Hi friends! Reef the fox here with your weekly “Reef’s Report.” I’m honored to bring you a very special (and yes, professional) report this week. Today, I get to share something close to my heart.
We are thrilled to announce Pawsitive Beginnings has been awarded a grant from the Ocean Reef Community Foundation. This funding is a direct investment in healing — and specifically, in our animal-assisted therapy partnership with the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter.
Let me paint a picture for you. Since launching this partnership in 2023, more than 300 children and teens from the shelter have visited our sanctuary here in Key Largo. They’ve spent time in our healing den, and engaged in meaningful, therapeutic sessions — all inspired by the stories of foxes like me that overcame unthinkable odds.
These young people come from backgrounds of trauma, neglect or instability. Yet something beautiful happens when they meet us — animals who were once discarded, who now live surrounded by compassion and care. Through guided sessions with their counselors, they learn about resilience by watching it firsthand.
Thanks to the support of the Ocean Reef Community Foundation, we’ll be able to continue offering this life-changing experience at no cost to the shelter. The grant will fund everything from facilitator support to therapeutic supplies like art materials, enrichment tools (for us and the humans) and journals.
A little bit about the generous folks behind the grant: The Ocean Reef Community Foundation facilitates philanthropy from North Key Largo’s Ocean Reef Club community. Since 1994, they’ve contributed more than $150 million to nonprofit organizations, including more than $20.8 million to groups in Monroe and southern Miami-Dade counties. Their commitment to uplifting the very communities their members live and work in is inspiring — and we’re so honored they saw the value in what we’re building here.
This isn’t just a sanctuary. It’s a second chance — for foxes rescued from the fur trade, and for children who are learning how to reclaim their own stories. And now, with this grant, our mission moves forward stronger than ever.
On behalf of all of us — myself, Kai, Jasper, Louie, Penny, Coral, Ridley and our founder (and mom) Nicole Navarro — thank you to the Ocean Reef Community Foundation for believing in our work. Thank you to the children’s shelter staff for trusting us with your incredible kids. And thank you to every child who has ever stepped through our gates and dared to believe that maybe, just maybe, they are worthy of love and healing too.
To learn more about the Ocean Reef Community Foundation you can visit: oceanreefcommunityfoundation.org.
