs would have been out there would have been super
helpful and being able to say, you know, you have
some form of support out there that's willing to give
you the information, expose you to the different opportunities, whether
it's in production, concert, festival, you know, conferences, music, music,
(05:54):
you know production, you know, all of the different things.
It's not just what you think the typical. You know, paintbrush,
you know paper and you know, writing songs. It's every
single part of the career or that you know. We
see a lot of women that, despite their creative contributions,
(06:14):
they're underrepresented in these categories, and I'm not really sure
it's not that they're not given an opportunity if they're
willing to do the work, you know. And for us,
it's saying, look, it's not going to be the easiest
thing in the world, but it's absolutely we are representatives
of the fact that you can, right and so we
wanted to share that and be able to set up
(06:35):
programs that would help them, that would educate them, would
you know, arm them with the proper tools and understanding
of what that means and what they need to do.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Especially statistically when you look at certain jobs and careers
like myself. I'm a biker. I used to be a
personal trainer, now I'm on radio. Those are very all
male dominated, you know, places to be and just to
be able to say, hey, there are women that are
in these positions, and I think again, one of the
challenges that females might face is when they look at
again the statistics, Oh this is more males, so you know,
(07:06):
I might not want to go down that path. Or
if there are females in those industries, they look a
certain way, they act a certain way, they are a
certain way, and just having this cowgirl up charitable fun
to provide bigger viewpoints, like if you have a passion
for whatever it is in the arts and your female
you don't have to look a certain way, you don't
have to be a certain gender, you don't have to
perform or act a certain way. You can succeed. And
(07:27):
again you and I are both examples of that.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You know.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
The whole word cowgirl up comes from the original term
cowboy up. And we like that saying because it's like
every time you get in there, you have to be
willing to cowgrow up. That means you may fall, you
may make mistakes, you may be afraid, you may have
all of these challenges. But like like the term says,
you cowgirl up, you get back up on your feet again.
(07:51):
You rise to the occasion, You do the work, and
you will see the reward.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Instead of man up, it's woman up. I've heard people
use that right and women too, like you know, yeah, exactly,
and it reminds me of the phrase that I love
and it sounds so silly, but it's hurry up and fail.
It's like, hurry up, okay, just do it. Don't let
the perfection be the enemy of good life.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Oh I have I could write a book just on
the failure part of it, which you know, I think
about that more and more obviously as my career. You know,
we just celebrated twenty years with Rade Marketing and Evans.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
You know, congratulations.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
It was thank you so much. I you know, there
were so many things that were done, you know, with
the right intention, but wrong. You know, they were done
not the right way. Let's just say whatever right way
is at that time, because right way changes on a
daily basis. Yeah, but it's okay to have those failures
because if you're willing to cowgirl up, get back up
on your feet and say, okay, let's learn from that,
(08:43):
dust yourself off, move forward and keep going. And you
know there's doozies out there. But it's also letting people
know that's typical. You know, it's not because of this
or because of that. It's like we're wanting to support women,
but also tell them, look, you're going to have to
work hard at it. And so that is that determination
(09:05):
that we want to inspire them to say, you have
it in you and you can do it. Also, just
looking at what's happening with our school systems and the programs,
things not being funded anymore, you know, it's more being
relied on a private sector, meaning funds like ours that
are supporting the arts, that are supporting getting programs out
there that are more focused on what's really needed.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, you know, and people. You know, it's it reminds
you that saying you're going to fail your way to success,
especially if you have a support group that's going to
be like, it's okay. The only time you fail is
when you stop trying, right, Failure just shows you what
not to do and where to go. And I think
when I look back, like on my childhood and I
have a feeling you're going to be the same. The
(09:48):
lessons that you learned and that really helped you grow. Yes,
you know reading and your basic you know, ABC one,
two three, But it's what I learned in art. It's
when I was creative. It's when I was allowed to,
you know, think of something in my mind and put
it on paper. And you know, that's what the arts
provides for, especially for these young women.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
That's exactly right. You know, the freedom of creative expression
and how you can use that in a career. You know,
you have a right to express yourself the way you
want to express yourself. How that ends up being a
career is up to you. Yeah, we definitely think that
cowgirl up is a way of saying, you know, tough
en up, like you. This is an industry that is
(10:29):
very it's very generous as long as you're willing to
do the work. Yes, exactly, And that's what we keep
saying by that. I think more than anything, it's telling
girls and women, if you really want to go where
this is, you know, in these types of careers, you've
got to be willing to toughen up a little bit, right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I agree. I love that if you're just joining us.
We have Gena Roe Davis, Director and founder of Cowgirl
Up Charitable Fund. Now, before we get into a couple
of events coming up, this fund is going to provide
opportunities offer resources. Can you give us an example of
maybe some of the resources that will be offered to
these young women?
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Sure? I mean, I can tell you that you know
we're going to We are in the midst of developing
different grants, scholarships, funding programs. We're networking and using the
resources available to us through what we do for a living.
We figured use what we know and understand that industry
is willing to give as long as you create the
(11:30):
opportunity for them as well. So we produce events. You know,
they're great platforms for marketing. They get the word out.
But by doing that, we're able to raise funds that
go into this charity charitable fund, and then we use
those dollars to be able to set up different programs
in our community for girls women. Depends on what we're
targeting now. We choose some of those because we see
(11:53):
different opportunities through the people that we work with, whether
they're corporations or organizations, with our unity. Just by doing
what we do for a living, we were able to
start some of that networking already to help that, and
we'll have more information available through our website so that
people can stay on top of it. But we're also
looking for different organizations and causes out there that say,
(12:19):
you know, we feel that this is something that you
would be interested in. You We definitely encourage people to
let us know if there's something that they're needing funding for.
You know, we are open to that. You know, that's
the beauty of starting something is that we learn and
we do what we have learned from, and then we
learn from the people that approach us and say, had
you ever thought about this? Yeah, this is something that
(12:41):
we see a need in and we have a lot
of interest in it, but we just have no way
of funding it. Obviously, all of the fund funds that
we give out have to go to a five O
one C three. That's just the way funds are set up.
