Happy Mother Bear's Day!

The first fund-raising campaign to mark the new direction I'm going in to support my research is a small one to raise some immediate funds for the sun bear reproductive biology informatics project.

While the details remain to be nailed down, the concept is already taking shape--a traditional Mother's Day brunch-style celebration with the donors, to toast the prospect of possibly helping the sun bears to become mothers themselves.

Of course, we can't have it on Mother's Day itself (Sunday, May 11, this year), because people already have plans with their own families, mothers, and spouses. So we'll create a new holiday just for this purpose, Mother Bear's Day, and celebrate with a donor appreciation brunch on Saturday, May 10, instead.

The program and details are still taking shape, but I need to finalize them soon, as April's already on the horizon. But I do know we'll be raising a champagne toast to the prospective mother sun bears over a Mother's Day-style brunch, accompanied by a program that shows the donors how their funds go to help our research to promote these efforts.

If you're going to be in Seattle that weekend, and you're interested in more details about this event and the research it supports, I'll have more details up right here in the next couple of days. Of course, I can always be reached in the meantime by email at ravens.research@gmail.com , as well.