Foundation News 

June 4, 2011

Our board held its annual meeting today in Portland Oregon, which is where Director Sharon Glaeser does elephant research. We thank the Oregon Zoo for offering the use of a meeting room. Director April Yoder gave a presentation on the palm oil crisis, and we spent a lovely afternoon in the elephant barn thanks to the fabulous elephant staff and their magnificent group of elephants. In our photo, April enjoys a reunion with the elephants that she had cared for over many years.

June 3, 2011

Asian Elephant Support has changed its doman provider from GoDaddy to Namecheap.

April 27, 2011

A GREAT TASTING AND FUN FUNDRAISER
Asian Elephant Support held its first fundraising event at the California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) in Chesterfield, MO. Since that's our president's home turf and she organized the event, we'll let Linda share the day:

"When I first looked at the marketing bits about doing such a fundraiser with California Pizza Kitchen, the examples they gave were entire school events netting several thousand dollars. That I knew we weren't! But with fundraising being difficult for a newer nonprofit and especially in this economy, I decided to make the inquiry.

To sum it up: a delightful day! The managers at CPK were most helpful....and I think a bit amazed and sympathetic as I arrived at 10:30 a.m. and left shortly before 10 p.m., after our last supporting diners were served their dinner (they even sent me home with a complimentary piece of a wonderful chocolate cake!). But I wanted to greet everyone who made the effort to come out and support us and, honestly, from 11 a.m. until almost 3 p.m., I was delighted to see several smiling familiar faces come through the door. Then I had a chance for me to grab a late lunch and the early diners, led by my mom, her friend and my sister, started arriving shortly after 4 p.m. From family to friends and friends of family and friends - including the entire Grant's Farm elephant barn staff and friends - at the end of the day, Asian Elephant Support had added some much needed funds to its bank account, and the support, friendship was a wonderful and greatly appreciated vote of confidence.

Thank you Jean for thinking of taking pictures for me. Next year I will remember my camera. Yes, next April there will be the Second Annual CPK Fundraiser Asian Elephant Support, and I'm already spinning some ideas to make it an even more enjoyable event!

Thank you to each and every one of you who made this a very special day!"

October 13, 2010 

Two of our directors attended the Elephant Managers Association (EMA) 2010 conference, which was held in Pittsburgh, Sept 30 through Oct 3. The EMA is an international non-profit organization of professional elephant handlers, administrators, veterinarians, researchers and elephant enthusiasts. 

AES President giving presentation at EMA

Our president, Linda Reifschneider, gave a presentation on the role of AES in elephant conservation and her personal history in the conservation of Asian and African elephants and other wildlife in range states. Her presentation walked through her early years of being an elephant enthusiast and highlighted how her visits to the zoo, her involvement as a zoo volunteer, what she learned from elephant keepers, and her participation in the global elephant community gave her the tools she needed to make a difference in the future of the species. Her presentation touched the hearts of many at the conference and sparked new ideas for collaboration.

The EMA has a very active conservation committee that supports mahouts and elephants in both African and Asian range states. Together we can make a difference.

To learn more about EMA, please visit http://www.elephant-managers.com/.

August 7, 2010

We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our newest director, Lynda Cole. Lynda was a good friend of the AES president and we were excited to partner with someone of such talent, knowledge and enthusiasm for all flora and fauna. 

Monteo McCudden has agreed to serve as our Interim Director. Monteo earned her degree in biology and has always sought ways to contribute to conservation efforts by volunteering. She has learned about elephants through her volunteer work with captive elephants, and she is keenly interested in helping endangered animals and protecting and conserving land.  

Also joining in our efforts to help elephants and those who care for them is Gretchen Rumsey. Gretchen has travelled throughout SE Asia volunteering with elephant centers, and she hosts her own elephant blog (All Things Elephant) . Her goal with her blog is to provide a forum for dialogue for anyone that cares about conservation. Gretchen will be leading our Fundraising Committee.

July 5, 2010

Lynda Cole has joined our board as a new Director and Jerry Koranda has stepped down. Jerry helped us through our transition to Asian Elephant Support, and he leaves us to pursue other interests and commitments. We greatly appreciate his service and wish him all the best. Lynda has a long-term commitment to conservation and animal care. She is also the Director of a turtle rescue and educational NGO, St. Louis Midwest Turtle & Tortoise Society, which is dedicated to the preservation of wild turtle and tortoise populations and to the care of animals already in captivity. We believe her experience and dedication will be of great benefit to the mission of Asian Elephant Support and we look forward to working with her to help Asian elephants in their range countries.