05/30/2026
I'm going rogue with this post, but I want to introduce myself:
I'm Brad, a volunteer with Easler Acres. I also help with social media moderating for Chelsea to help her with posts, and making sure comments maintain a safe and friendly space for not only the rehabillitation center itself, but for anyone who follows along with the journey of these voiceless lives in need of help to return back to the wild. I just have to say that I am nothing but blessed to have found this Rehabilitation center, Chelsea and her family, and Avah (one of our other volunteers). For as long as I can remember I have always had a love for animals, especially wildlife. I have been highly intrigued by wildlife rehabilitation once I knew that was a thing, and I've met some really wonderful people in my life who do some amazing things to get animals back to their lives and have learned so much. Due to many personal things/reasons, the timing was never quite right for me and would be discouraged. My dear friend Wendy Lee Fountain-Brewster (a Wildlife Rehabilitator in Tennessee) has never stopped trying to teach me things and encourage me to do what I felt was something I may be lead to do. I've tried to help with volunteering when I had time to with other rescues, but time wasn't right for me at the time; I had to grow up more. Fast forward a few years later (a couple months ago), a mutual friend of mine and Chelsea Easlers wanted to catch up after some time and she wanted me to tag along to meet her friend, and it all was just sitting on my mind that this was the right time and the right place from that point on, and all I had to do was reach out and ask to be a volunteer. I actually asked her if I could volunteer while she was feeding the beaver kits on TikTok live and it went from there. I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity Chelsea and Scott have given me to be welcomed to their home and rehabilitation center to help and learn. They treat me like family and never fail to express their gratitude even when I don't think I deserve it.
Anyways, I'll go ahead and wrap up the post by saying Thank you to Chelsea and Scott, and Chandler for being incredible people welcoming me, believing in me, befriending me, and trusting me as a complete stranger at one time, and just all around being amazing people in a wild world. 💚🦫🐿️
Enjoy this photo of one of the releases deciding she wanted to jump on me as soon as I walked outside the doors to steal food from the squirrels still being rehabillitated. 😂