It cannot be a for profit organization. It has to
be a nonprofit organization. But so yeah, through funds, the
(13:03):
funds can be used for grants, scholarships, workshops, mentorship and
mentorship like from both men and women. You know, obviously
it's such a great way to get different perspectives from
different genders. It's just like knowing what that everybody is
looking for, what they suggest, what they've seen have been
some of the obstacles to avoid. Yeah, those kinds of things. So, yeah,
(13:26):
we're getting excited and starting to discover some of the
things that we're going to be doing. Some of them
we can talk about today and then some of them
were still working on them, but we're excited when they
finally happen.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
So well, your events are always great, and again if
you want information, you can go to Cowgirl upfund dot
org and nonprofits make sense because those are some of
the places that need you know, they need the money,
they need the volunteers. So speaking of which, those events
that you were talking about, you have one with La
Nube and you have one coming up during the way
out West West. We'll start with the one coming up
(13:57):
sooner September sixth. It's an work show at La Nube.
You want to elaborate on that.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
So that was one of the things that we were
able to collaborate with La Nube Discovery Science Museum here
in Olpaso, who has been open now, I guess a couple.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Of years or I love it there.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
It's absolutely amazing. We're so fortunate to have something like
that here in Olpaso. If you haven't gone, I encourage
you to go by. One of the things that they
have there is Making Waves, which is the segment inside
the Science Museum that is about the science of music.
So there was a natural fit there because of what
we do for a living, we do concerts and festivals.
(14:37):
We felt that that would tie in perfectly, and also
just knowing there's a need there. So when we met
with their leadership team, they developed a workshop that is
going to be on September six, and it's called Making
Waves Workshop the Sound of Possibility. And because of the
funding that we were able to provide registration for any
(14:58):
girl or woman that wants to be interested in pursuing
or looking into that workshop. It will be free. So
registration is not open yet, but you could stay tuned
by following us on Instagram or Facebook at Calgirl up Fund,
or obviously through our website at calgirlupfund dot org.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Perfect and then the one September twenty seventh, the Way
Out westfest. Can you tell us a little bit more
about how this is going to tie into supporting the
Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Sure Way O Westfest is a country music festival that
Rave Marketing and Events produces here in Olpaso. This is
going to be our ninth year, so it was a
great fit for us to be able to create this
fund and see how it ties into the festival that
we produce. And the festival includes two stages of live entertainment.
We have country artists that come out this year it's
(15:50):
gonna be Dustin Lynch and Travis Stanning and Don Lewis
and Just Jane, and then we have a local stage
support our local community artists as well. That's all of
it is supporting our community.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
I had so much fun last year.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Yeah, it's so much fun.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
We have Margarita Contest, we have a Chili Challenge, and
then this year new we have the Nustenda Battle of
the Bag Slingers cornhole tournament and that we figured would
be a good way to be able to raise money
for Cowgirl Up. So if you want to register, which
you can go on either epaout West dot com or
(16:25):
cowgirlupfund dot org and you'll be able to register. You'll
see the links and you'll see the information on it
on either of those websites. All of the registration fee
will go one hundred percent of it goes to Cowgirl
Up Fund.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
I'm hoping I get to participate in that. It seems
like cornhole is the new pickleball this year. Hey really,
everyone's having a cornhole challenge and again this one is
sponsored by Nusenda, the Nusenda Cornhole Challenge Championship. So not
only will you be uh the money will be donated
to the Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund. But if you win,
you get to say you are the first the inaugural champion.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
And also you you win five hundred dollars your team. Yes,
so if you get the championship, you win.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
So thank God for being able to collaborate and partner
with Lucenda. Because of their sponsorship, we're able to provide,
you know, something for the teams. You know, a reason
of practice is exactly right, because you can win money
and of course bragging rights and the title belts or
whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Oh, yes, the bout buckle.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Yeah, I get exactly now you're seeing you see the
possibilities out there? Uh, And then I think it's also
super cool that if you register and you play, you know,
you may come for the attorney, but you stay for
the party because your registration gets you into the festival.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh perfect.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
So not only are you registering for a good cause
and all your money is going to the Cowgirl up fun,
but you get to stay and hang out and watch
the bands and and it's it's like having a GA ticket.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
It's perfect. And then you know you probably make new
friend at the cornhole tournament. So you can register at
cowgirlupfund dot org or at Epwayouthwest dot com. You can
see all of the entertainment that's going to be available there.
Follow them on Instagram and Facebook at Cowgirl up Fund
to find out when the registration opens for that September
(18:18):
sixth La Nube workshop. And again, Gina, thank you so
much for being here with me today.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Thank you, Amber. It's my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Welcome back to the Alpaso Public Forum. I am your host,
Amber Banda, And today I have someone literally very close
to me here in the station, Jessica Mata Acosta, who
also happens to be my cousin, but she's also a
huge animal lover. She's the wildlife rehabilitator and Secretary of
the Board for Second Chance Wildlife Rescue. Jess, thanks for
(18:52):
being here with me today.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
I told her, I make it very conversational, especially when
it's family in here.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
It makes it a hell of a lot easier.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So today we're going to be talking about Second Chance
Wildlife Rescue. This is a nonprofit that provides a place
to bring injured, ill, abandoned, orphaned wildlife for rehabilitation. So, Jess,
can you tell the listening audience a little bit more
about the services that this organization provides.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
I mean, you pretty much summed it up. But our
mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and to release injured, ill
and orphaned wildlife in our Alpaso and southern New Mexico community,
where the only wildlife rehabilitators I think in all of
West Texas and southeast New Mexico. Oh wow, so you
can imagine what our numbers look like.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Yeah, So what are some of the animals that you
have rehabilitator or you or you know the organization has
helped to rehabilitate.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Animals that are native to our area. Typically we see
a lot of birds. Our founder Josie is often lovingly
referred to as the bird Lady, just because that's the
large majority of what we see, but we also take
in I've seen bunnies, I've seen hawks, I've seen just
small mammals of the area, I mean, all kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Really, what would you say is the importance of caring
for these animals, you know, for this area.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Well, when you take a look at the numbers for
the amount of wildlife that has diminished over the last
forty years, the number is staggering. So about fifty percent
of wildlife has been reduced in the last forty years.
