Sanctuary Snapshot | September 2026 | |
Thank you to this year's sponsors! | | We joined the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce! | | |
We had a Ribbon Cutting ceremony to officially introduce Heartland to the Stoughton community and celebrate our new Chamber of Commerce membership! Chamber ambassadors took a tour and learned all about our mission, programs, and got to meet some of the residents!
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| Say Hello to Our Newest Staff Members! | | |
Jenna Church,
Animal Caregiver
Jenna grew up spending lots of time up north in the great outdoors, which sparked her passion and love for nature and wildlife. She's very excited to play a role in helping animals. When she's not at work, Jenna enjoys spending time with her dog, cat, and snake, and hiking and playing video games!
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Lily Shayegan,
Master of Social Work Intern
Lily is a second-year student in the full-time MSW program at UW-Madison. Prior to starting at Heartland, Lily has primarily worked with older adults within hospice and assisted living settings. Lily is excited to learn more about the experiential therapy model and get to know the participants, residents, and staff better. When not at Heartland, she enjoys running and snuggling with her two cats, Mamma Mia and Mistletoe.
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Nicole Varese,
MFT-IT
Nicole is a Marriage and Family Therapist-in Training and joined the Heartland staff as an Experiential Therapist in 2026. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and her Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Edgewood University. Nicole has experience working with individuals, families, and couples of all ages and backgrounds. In Nicole’s free time, she can be found lying in a hammock with a good mystery book, listening to a podcast on a walk, or cooking with friends.
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Want to make a major impact at Heartland?
Become a monthly Stable Supporter!
As a Heartland Stable Supporter, your monthly gift provides high-quality, individualized care to our rescued farm animal residents and allows us to operate our unique people programs that inspire compassion for all. Simply put: Our monthly donors make the work we do possible! Become a Stable Supporter and receive invitations to special member events, such as our new Adult Summer Camp evening at the sanctuary, special designation as a Stable Supporter, and knowing that you are making a contribution to that makes a difference in the lives of the resident animals and children we work so hard to compassionately support.
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Madison Vegan Fest
was a success!
It was the MOST beautiful fall day filled with delicious food and great company! We were able to connect with past volunteers and staff members, out of state visitors, and people interested in supporting Heartland's mission. It's always so much fun being able to talk about all of Heartland's amazing programs.
A special shout out to the volunteers who came out to represent Heartland: Tony, Kes, Paul, and Becky – Thank you! We couldn't do events like this without you!
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Thank you, Kate!
As Kate Atkins steps down from Heartland's Board of Directors, we are filled with gratitude for the abundance of time, commitment, and compassion that she has given throughout her tenure.
When asked about Kate's impact at Heartland, the Board's Vice Chair, Eric, said that Kate "Made me want to come aboard as a donor, volunteer and board member. In those roles I’ve continued to be impressed with Kate’s invaluable knowledge and commitment. Kate always shows up – not just for board meetings but for internal events, fundraisers, and everything else – and always contributes, addressing critical strategy, problem-solving, and general management issues. Kate will be missed as board member, but we are excited that she will continue to be involved at Heartland in other ways."
Lorri Houston matched that sentiment, saying that "Kate's commitment to Heartland Farm Sanctuary is a stellar example of compassion in action. Kate is one of the pioneers of Heartland and while serving many dedicated years on the board, she brought her valuable insights and skills to help transition a small, new nonprofit to one of Wisconsin's most recognized, and loved, organizations working to create a kinder world for all. Kate will be missed as a board member, but she will be with us in the smiles of every animal and person who feels the magic of Heartland."
It is clear that Kate will be sorely missed on the board, but we wish her nothing but the best moving forward! Thank you for all you've done, Kate!
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Kerry's Accounting Team
Put in the WORK!
We are shouting THANK YOU from the top of the hay pile to the accounting team from Kerry! They spent an entire day helping us prepare our garden beds for winter and sorting and moving hay – not easy work, but they worked ridiculously hard and help us check some much needed items off of our to-do list!
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Pathways Program –
New Groups Available!
Our Pathways Program is designed to foster belonging, purpose, and skill-building through a variety of experiential and interest-based opportunities that are structured to promote connection, confidence, and emotional well-being.
Current Offerings Include:
- Caring for Yourself and Others (Ages 12-18)
- Creative Expression for Teens (Ages 13-18)
- Art Adventure Club (Ages 8-12)
- Heartland Hangout Group (Ages 13-18)
- Level Up Social Group (Ages 6-9)
- Emotion Explorers Group (Ages 9-12)
- Animal Based Supportive Volunteering (Ages 15+)
| | Introducing our NEWEST Resident... Zucchini! | | |
Zuke was raised by a 4H participant who didn’t realize what would happen to him after the fact. Someone in the crowd could see she was upset and purchased Zuke to save him. and Zuke ended up living in her garage for a week where he became increasingly distressed – screaming, destroying things, and without access to the outdoors, so they reached out to Heartland for help and we rescued him shortly after!
Zuke is still in quarantine as we help him navigate some ongoing health concerns that were found during his intake. He is otherwise a very happy guy! He is affectionately known as a "screamer" around the barn, and is giving Mister a run for his money in the on-going "Loudest Resident" contest! He loves playing hide and seek behind his spool, observing his equine, goat, pig, and llama neighbors doing their thing, and watching the kiddos in our programs out in the yard! His hobbies include zoomies, playing in a fresh bed of straw, and napping in his pool. He has made it clear that he LOVES hay, but he’s not a fan of carrots.
Some other fun things to know about Zuke:
- Zuke is a baby Boer goat. He was born in February and we rescued him in August!
- Boer goats have long, floppy ears. He is our only floppy eared goat!
- Male Boer goats typically weigh around 250 pounds – Zuke will be our heaviest goat!
| | Inspired by Heartland's compassionate impact? | | |
Heartland Farm Sanctuary
608-440-1118
Info@HeartlandFarmSanctuary.org
HeartlandFarmSanctuary.org
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