A registered Wisconsin charity and IRS designed 501(c)3 organization.

Dedicated to offering a refuge for abused, neglected, and unwanted companion animals; rehabilitation of those who need it; and, for those lucky few, finding a permanent, forever home while promoting a vegan lifestyle.

SonnyBoy Animal Sanctuary, Inc. A registered 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization. IRS#81-3264803

We are the Helmer family. -- Ryan, Nicole and our daughter, Sarah. We live in central Wisconsin on 6 acres of land. We have always loved animals and have taken in a number of neglected, orphaned or unwanted animals to give them a forever home over the last 15 years.

As our numbers grew, we realized that there is a great need for some place for animals that are not adoptable to live out their lives. Our current number of non-human souls is 51! We have 4 dogs, 4 indoor cats, 2 barn cats from the Oshkosh Humane Society, 2 abandoned kittens that will be barn cats (they are only 2 weeks old and still bottle fed), 2 horses, 1 mule named "Honey", 20 chickens, 2 goats, 1 pot-bellied pig, 1 flemish giant bunny, 1 chinchilla, 1 guinea pig and 10 parrots/small birds. Yes, that is a lot but we love every one of them and do our best to give them the safest, most loving home they could have. We are contacted weekly about animals someone has or found that need a forever home OR they need a place to rest and recuperate before being able to be adopted out to their forever home. We are absolutely, 100% non-kill.

This is Baby Huey, a severely neglected Cockatoo who came to us with a hole in his chest from his self-mutilation. Baby Huey has traveled to rainbow bridge, his anxiety too much for his heart to handle -- but he will always have a special place in our hearts.

We have reached the point where it is was in everyone's best interest to incorporate and become a non-profit. The amount of money it takes on a monthly basis to feed and house this many animals (and more to come, I'm sure) is approximately $500 not to mention the fencing and upkeep to keep them safe. It is becoming too much for our little family to do on it's own. While we don't want to have a strict limit on the number of animals we can help, we have to be realistic on what our strict budget allows. Becoming a non-profit will allow us access to discounted food as well as enable us to begin an outreach program to educate the public on the different needs of animals, including exotics. It will also allow us to take in donations and do fundraising and maybe even allow volunteers onto the property to help. Our dream is to set it up so that elementary children and their parents can come and interact with the animals along with education on the care needed to give an animal a forever home.

What is the name of our corporation? The name is the David C. Pappas Memorial Animal Sanctuary, Inc. Yup, a long name but a name that has specific meaning to us. Please allow us to tell you about this amazing man who came to mean so much to Nicole and Ryan.

David C. Pappas is an attorney in the Madison, Wisconsin area that Nicole went to work for in 1994. Being young and new to the paralegal profession, David took her on and became her mentor.

David is not just an attorney, he has a profound love and respect for all animals and tries hard to follow the Janist Doctrine of doing no harm to any living thing. He often took on legal cases throughout his career in which the welfare of animals was an issue. He would be the voice of those who could not speak for themselves.

As Nicole went on to focus on education and the needs of children who are exceptional in their needs in education she continued to work for David on a part-time basis. Over the years, David introduced her to many things outside of her own little world including a love for classical music, artwork by the masters, cultural education and his own personal love, blue water sailing. Her world would never be the same after meeting him. Words simply cannot describe how David affected Nicole's life and over time, how he came to affect Ryan's as well.

When brainstorming over a name for their non-profit animal sanctuary, the family decided there was no better way to honor David than to name their sanctuary after a man who means so much to them and the animal world.