So I feel like it's it's our responsibility in the
Alpaso and southern New Mexico region to kind of boost
(20:38):
these numbers up to what they used to be as
much as we possibly can. And it's an issue of empathy.
I mean, we're all, you know, creatures of the earth.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Well, that kind of leads into my next question of
how do you think, on our part, how we can
live more harmoniously with, you know, the creatures around us.
And actually, before you answer that, my question is, what
do you think has led to some of that decline
in the creatures around in this area.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Well, definitely climate has a place in that role in
the decline of wildlife. As you've seen, the country and
our community is getting hotter every day, which means less water,
which means less space for the wildlife that's in the
outlying areas in the mountains and the Franklins. They are
(21:25):
forced to come in closer and closer to the city
for resources, for water, for food, for survival. Yeah, so
I think that's a huge, a huge part of it,
as well as you know, some land development that's reached
into the areas that used to be heavy with wildlife.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
I remember I interviewed Josie last year four Second Chance
Wildlife and not shortly after that, there was a lot
of desert behind my house and they recently started digging
up to make a street behind there. And I remember
seeing a little family of road runners with their babies
and I was like, I know who to call, and
so she called, and she, you know, kind of instructed
me on what to do. But yeah, you're right, you know,
the building and everything that you know has to happen.
(22:03):
But at least those listening and those that will share
this information if they do find a bird or a
small mammal or you know, a creature that's native to
this area, not like our stray catter dog, right, but
a creature that's native to this area. They can call
or go to Second Chance Wildlife Rescue dot org for
more information. So with that being said, how can we
(22:24):
the humans on our part, how can we help, you know,
live more harmoniously with the creatures that are in this area?
Speaker 4 (22:31):
I think what you mentioned, what you did, is probably
the most important piece of that puzzle. Oftentimes, with good intentions,
we find wildlife, we try to feed them or give
them water, or you know, we keep them for a
couple of days because we think we can make them better.
All well intended, but the truth is a lot of
(22:55):
these animals we don't know when you find them what
state they're in. Our best advice is to as soon
as you find injuredale orphaned wildlife, call Second Chance immediately,
Not tomorrow, not two days later, call immediately. Yeah, because
these wildlife rehabilitators will know what to feed, will evaluate
(23:19):
the animal for illness and injury, and it's a lot
of a lot of medical How can I say this
intervention that the average person doesn't know how to do.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
So the people that you call when you do call
Second Chance Wildlife that are going to walk you through this.
They've gone through training. Are these paid employees? Are they volunteers?
Speaker 4 (23:43):
We are one hundred percent volunteer past. So volunteers for
us is our first call to action and most important
for us. I understand, as you know I started out
as a volunteer, that there is a learning curve to
doing this. Yeah, you have to go through a training
that Second Chance Wildlife provides. There's also hands on training
(24:08):
provided by our founder Josie while you're doing your volunteer hours,
but you essentially learn how to evaluate an animal, how
to check for illness, how to check for wing breaks,
leg breaks, any kind of issues that are not viewable
by the naked eye to the average parson. So there
(24:31):
is a learning curve. But when I when I tell
you it's worth it, it's worth it.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Well, and I know that you know you grew up
with the huge love and love of animals. You were
surrounded by chickens, goats, cats, dogs, So was there anything
I remember waking up to your dad making you a
milkshake with goat milk? Yeah? I loved it. I was jealous.
So but when you are thinking about you know, when
you're doing the training and you growing up with animals.
(24:56):
I know you have chickens yourself. Was there anything that
surprised you to during the training we were like, oh,
we're not supposed to do that, or we should do this.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
I mean it's all just kind of eye opening. Yeah,
you start to see animals in a different light. They
are living, breathing, feeling organism, just the way we are
with different personality, with different personalities. I saw your post
on the crows that was a yes, oh my god,
I love them. They have since been released, so that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
So for anyone or most people out there that don't
know what the heck I'm talking about, a second Chance
Wildlife took in some baby crows and.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
Actually they were ravens. Oh they were ravens.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
So tell them about the stories that you were posting
about the ravens that you took care of.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
So someone called second Chance Wildlife from White Sands Missile Range, Wow,
that they found these three baby ravens on the ground. No,
typically ravens nest super high off the ground, so they
likely fell from maybe a telephone pole because there's really
not very many trees out there, so they called Second Chance.
We transported the ravens to the rescue the babies. If
(26:02):
you don't know what a raven's size is like, the
baby is about the size of a small chicken. Oh wow, Yeah,
Ravens grow up to be huge birds. And they were
just I was just enamored with them from the get go.
They have personalities. I could tell you know what the
hierarchy between the three of them was going to be like.
(26:22):
So to send them back to Silver City is where
we release them. Because ravens are native to Silver City,
not out passive.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Not I'll pass it, okay.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
So to send them to Silver City and watch the
video of their release is just incredibly gratifying.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Like it it reminds me of a video that my
mom is enthralled with on TikTok. It's these baby eagles
and it's just a live cam that you watch and
you know, it's just that connection to nature that you
can have, whether you're volunteering with Second Chance Wildlife or
donating or you know, donating money, donating services in kind, donations,
and again if you're just joining us. I have Jessica
(26:58):
Matta Costa. She is the Wildlife rehabilitator and Secretary of
the board for Second Chance Wildlife Rescue here and I'll
pass so so you don't have any events coming up,
you know. If you do, of course I'll be sharing
those on our Sunny Power and k Hey social medias.
But if people did want to help, we'll start first
with in kind and monetary donations and then get into
(27:20):
the volunteer aspect because now it's going to be a
longer explanation. But if they did want to donate money
or in kind donations, how can they do that and
what can they donate?
Speaker 4 (27:29):
So you can go to Second Chance Wildlife Rescue dot
org or you can find us on Facebook or Instagram.
We do have a QR code there where you can
make it very easy to make any kind of donation.
When people say anything helps, it kind of gets you know,
lost in the mix, and you're just kind of like, well,
what does that mean for Second Chance Wildlife? Literally anything helps.
