About The Sam I Can Foundation

The Sam, I Can Foundation was founded in 2019 in honor of Sam, a fully-flighted, blue-fronted, blind Amazon. Our non-profit raises money for animals, their caretakers, and their future.

In 2018, our President, Lara Joseph, met Sam at A Helping Wing Parrot Rescue in Blairstown, New Jersey. He had been surrendered in 2016, and was treated for ulcers on both eyes. Unfortunately, his eyes could not be saved and it was decided to have them both removed.

After returning home from that trip, Lara couldn’t stop thinking about Sam! She adopted him a month later and brought him to The Animal Behavior Center. Sam thrived under Lara’s care. He learned to recall, target, station, forage, and do other behaviors. To empower Sam, the focus of his training was not on his disability but on what he COULD do.

Sadly, Sam died a few months after he arrived at The Animal Behavior Center, but he made a big impact on Lara, everyone at the Center, and people throughout the world. It is in his honor, that we established the Sam, I Can Foundation.