provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Christmas in July comes to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife with a Sanibel twist. As part of the island-wide Love Sanibel Back campaign, the July 8 celebration will spotlight wildlife-inspired holiday ornaments, local artist Laura Ball, and the natural beauty that makes the island a year-round destination.
The festive, family-friendly event invites visitors to decorate Christmas cookies, help adorn the tree, and shop CROW’s wildlife-inspired ornament collection at 20% off. Among the collection are ceramic ornaments featuring reproductions of original acrylic-on-canvas paintings by Ball, whose artwork depicts wildlife that defines Sanibel Island.
CROW is located at 3883 Sanibel Captiva Road on Sanibel Island.
For more than 32 years, Ball has greeted residents and visitors from behind the counter at the Sanibel Post Office. Away from work, she spends time walking the beaches near Sundial Beach Resort & Spa and on Captiva Island. Inspiration, though, is everywhere.
“I love the wildlife on the island and the connection it has with everybody,” says Ball, who is originally from New York. “Wildlife is a good way to connect with people.”
Her artwork features iconic Sanibel scenes, including flamingos along the Causeway after a hurricane, sea turtles swimming through coastal waters, and shorebirds dashing through the surf with their reflections shimmering across the wet sand. Before Hurricane Ian, many of her wildlife paintings hung inside George & Wendy’s Sanibel Seafood Grille, where they remained on display until the restaurant was destroyed by the storm. Today, Ball continues to create island-inspired artwork and support nonprofits like CROW.
“Laura’s ornaments celebrate the wildlife, warmth, and wonder of a Sanibel Christmas,” says Alison Charney Hussey, CROW’s Executive Director. “Whether they’re decorating a tree or given as a thoughtful gift, each ornament helps keep the spirit of the island alive while supporting CROW’s mission of caring for injured, sick, and orphaned native wildlife. Please visit the Gift Shop and choose an ornament that gives back.”
The celebration is part of Love Sanibel Back, a community-wide initiative encouraging residents and visitors to support the island’s businesses, nonprofits and attractions throughout the summer.
Every purchase at the Gift Shop supports the CROW, a nonprofit teaching hospital on Sanibel Island that provides lifesaving medical care to more than 5,000 sick, injured, and orphaned Florida native and migratory wildlife patients each year. Through veterinary care, education, research, and conservation medicine, CROW works to give wildlife a second chance and inspire the community to protect Florida’s natural world.
And if you’re taking a piece of Sanibel home for the holidays, there’s a fitting final stop. Just down the road, the Sanibel Post Office can send your ornament on its way to family and friends.
The gift shop is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit CROW to shop, sign up for an 11 a.m. campus tour and presentation, and learn more. For more information about CROW and other upcoming events, visit www.CROWClinic.org or call (239) 472-3644 ext. 229.
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