(27:50):
We need to buy gloves, syringes, gauze, all of the
things that we use to rehabilitate these animals. When you
think about it, where I'm almost running like a small animal.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Hospital, like a vet clinic. It's a volunteer ve clinic. Yeah, okay,
And if people wanted to volunteer, which is where you
really need the help, Yes, it's not a small commitment.
So but but I know that there are people out
there that want to maybe have a hobby, a passion.
They love animals, they want to help these animals. So
what is involved? What are the steps people need to
(28:22):
take to volunteer?
Speaker 4 (28:23):
I always say, when you hand feed a baby bird
and it falls asleep in your hand because it's got
a full belly, that's it. You're done if you are committed.
But we desperately need volunteers because we see so many birds.
The breeding season for birds is typically spring and summer,
(28:45):
so we are inundated with calls from al Paso and
all of southern New Mexico. So we typically handle about
four thousand calls a year.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
So what are the So someone calls you, Hey, a
baby bird foul from the nest. What do I do?
Speaker 4 (29:01):
We tell you to bring it in, Okay, as quickly
and as soon as you can. You put it in
a Let's say, I don't know. You find a dove
on the ground, You put it in a box, keep
it dark and quiet, and bring it in. We'll handle
the rest. Oftentimes, the general person isn't going to know
if it ate something poorly, so you don't want to
(29:23):
feed it. It could be water logged, you don't want
to give it water, so immediately you just keep it
quiet and take it to the rescue.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
And I think this is a really great learning experience
for those people that have kids. Hey, we found this bird,
Let's take it to Second Chance Wildlife so they can
take care of it. And you know, you facilitated that rescue.
Where is Second Chance Wildlife located so people know, you know,
you know where they have to go if they do
find an animal that they have to take in.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Yeah, we have two facilities. We have a seven acre
preserve located in Vinton, Texas, and we have a home
based property on the west side of Alpaso off of
Country Club. Both addresses are on the website or when
you call us, we can kind of give you directions
as to how to get there. Sometimes, if it's really
far from the rehab location, will arrange transport. Okay, especially
(30:14):
if we're dealing with say a bird that's like a hawk,
Those are very difficult for anyone to just kind of
handle whereas we have the proper equipment and the gloves
to handle a bird with that kind of talent.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Yeah, I was gonna say that kind of a scratching ability.
That makes a lot of sense. So second Chance Wildlife
Rescue dot Org so you can see the address you
can get more information. This information will also be on
the Instagram and Facebook for Power one O two point one, Sunday,
ninety nine point nine and ninety six point three k Country.
So if you follow any or all of those pages
(30:50):
on Instagram and Facebook, there'll be a picture of Jessica.
There'll be this information on there now just before before
we finish, and you can also find them on Instagram
and Facebook at second Chance Wildlife. Is there anything else
that you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Wildlife matters, you know. I think so often we get
caught up in our own personal lives and the world
that we live in, but we have to remember that
we share the planet. Yeah, and as humans, as higher
thinking beings, I think it's our responsibility to care for
those that are entrusted to us. So if you find
(31:24):
an injured animal, bring it on into us. If you
want to make a difference, volunteer.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
And especially you being a mom. You know, how how
do you see this positively impacting her seeing her mom
do these things for these animals. I mean, she's young,
but you know.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Well, you know it's funny. She's for the since birth,
she's four almost five, has never really had the same
affinity for animals that I do. Yeah, but since volunteering
and having her in that environment, knowing what I do
talking to her about rescuing animals, she has now shifted
to saying that that's what she wants to doe. Yeah. Well,
(32:04):
what I can see is that it's given her a
reverence for life, which there's no better way to teach it.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Yeah. I love that. Well, Jess, thank you so much
for talking with us today for Second Chance Wildlife Rescue.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Thanks you've been listening to El Paso Public Forum, a
weekly public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso. If you,
your organization or event would like to be featured on
an upcoming program, please email to Epforum at iHeartMedia dot
com or call us at nine one five three five
one five four zero zero. Tune in again next week
(32:37):
for another additional of El Paso Public Forum. The preceding
program was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio El Paso.
Welcome to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I am
your host, Amberbanda, and today we have a very special guest,
Gina Rode Davis, director and founder of the new Cowgirl
Up Charitable Fund. Gina, thank you for being here with
me today.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Thank you, Amber. It's a pleasure being here with you.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
And most people probably know you from Rave Marketing and events.
It's the all female leadership team at al Paso in
al Paso, and it was this Cowgirl Upfund was born
from the passion and purpose of Rave Marketing events. Now
I've known you for a little bit and I know
about Rave. I had no idea it was all female leadership.
(01:00):
Base of kudos on that. I love that.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Thank you. Yes, we're really proud of it. You know,
in the event business, there's a lot of multitasking going on.
And not to say, listen, we work with guys, you know,
males all the time. But it just so happened that,
you know, I got a very talented group of girls,
women that are good at their job and keep me
in line and keep me, you know, getting better at
(01:24):
my craft as well. So we all support each other.
It's it's quite fun.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I've met them before, I've seen you guys work together,
and I love the dynamic you all have. They're really
awesome girls. And again, whenever we're talking about during this conversation,
you know, female empowerment, or we're talking about girls get
it done, we say something like that. That's not to
say other people can't get it done, right, We're just
doing Oh and we love them all, We love them all.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
No, yeah, this has nothing to do with that at all.
And I hope people understand that, you know, we we
support all genders. This just happens to be something that
we're passionate about and we wanted to do something about it.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
You saw a gap in the market, you saw an
underreper and that's what we're addressing. And I myself have
two daughters, nineteen and ten. And you know, I was
raised by a single mom, so I love what you're doing.
