Our History

Our founder, Jennifer Gordon, found her purpose in life at an early age, and it was to be an advocate for animals. After getting married and starting a family, they moved to North Carolina from California. Being in a new state she did not have any extended family or friends nearby. This is when she decided to start volunteering. Around the same time Jennifer made the decision to start volunteering she also noticed domestic ducks continuously being dumped in her neighborhood pond. They were usually white ducks. People never noticed they would come and go due to being killed, but she did. She just wasn’t quite sure what to do about it at first. Then a Rouen was dumped and eventually made a nest. Jennifer counted the days for her babies to be born. She went to the pond on the day they were supposed to hatch, hoping to have babies to see, only to find momma gone, and a half-eaten wing laying over the eggs. The duck had stood her ground to protect her babies and Jennifer believed her last dying breath was to place her wing down to protect them and keep them warm. Her first duck rescue was about to take place. She didn’t know anything about hatching ducks and assumed there was a place that helped animals. Coming from CA where they already had no kill shelters and farm sanctuaries, she was disappointed to find that in her current area they were just meat to most people. After searching for someone to help, Jennifer found her mentor and friend who helped her with the babies. She also found a new path in life that day as a wildlife rehabilitator. She had no idea what it was but was so excited to find people who took care of animals. Jennifer started volunteering at every place within a two-hour drive from her home. She couldn’t get enough. Jennifer wanted to learn more and joined a group for wildlife rehabbers. She started by taking in squirrels and bunnies and really enjoyed it, but when bird calls came in, they were ignored. When a call for a duck came in, she knew she needed to focus on the animals that were the neediest, neglected and just unwanted. Carolina Waterfowl Rescue was born. It wasn’t a nonprofit yet but through the network of rehabbers Jennifer took in ducks and geese here and there. The rescue was originally run from her home. At one point her husband said “I counted 40 ducks in our garage" this can’t go on here. He was right. A larger facility was needed. Jennifer did not originally set out to have employees, volunteers, 14 acres, and rescue thousands and thousands of animals each year. It just evolved over time to the point Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is today. Jennifer took a lot of classes on nonprofit management, and as we grow finds she must step up the game at each level. It’s been a never ending growing and learning experience. Carolina Waterfowl Rescue is grass roots and sometimes unconventional compared to other places. Our director, Jennifer Gordon, has always guided the rescue with strong ethics based on the feeling that things aren’t always right in the world, and something should be done about it. “With age and wisdom, I have realized we need to simply make the world right for that one animal who needs it. Be a light in the darkness for an animal who otherwise would have no hope, and always try to do what’s right. We are humans and make mistakes, but we work hard and go home to sleep knowing we tried, and we did our best.”  

-Jennifer Gordon Founder and Director 

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue & Sanctuary from the beginning