Key West Wildlife Center fundraiser at historic garden supports Lower Keys wildlife

Key West Wildlife Center invited the community to its annual fundraising event, "It's for the Birds," on Sunday, Feb. 22 at the historic Key West Garden, with proceeds and public support earmarked for ongoing wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release operations in the Lower Keys. The event continued the center's pattern of public outreach in Key West designed to fund its field and clinic work across island neighborhoods.

The fundraiser took place inside the gardens often described as historic in Key West, providing a central, walkable venue for donors and neighbors to connect with the center's mission. Organizers framed the event around direct support: proceeds collected at "It's for the Birds" were directed to the center's operational needs in the Lower Keys rather than solely to general awareness efforts, signaling a line of funding for hands-on services.

The Key West Wildlife Center emphasized rescue, rehabilitation and release as the specific uses for the event's proceeds. That operational triad guides the center's activities when responding to injured and distressed wild birds and other fauna throughout the Lower Keys; fundraising events such as the Feb. 22 gathering supply the resources volunteers and staff rely on to transport, treat and return animals to local habitats.

By holding the event on a Sunday in late February, the center tapped weekend foot traffic and the seasonal presence of residents and visitors who frequent Key West Garden. The annual timing preserves continuity in the center's calendar of community fundraisers, maintaining a predictable revenue window to support Lower Keys field rescues and clinic capacity during the year.

Proceeds and public support from "It's for the Birds" will flow into the Key West Wildlife Center's Lower Keys operations, sustaining the rescue, rehabilitation and release activities that serve island wildlife. As the center follows up on funds raised at the Feb. 22 event, the organization will apply those resources directly to ongoing care and release efforts across the Lower Keys.