My grandma was a spitfire, you know. So it's all female,
all female power that we're used to. So we're gonna
talk more about this cowgirl up charitable fund. Now. I
(02:18):
asked you this before, but what is the difference between
the a charitable fund and a nonprofit organization?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Well, a charitable fund is usually hosted or kept by
a foundation, and in this case, the Postle del Norte
Community Foundation houses our fund. It's set up through their
five oh one C three. They manage all of the
business part of it, the you know, making sure that
we're compliant, that the money is being spent the way
it's supposed to be spent. They manage all the books,
(02:47):
they manage, you know, obviously all the regulations that make it,
all the charitable work. Yeah, all the stuff that we
don't have time to do and rather have somebody that's
professional do it. So we're really proud to be working
with them.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, that's true. And those types of foundations, you know,
I learned last year. They people give money there and
they can say, hey, I want this money to go here,
go there, go there. So now we're going to talk
about the Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund. Why was this fund
created and who does it benefit?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Okay, so the Cowgirl Up Charitable was created because we
saw as a female based company here in all pass
so we saw the opportunity to be able to give
back to our to our community through what we do
in the arts, and we consider it arts obviously, arts
is so many different things fall under that, but in
(03:39):
our case, we see that in the entertainment industry, in music,
in radio and all sorts of different things that fall
under ours, we see women that don't know about the
different opportunities that are available as far as careers go.
So we wanted to support and be able to use
our experience and how we were able to do it
(04:02):
and pay it forward, if you will. So we started
the fund being able to at least give opportunity to
those girls and women that are seeking careers in you know,
in the creative services field, if you will.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
So let's see what are some examples of the creative
services you know? Not because when I think arts, I
think painting, or I think maybe you know, they want
to be a singer or play the guitar. But like
you said, what you do, it's part of the arts.
What I do is part of the.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Arts, exactly, exactly, And that's part of the reason why
we wanted to do this is the education part, the support,
the mentorship, you know, the being able to do intern programs,
to do grants, to do scholarships in the fields that
most you know, perhaps girls and women, young women that
are starting off, don't even realize that there's major careers
(04:51):
in that that you can, you know, go into if
that's what your your passion is. But sometimes some people
need a little help, you know, they'll support a little
direction if you will. So we do event production, event management,
event promotion. It's a highly male dominated industry. And I'm
not saying at all that I haven't been supported by
(05:12):
males in the industry. As a matter of fact, they are.
They were my mentors and saying you should look at
this direction and kind of guiding me through my career
and saying you know, you can, you and you should.
You know, there's no reason, and I think it never
even dawned on me. So this is personal to me,
and that I just know what I went through, knowing
(05:33):
some stuff but didn't know everything, and knowing that these
programs would have been out there would have been super
helpful and being able to say, you know, you have
some form of support out there that's willing to give
you the information, expose you to the different opportunities, whether
it's in production, concert, festival, you know, conferences, music, music,
(05:54):
you know production, you know, all of the different things.
It's not just what you think the typical. You know, paintbrush,
you know paper and you know, writing songs. It's every
single part of the career or that you know. We
see a lot of women that, despite their creative contributions,
(06:14):
they're underrepresented in these categories, and I'm not really sure
it's not that they're not given an opportunity if they're
willing to do the work, you know. And for us,
it's saying, look, it's not going to be the easiest
thing in the world, but it's absolutely we are representatives
of the fact that you can, right and so we
wanted to share that and be able to set up
(06:35):
programs that would help them, that would educate them, would
you know, arm them with the proper tools and understanding
of what that means and what they need to do.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Especially statistically when you look at certain jobs and careers
like myself. I'm a biker. I used to be a
personal trainer, now I'm on radio. Those are very all
male dominated, you know, places to be and just to
be able to say, hey, there are women that are
in these positions, and I think again, one of the
challenges that females might face is when they look at
again the statistics, Oh this is more males, so you know,
(07:06):
I might not want to go down that path. Or
if there are females in those industries, they look a
certain way, they act a certain way, they are a
certain way, and just having this cowgirl up charitable fun
to provide bigger viewpoints, like if you have a passion
for whatever it is in the arts and your female
you don't have to look a certain way, you don't
have to be a certain gender, you don't have to
perform or act a certain way. You can succeed. And
(07:27):
again you and I are both examples of that.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You know.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
The whole word cowgirl up comes from the original term
cowboy up. And we like that saying because it's like
every time you get in there, you have to be
willing to cowgrow up. That means you may fall, you
may make mistakes, you may be afraid, you may have
all of these challenges. But like like the term says,
you cowgirl up, you get back up on your feet again.
(07:51):
You rise to the occasion, You do the work, and
you will see the reward.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Instead of man up, it's woman up. I've heard people
use that right and women too, like you know, yeah, exactly,
and it reminds me of the phrase that I love
and it sounds so silly, but it's hurry up and fail.
It's like, hurry up, okay, just do it. Don't let
the perfection be the enemy of good life.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Oh I have I could write a book just on
the failure part of it, which you know, I think
about that more and more obviously as my career. You know,
we just celebrated twenty years with Rade Marketing and Evans.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
You know, congratulations.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
It was thank you so much. I you know, there
were so many things that were done, you know, with
the right intention, but wrong. You know, they were done
not the right way. Let's just say whatever right way
is at that time, because right way changes on a
daily basis. Yeah, but it's okay to have those failures
because if you're willing to cowgirl up, get back up
on your feet and say, okay, let's learn from that,
(08:43):
dust yourself off, move forward and keep going. And you
know there's doozies out there. But it's also letting people
know that's typical. You know, it's not because of this
or because of that. It's like we're wanting to support women,
but also tell them, look, you're going to have to
work hard at it. And so that is that determination
(09:05):
that we want to inspire them to say, you have
it in you and you can do it. Also, just
looking at what's happening with our school systems and the programs,
things not being funded anymore, you know, it's more being
relied on a private sector, meaning funds like ours that
are supporting the arts, that are supporting getting programs out
there that are more focused on what's really needed.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, you know, and people. You know, it's it reminds
you that saying you're going to fail your way to success,
especially if you have a support group that's going to
be like, it's okay. The only time you fail is
when you stop trying, right, Failure just shows you what
not to do and where to go. And I think
when I look back, like on my childhood and I
have a feeling you're going to be the same. The
(09:48):
lessons that you learned and that really helped you grow. Yes,
you know reading and your basic you know, ABC one,
two three, But it's what I learned in art. It's
when I was creative. It's when I was allowed to,
you know, think of something in my mind and put
it on paper. And you know, that's what the arts
provides for, especially for these young women.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
That's exactly right. You know, the freedom of creative expression
and how you can use that in a career. You know,
you have a right to express yourself the way you
want to express yourself. How that ends up being a
career is up to you. Yeah, we definitely think that
cowgirl up is a way of saying, you know, tough
en up, like you. This is an industry that is
(10:29):
very it's very generous as long as you're willing to
do the work. Yes, exactly, And that's what we keep
saying by that. I think more than anything, it's telling
girls and women, if you really want to go where
this is, you know, in these types of careers, you've
got to be willing to toughen up a little bit, right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I agree. I love that if you're just joining us.
