Raven Ridge Wildlife Center's very own Barron Von Vulture will get his day in the spotlight.

Barron, who lives at the center in Washington Boro, will be the featured guest when Raven Ridge commemorates International Vulture Awareness Day with a celebration that will take place Saturday, Sept. 6, from noon to 5 p.m. at Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St., Columbia.

Raven Ridge director Tracie Young said Sept. 6 will be a day nature centers and vulture conservancies around the world celebrate the large bird of prey.

Raven Ridge's event, which will be held rain or shine, will feature games, crafts, and coloring contests. Food trucks will be on-site. There will also be two educational programs. Vendors will sell wildlife-related items. Raven Ridge Wildlife will sell merchandise including T-shirts, stickers, earrings, stuffed animals, prints, and home decor.

For more information, call 717-808-2652 or go to the nonprofit's Facebook page, Raven Ridge Wildlife Center.

"It's a day to raise awareness about vultures, but also it's a free family event for the community," Young said. "Come and learn about what we do, why we're a valuable resource in our community, and learn about vultures. Vultures are misunderstood. A lot of people think they're gross and disgusting, and they're actually pretty neat, and they're cleaner than we are."

Young noted that Raven Ridge specialize in birds of prey - owls, vultures, hawks, and eagles. "We're currently covering 17 counties," Young said. "We're one of 13 centers in the state licensed to work with rabies vector species, such as foxes, skunks, and raccoons. Our goal is to bring in wildlife that is orphaned, abandoned, or injured and get them back out into the environment."

All of Raven Ridge's proceeds will go to taking care of the wildlife. "Being a nonprofit, we receive no state, federal or local funding," said Young. "So it's fundraisers like our big day of International Vulture Awareness Day and donations from the public that help us do what we do."

Anyone who comes across an animal they think needs help can call or text 717-808-2652. "You can send pictures, or you can send texts to that phone number," said Young. "A lot of people will reach out to us in Facebook Messenger. The great thing about everyone having cell phones is that they're able to take pictures or videos of what they're seeing and send them to us, and we can say, yes, that's natural behavior for that animal, or no, it's not. We can talk them through it or make sure that the animal gets to us for help."

Educating the public is an important part of Raven Ridge's mission. "We run a lot of education programs," said Raven Ridge education coordinator Molly Snavely. "We have 10 different education programs that run from all ages to preschool to elementary, high school, and then just ones for adults. We do those all year, and that's a big part of how we raise money to be able to do."

Snavely said Raven Ridge also staffs booths at other public events. "People can come up to us, and we can either bring animals or just hand out information," she said. "Since (the wildlife center is) not open to the public, we rely on our education programs to be able to interact with people, and that's the best way for us to do that."

Go to http://www.ravenridgewildlifecenter.org for more information about Raven Ridge Wildlife Center's education programs.