Paint with a Possum: Fundraiser Benefits Wildlife Education
On March 8, Paint It Orange patrons had the opportunity to contribute to a good cause while making a fuzzy new friend.
Last Wednesday, the paint-your-own pottery studio hosted “Paint with a Possum” to benefit Awesome ‘Possumz. Fifty percent of proceeds raised during the event went towards supporting the Fredericksburg organization, which rehabilitates possums and offers educational events where guests can learn about the United States’ only native marsupials.
Founder Karen Brace is a wildlife rehabilitator who has been licensed in the state of Virginia since 2012. After initially rehabilitating squirrels and groundhogs, she was given her first litter of baby possums, called a “passel,” in 2016. When one of Brace’s rehabbed possums was unable to be released a few years later, which sometimes happens due to health conditions, Brace kept him and started the nonprofit. She now brings possums everywhere from daycare centers to nursing homes.
Nugget, the possum that attendees met during the Paint It Orange event, is non-releasable for a slightly more upbeat reason: he’s just too cuddly. While Nugget is perfectly healthy, his temperament is a bit too gentle to survive in the wild; however, this makes him the perfect companion for the organization’s educational visits, where he’ll happily let humans pet or feed him.
Brace said that one of her greatest motivations for starting Awesome ‘Possumz was to help clear up some of misconceptions surrounding the animals.
“People think they’re vicious and aggressive, that they have rabies and they’re going to kill your cat and run off with your husband,” she joked.
In reality, possums are non-aggressive, resistant to rabies due to their low body temperature and provide ecological benefits like helping to keep the tick population down. Although they are scavengers, possums also tend to be clean animals who groom themselves regularly much like cats.
In addition to pottery glazing, Paint It Orange offers other arts and crafts activities like the acrylic paintings that visitors made on Wednesday night. Owner Jess Cifizzari said she felt it was important to support Awesome ‘Possumz not only for educational reasons, but also to help with the many expenses associated with animal rehabilitation.
Cifizzari shared that due to the popularity of last week’s event, she will likely hold additional “Paint with a Possum” nights in the future. Those who don’t want to wait until then to make a possum friend of their own can visit Brace’s store, Possum-bilities in the Burg, to meet Nugget or one of the other ambassadors and to browse the organization’s merchandise. Possum-bilities in the Burg is located on the second floor of 211 William St. in Fredericksburg.
To learn more or donate to Awesome ‘Possums, visit www.awesomepossumz.com. For more information about Paint It Orange, including upcoming events, visit www.orangepaints.com.