We have Gena Roe Davis, Director and founder of Cowgirl
Up Charitable Fund. Now, before we get into a couple
of events coming up, this fund is going to provide
opportunities offer resources. Can you give us an example of
maybe some of the resources that will be offered to
these young women?
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Sure? I mean, I can tell you that you know
we're going to We are in the midst of developing
different grants, scholarships, funding programs. We're networking and using the
resources available to us through what we do for a living.
We figured use what we know and understand that industry
is willing to give as long as you create the
(11:30):
opportunity for them as well. So we produce events. You know,
they're great platforms for marketing. They get the word out.
But by doing that, we're able to raise funds that
go into this charity charitable fund, and then we use
those dollars to be able to set up different programs
in our community for girls women. Depends on what we're
targeting now. We choose some of those because we see
(11:53):
different opportunities through the people that we work with, whether
they're corporations or organizations, with our unity. Just by doing
what we do for a living, we were able to
start some of that networking already to help that, and
we'll have more information available through our website so that
people can stay on top of it. But we're also
looking for different organizations and causes out there that say,
(12:19):
you know, we feel that this is something that you
would be interested in. You We definitely encourage people to
let us know if there's something that they're needing funding for.
You know, we are open to that. You know, that's
the beauty of starting something is that we learn and
we do what we have learned from, and then we
learn from the people that approach us and say, had
you ever thought about this? Yeah, this is something that
(12:41):
we see a need in and we have a lot
of interest in it, but we just have no way
of funding it. Obviously, all of the fund funds that
we give out have to go to a five O
one C three. That's just the way funds are set up.
It cannot be a for profit organization. It has to
be a nonprofit organization. But so yeah, through funds, the
(13:03):
funds can be used for grants, scholarships, workshops, mentorship and
mentorship like from both men and women. You know, obviously
it's such a great way to get different perspectives from
different genders. It's just like knowing what that everybody is
looking for, what they suggest, what they've seen have been
some of the obstacles to avoid. Yeah, those kinds of things. So, yeah,
(13:26):
we're getting excited and starting to discover some of the
things that we're going to be doing. Some of them
we can talk about today and then some of them
were still working on them, but we're excited when they
finally happen.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
So well, your events are always great, and again if
you want information, you can go to Cowgirl upfund dot
org and nonprofits make sense because those are some of
the places that need you know, they need the money,
they need the volunteers. So speaking of which, those events
that you were talking about, you have one with La
Nube and you have one coming up during the way
out West West. We'll start with the one coming up
(13:57):
sooner September sixth. It's an work show at La Nube.
You want to elaborate on that.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
So that was one of the things that we were
able to collaborate with La Nube Discovery Science Museum here
in Olpaso, who has been open now, I guess a couple.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Of years or I love it there.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
It's absolutely amazing. We're so fortunate to have something like
that here in Olpaso. If you haven't gone, I encourage
you to go by. One of the things that they
have there is Making Waves, which is the segment inside
the Science Museum that is about the science of music.
So there was a natural fit there because of what
we do for a living, we do concerts and festivals.
(14:37):
We felt that that would tie in perfectly, and also
just knowing there's a need there. So when we met
with their leadership team, they developed a workshop that is
going to be on September six, and it's called Making
Waves Workshop the Sound of Possibility. And because of the
funding that we were able to provide registration for any
(14:58):
girl or woman that wants to be interested in pursuing
or looking into that workshop. It will be free. So
registration is not open yet, but you could stay tuned
by following us on Instagram or Facebook at Calgirl up Fund,
or obviously through our website at calgirlupfund dot org.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Perfect and then the one September twenty seventh, the Way
Out westfest. Can you tell us a little bit more
about how this is going to tie into supporting the
Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Sure Way O Westfest is a country music festival that
Rave Marketing and Events produces here in Olpaso. This is
going to be our ninth year, so it was a
great fit for us to be able to create this
fund and see how it ties into the festival that
we produce. And the festival includes two stages of live entertainment.
We have country artists that come out this year it's
(15:50):
gonna be Dustin Lynch and Travis Stanning and Don Lewis
and Just Jane, and then we have a local stage
support our local community artists as well. That's all of
it is supporting our community.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
I had so much fun last year.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Yeah, it's so much fun.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
We have Margarita Contest, we have a Chili Challenge, and
then this year new we have the Nustenda Battle of
the Bag Slingers cornhole tournament and that we figured would
be a good way to be able to raise money
for Cowgirl Up. So if you want to register, which
you can go on either epaout West dot com or
(16:25):
cowgirlupfund dot org and you'll be able to register. You'll
see the links and you'll see the information on it
on either of those websites. All of the registration fee
will go one hundred percent of it goes to Cowgirl
Up Fund.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
I'm hoping I get to participate in that. It seems
like cornhole is the new pickleball this year. Hey really,
everyone's having a cornhole challenge and again this one is
sponsored by Nusenda, the Nusenda Cornhole Challenge Championship. So not
only will you be uh the money will be donated
to the Cowgirl Up Charitable Fund. But if you win,
you get to say you are the first the inaugural champion.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
And also you you win five hundred dollars your team. Yes,
so if you get the championship, you win.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
So thank God for being able to collaborate and partner
with Lucenda. Because of their sponsorship, we're able to provide,
you know, something for the teams. You know, a reason
of practice is exactly right, because you can win money
and of course bragging rights and the title belts or
whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Oh, yes, the bout buckle.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Yeah, I get exactly now you're seeing you see the
possibilities out there? Uh, And then I think it's also
super cool that if you register and you play, you know,
you may come for the attorney, but you stay for
the party because your registration gets you into the festival.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh perfect.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
So not only are you registering for a good cause
and all your money is going to the Cowgirl up fun,
but you get to stay and hang out and watch
the bands and and it's it's like having a GA ticket.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
It's perfect. And then you know you probably make new
friend at the cornhole tournament. So you can register at
cowgirlupfund dot org or at Epwayouthwest dot com. You can
see all of the entertainment that's going to be available there.
