Help Audrianne Taylor Save "Home to Roost Ranch"

                                                                      
                         
      HELP AUDRIANNE TAYLOR SAVE HER HOME AND ANIMAL SANCTUARY


Our dear friend Audrianne Taylor has recently experienced a personal crisis. After nearly 30 years, Audrianne's marriage abruptly ended.  This has been a drastic emotional and financial blow, and without your help  she faces the very real possibility of losing Home to Roost Ranch, her home for 16 years. She is devastated and scrambling to find a way to keep her home which has become a sanctuary for many rescued animals.   Let's rally together as a circle of friends to support her!

In order to go it alone at the ranch and keep the dream alive, Audrianne plans to open Acorns on the Hill, a small LifeWays Waldorf inspired preschool at the ranch.  This will provide income and allow her to keep this special piece of heaven to which she feels so connected.  Her dream is to make this a forever home for herself, a place for her nearly grown children to come home to, and, of course, a safe home for the animals, as well as create a unique place for youngsters to learn and grow -- but she needs financial help to do this.  Help her stave off a court-ordered sale!

Eliza and Ezekiel, miniature donkeys,  were the first animal residents of Home to Roost. 

Home to Roost Ranch, an animal sanctuary, is surrounded by the lush beauty of the ever-changing agricultural quilt of the Salinas Valley.  This is where Audrianne gains strength from the ancient wisdom and energy emanating from the land itself.  

How People Can Help

The funds raised will help Audrianne pay off existing debt; meet ongoing expenses; stay current on the mortgage;  feed and care for the animal residents of Home to Roost Ranch -- including ongoing veterinary care as well as updates and repairs to the animal enclosures. 

Additionally it will help to offset the cost of getting Acorns on the Hill Preschool up and running.   State requirements for licensure must be met.  There are numerous repairs to be made in order to prepare the room for small children, as well as many necessary supplies to be purchased. 

Donations will help Audrianne stay afloat financially during the lean months before the program is completely up and running with full enrollment, until she gets a firm footing and becomes self-sufficient.

To thank donors for their kindness, Audrianne is offering "gifts in kind" including stays at Steinbeck Country Cottage!

Here's what she is offering:

$1,000 donation = Sunday afternoon to Friday morning stay at Steinbeck Country Cottage. 5 weekday nights!
$500 donation=Friday afternoon -Sunday morning stay at Steinbeck Country Cottage.  2 weekend nights!
(Dates to be mutually agreed upon by Audrianne and the donators.)
$200 donation = computer-stylized portrait of the agricultural quilt of the Salinas Valley.
$150 donation= computer-stylized portrait of Ernie the Emu and his goat friend Pierre.
$100 donation =A copy of a hand-drawn collection of child-friendly recipes used in previous Little Acorns classrooms.
$50 donation = certificate of adoption for a chicken, and a postcard-sized photo.
$25 donation = 4 x 6 photo of one of the Ranch residents -- Audrianne will choose one for you!

Steinbeck Country Cottage is also on the ranch property and is rented out to short-term visitors to help generate income.  This little cottage overlooks golden rolling hills in the summer and fall that turn a lush green in the winter and spring.  It has two bedrooms and two baths and sleeps 5.   It is far enough away from the city lights of Salinas that on a clear night one can see the Milky Way and a dazzling celestial display from the front porch. Spring and summer bring a festival of frogs and toads that serenade visitors and the animals to sleep, occasionally punctuated by the yipping of coyotes or the hooting of owls. It is nothing short of magical and a great place to bring the family.  It is also a perfect place for a writer's retreat.  This is a wonderful place to get away from it all for a digital detox! 
Steinbeck Country Cottage--Support Audrianne and go on a family friendly retreat!



Acorns on the Hill a LifeWays Waldorf Inspired Preschool
Your donations will help Acorns on the Hill become a reality!  Here, children who for the most part probably have not had the opportunity to experience nature firsthand, will be able to help care for the animals, gather eggs, tend to the yard and garden, feel their bare feet on the earth, on land where the first peoples of the Salinas Valley once lived, and learn reverence for the natural world all around.  A setting inspired by Waldorf Education, infused with LifeWays principles, this new little school is slated to start late fall 2019.  

A Little History

Home to Roost Ranch, nestled in the ever-changing agricultural quilt of the Salinas Valley, is the manifestation of  Audrianne's childhood  dream to have a place in the country where she could have donkeys and take care of animals that needed homes.  In 2003, Audrianne and her husband purchased this home on a 5-acre rural parcel on the outskirts of Salinas in Monterey County.  A dear family friend had lived there for many years and sold it to Audrianne and her husband, knowing that her beloved land would be safe and well cared for.  

Audrianne knew she had found the place she wanted to spend the rest of her life.   And so Home to Roost Ranch began.....with 2 donkeys!  Her family moved in and began to bring the ranch to life.  Over the ensuing years, an interesting assortment of animals found their way to the ranch--cats tossed out of cars on the road, an abused abandoned horse, goats whose owner could no longer care for them, alpacas who were left behind when their owner moved out of state, a chicken found literally crossing the road in a busy intersection in a huge rainstorm.  Audrianne's 3 children learned about the circle of life and helped care for the animals as they grew -- and before long a 4th child joined the bunch. 

Audrianne has been an early childhood educator for many years.   She worked as an educator of parents with infants and toddlers, eventually starting up her own preschool "Little Acorns" at the request of several parents she had taught.  She completed early childhood training through LifeWays North America, learning to incorporate the philosophies of Waldorf Education's founder Rudolf Steiner into a setting for preschoolers.  In addition, she completed an in-depth training in Waldorf-style puppetry with master puppeteer Suzanne Down, and continues to bring storytelling magic into the lives of many through workshops and classes in which she teaches parents and teachers to take this curative art into homes and classrooms.
Front porch at Steinbeck Country Cottage

Meet some of the animal residents at Home to Roost Ranch:
Here is Bravo, an aging alpaca.

Elderly Buddy wandered onto the ranch as a youngster, most likely abandoned.  Even in his old age, he still attempts to follow along at chore time!

Abbey the Ancient Borzoi.

A bevy of bantam roosters (and one hen!) who would have almost certainly been sold for cockfighting had Audrianne not adopted them.

Junebug was a feral cat who lived on the land when Home to Roost first came into being.  She became part of the family and was able to live out her long life surrounded by safety and love.

Moonshadow, a middle-aged horse, had been abused and then abandoned by a previous owner and had to learn to trust again.

Eddie and Periwinkle, Nigerian Dwarf goat brothers.


Parent Testimonials:

“Audrianne is amazing! Her gentle disposition is calming and her ability to give sincere attention to each child is admirable. Audrianne’s style of teaching is a real treasure in today’s world, and there is no other environment I would rather have my child learning in. Her skills in puppetry and story telling are captivating to children and adults alike. I am constantly impressed with the way she composes herself and sets a calm example to the children she works with. How thankful I am that my children have been touched by her magic!” - Sarah