Volunteer of the Year: Vincent Hrovat

Article from “The Mickaboo Bird Rescue Companion”
Published January, 2025

Mickaboo has always been a volunteer-driven organization, even as we have grown significantly over the years. Our ability to rescue thousands of companion birds over the past nearly thirty years has been made possible solely through the dedication, hard work and expertise of our volunteers. These remarkable individuals balance jobs, families and other responsibilities, yet consistently go above and beyond to make our mission a reality.

Among this incredible group, there are always a few who shoulder an especially significant portion of the work. This year, we are proud to honor Vincent Hrovat as one of those extraordinary individuals whose contributions have been instrumental to our continued success.

Vincent joined Mickaboo in 2000 after completing our Basic Bird Care Class. Since then, he has fostered approximately 165 birds and served as a species coordinator for many years. His expertise shines in his work with Poicephalus and Pionus parrots, like the one pictured above—small to medium-sized species that, while less well-known than their larger counterparts, are just as delightful and intelligent. Thanks to Vincent’s guidance and support, hundreds of Mickaboo's birds have found loving foster and adoptive homes. In addition to his longstanding role as Poicephalus and Pionus coordinator, Vincent has in the past been a Cockatiel coordinator, and he currently oversees Rosellas. He also serves as unofficial consultant for all species coordinator teams.

Vincent’s technical knowledge has been another cornerstone of his contributions to Mickaboo. He has provided invaluable tech support for our website, database and public outreach initiatives for many years. His impact is felt across nearly every aspect of the organization, from teaching volunteer classes (formerly in-person at the Contra Costa Water District office in Concord) to serving as an event and bird photographer. Vincent’s photography skills have enhanced our calendars and public relations materials, while his writing talents have shaped numerous promotional pieces and bird “autobiographies” for our adoption pages.

One of Vincent’s most important roles at Mickaboo is as a data scientist for the organization. In this capacity, he has written countless database queries, generating reports that inform us about everything from annual statistics for our year-end reports to the most frequently used bird names, which happen to be Buddy and Kiwi. Incidentally, Vincent believes the repetition can be solved by giving Mickaboo birds names that are more unique. For instance, he chooses names based on characters in Blue Öyster Cult songs. “Balthazar” the lovebird is a recent example.

As a member of Mickaboo’s Tech Team, Vincent takes pride in his ability to support both our birds and volunteers by creating solutions that seamlessly integrate into the organization. His favorite part of his work is creating a solution that is so broadly accepted that people either think it was their idea or forget that it once wasn’t there.

“If you don’t know what I’m doing or what I’ve done,” Vincent tells me, “then I’m doing it right.”

As one volunteer put it, “Vincent probably knows more about the organization and how it works than anyone else. I know that if I have a question about anything, whether it’s bird care or how to make a specific entry in ASM [Ed: Mickaboo's primary database], I can always go to him for help. He’s taught me virtually every aspect of the job I now do. He tends to work quietly behind the scenes, but I’m pretty sure the organization would fall apart without him.”

We’ll close with another quote from Vincent himself:

“Every time someone wins an award like this, it concerns me that there are so many others doing so much without getting recognition. The fact is that every one of us matters.”

[Editor's note: learn more about volunteering, and contact us about doing so, here! ]