Follow them on Instagram and Facebook at Cowgirl up Fund
to find out when the registration opens for that September
(18:18):
sixth La Nube workshop. And again, Gina, thank you so
much for being here with me today.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
Thank you, Amber. It's my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Welcome back to the Alpaso Public Forum. I am your host,
Amber Banda, And today I have someone literally very close
to me here in the station, Jessica Mata Acosta, who
also happens to be my cousin, but she's also a
huge animal lover. She's the wildlife rehabilitator and Secretary of
the Board for Second Chance Wildlife Rescue. Jess, thanks for
(18:52):
being here with me today.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
I told her, I make it very conversational, especially when
it's family in here.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
It makes it a hell of a lot easier.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So today we're going to be talking about Second Chance
Wildlife Rescue. This is a nonprofit that provides a place
to bring injured, ill, abandoned, orphaned wildlife for rehabilitation. So, Jess,
can you tell the listening audience a little bit more
about the services that this organization provides.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
I mean, you pretty much summed it up. But our
mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and to release injured, ill
and orphaned wildlife in our Alpaso and southern New Mexico community,
where the only wildlife rehabilitators I think in all of
West Texas and southeast New Mexico. Oh wow, so you
can imagine what our numbers look like.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Yeah, So what are some of the animals that you
have rehabilitator or you or you know the organization has
helped to rehabilitate.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Animals that are native to our area. Typically we see
a lot of birds. Our founder Josie is often lovingly
referred to as the bird Lady, just because that's the
large majority of what we see, but we also take
in I've seen bunnies, I've seen hawks, I've seen just
small mammals of the area, I mean, all kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Really, what would you say is the importance of caring
for these animals, you know, for this area.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Well, when you take a look at the numbers for
the amount of wildlife that has diminished over the last
forty years, the number is staggering. So about fifty percent
of wildlife has been reduced in the last forty years.
So I feel like it's it's our responsibility in the
Alpaso and southern New Mexico region to kind of boost
(20:38):
these numbers up to what they used to be as
much as we possibly can. And it's an issue of empathy.
I mean, we're all, you know, creatures of the earth.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Well, that kind of leads into my next question of
how do you think, on our part, how we can
live more harmoniously with, you know, the creatures around us.
And actually, before you answer that, my question is, what
do you think has led to some of that decline
in the creatures around in this area.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Well, definitely climate has a place in that role in
the decline of wildlife. As you've seen, the country and
our community is getting hotter every day, which means less water,
which means less space for the wildlife that's in the
outlying areas in the mountains and the Franklins. They are
(21:25):
forced to come in closer and closer to the city
for resources, for water, for food, for survival. Yeah, so
I think that's a huge, a huge part of it,
as well as you know, some land development that's reached
into the areas that used to be heavy with wildlife.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
I remember I interviewed Josie last year four Second Chance
Wildlife and not shortly after that, there was a lot
of desert behind my house and they recently started digging
up to make a street behind there. And I remember
seeing a little family of road runners with their babies
and I was like, I know who to call, and
so she called, and she, you know, kind of instructed
me on what to do. But yeah, you're right, you know,
the building and everything that you know has to happen.
(22:03):
But at least those listening and those that will share
this information if they do find a bird or a
small mammal or you know, a creature that's native to
this area, not like our stray catter dog, right, but
a creature that's native to this area. They can call
or go to Second Chance Wildlife Rescue dot org for
more information. So with that being said, how can we
(22:24):
the humans on our part, how can we help, you know,
live more harmoniously with the creatures that are in this area?
Speaker 4 (22:31):
I think what you mentioned, what you did, is probably
the most important piece of that puzzle. Oftentimes, with good intentions,
we find wildlife, we try to feed them or give
them water, or you know, we keep them for a
couple of days because we think we can make them better.
All well intended, but the truth is a lot of
(22:55):
these animals we don't know when you find them what
state they're in. Our best advice is to as soon
as you find injuredale orphaned wildlife, call Second Chance immediately,
Not tomorrow, not two days later, call immediately. Yeah, because
these wildlife rehabilitators will know what to feed, will evaluate
(23:19):
the animal for illness and injury, and it's a lot
of a lot of medical How can I say this
intervention that the average person doesn't know how to do.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
So the people that you call when you do call
Second Chance Wildlife that are going to walk you through this.
They've gone through training. Are these paid employees? Are they volunteers?
Speaker 4 (23:43):
We are one hundred percent volunteer past. So volunteers for
us is our first call to action and most important
for us. I understand, as you know I started out
as a volunteer, that there is a learning curve to
doing this. Yeah, you have to go through a training
that Second Chance Wildlife provides. There's also hands on training
(24:08):
provided by our founder Josie while you're doing your volunteer hours,
but you essentially learn how to evaluate an animal, how
to check for illness, how to check for wing breaks,
leg breaks, any kind of issues that are not viewable
by the naked eye to the average parson. So there
(24:31):
is a learning curve. But when I when I tell
you it's worth it, it's worth it.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Well, and I know that you know you grew up
with the huge love and love of animals. You were
surrounded by chickens, goats, cats, dogs, So was there anything
I remember waking up to your dad making you a
milkshake with goat milk? Yeah? I loved it. I was jealous.
So but when you are thinking about you know, when
you're doing the training and you growing up with animals.
(24:56):
I know you have chickens yourself. Was there anything that
surprised you to during the training we were like, oh,
we're not supposed to do that, or we should do this.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
I mean it's all just kind of eye opening. Yeah,
you start to see animals in a different light. They
are living, breathing, feeling organism, just the way we are
with different personality, with different personalities. I saw your post
on the crows that was a yes, oh my god,
I love them. They have since been released, so that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
So for anyone or most people out there that don't
know what the heck I'm talking about, a second Chance
Wildlife took in some baby crows and.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
Actually they were ravens. Oh they were ravens.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
So tell them about the stories that you were posting
about the ravens that you took care of.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
So someone called second Chance Wildlife from White Sands Missile Range, Wow,
that they found these three baby ravens on the ground. No,
typically ravens nest super high off the ground, so they
likely fell from maybe a telephone pole because there's really
not very many trees out there, so they called Second Chance.
We transported the ravens to the rescue the babies. If
(26:02):
you don't know what a raven's size is like, the
baby is about the size of a small chicken. Oh wow, Yeah,
Ravens grow up to be huge birds. And they were
just I was just enamored with them from the get go.
They have personalities. I could tell you know what the
hierarchy between the three of them was going to be like.
(26:22):
So to send them back to Silver City is where
we release them. Because ravens are native to Silver City,
not out passive.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Not I'll pass it, okay.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
So to send them to Silver City and watch the
video of their release is just incredibly gratifying.
Speaker 2 (26:35):
Like it it reminds me of a video that my
mom is enthralled with on TikTok. It's these baby eagles
and it's just a live cam that you watch and
you know, it's just that connection to nature that you
can have, whether you're volunteering with Second Chance Wildlife or
donating or you know, donating money, donating services in kind, donations,
and again if you're just joining us. I have Jessica
(26:58):
Matta Costa. She is the Wildlife rehabilitator and Secretary of
the board for Second Chance Wildlife Rescue here and I'll
pass so so you don't have any events coming up,
you know. If you do, of course I'll be sharing
those on our Sunny Power and k Hey social medias.
But if people did want to help, we'll start first
with in kind and monetary donations and then get into
(27:20):
the volunteer aspect because now it's going to be a
longer explanation. But if they did want to donate money
or in kind donations, how can they do that and
what can they donate?
Speaker 4 (27:29):
So you can go to Second Chance Wildlife Rescue dot
org or you can find us on Facebook or Instagram.
We do have a QR code there where you can
make it very easy to make any kind of donation.
When people say anything helps, it kind of gets you know,
lost in the mix, and you're just kind of like, well,
what does that mean for Second Chance Wildlife? Literally anything helps.
(27:50):
We need to buy gloves, syringes, gauze, all of the
things that we use to rehabilitate these animals. When you
think about it, where I'm almost running like a small animal.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Hospital, like a vet clinic. It's a volunteer ve clinic. Yeah, okay,
And if people wanted to volunteer, which is where you
really need the help, Yes, it's not a small commitment.
So but but I know that there are people out
there that want to maybe have a hobby, a passion.
They love animals, they want to help these animals. So
what is involved? What are the steps people need to
(28:22):
take to volunteer?
Speaker 4 (28:23):
I always say, when you hand feed a baby bird
and it falls asleep in your hand because it's got
a full belly, that's it. You're done if you are committed.
But we desperately need volunteers because we see so many birds.
The breeding season for birds is typically spring and summer,
(28:45):
so we are inundated with calls from al Paso and
all of southern New Mexico. So we typically handle about
four thousand calls a year.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
So what are the So someone calls you, Hey, a
baby bird foul from the nest. What do I do?
Speaker 4 (29:01):
We tell you to bring it in, Okay, as quickly
and as soon as you can. You put it in
a Let's say, I don't know. You find a dove
on the ground, You put it in a box, keep
it dark and quiet, and bring it in. We'll handle
the rest. Oftentimes, the general person isn't going to know
if it ate something poorly, so you don't want to
(29:23):
feed it. It could be water logged, you don't want
to give it water, so immediately you just keep it
quiet and take it to the rescue.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
And I think this is a really great learning experience
for those people that have kids. Hey, we found this bird,
Let's take it to Second Chance Wildlife so they can
take care of it. And you know, you facilitated that rescue.
Where is Second Chance Wildlife located so people know, you know,
you know where they have to go if they do
find an animal that they have to take in.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Yeah, we have two facilities. We have a seven acre
preserve located in Vinton, Texas, and we have a home
based property on the west side of Alpaso off of
Country Club. Both addresses are on the website or when
you call us, we can kind of give you directions
as to how to get there. Sometimes, if it's really
far from the rehab location, will arrange transport. Okay, especially
(30:14):
if we're dealing with say a bird that's like a hawk,
Those are very difficult for anyone to just kind of
handle whereas we have the proper equipment and the gloves
to handle a bird with that kind of talent.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
Yeah, I was gonna say that kind of a scratching ability.
That makes a lot of sense. So second Chance Wildlife
Rescue dot Org so you can see the address you
can get more information. This information will also be on
the Instagram and Facebook for Power one O two point one, Sunday,
ninety nine point nine and ninety six point three k Country.
So if you follow any or all of those pages
(30:50):
on Instagram and Facebook, there'll be a picture of Jessica.
There'll be this information on there now just before before
we finish, and you can also find them on Instagram
and Facebook at second Chance Wildlife. Is there anything else
that you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Wildlife matters, you know. I think so often we get
caught up in our own personal lives and the world
that we live in, but we have to remember that
we share the planet. Yeah, and as humans, as higher
thinking beings, I think it's our responsibility to care for
those that are entrusted to us. So if you find
(31:24):
an injured animal, bring it on into us. If you
want to make a difference, volunteer.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
And especially you being a mom. You know, how how
do you see this positively impacting her seeing her mom
do these things for these animals. I mean, she's young,
but you know.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Well, you know it's funny. She's for the since birth,
she's four almost five, has never really had the same
affinity for animals that I do. Yeah, but since volunteering
and having her in that environment, knowing what I do
talking to her about rescuing animals, she has now shifted
to saying that that's what she wants to doe. Yeah. Well,
(32:04):
what I can see is that it's given her a
reverence for life, which there's no better way to teach it.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
Yeah. I love that. Well, Jess, thank you so much
for talking with us today for Second Chance Wildlife Rescue.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Thanks you've been listening to El Paso Public Forum, a
weekly public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso. If you,
your organization or event would like to be featured on
an upcoming program, please email to Epforum at iHeartMedia dot
com or call us at nine one five three five
one five four zero zero. Tune in again next week
(32:37):
for another additional of El Paso Public Forum. The preceding
program was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio El Paso.
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