I am pleased to be part of a great team of people

Theodore John Georgitso III - Associate Director

TJ was born in the town of Albion in upstate New York on September 21, 1970. Almost immediately he was given the nickname ”T.J.” He was the youngest of six children born to Ted (Theodore the 2nd) and Joan McAndrews Georgitso.

The family moved to Tempe Arizona when he was seven. His father, who had been with the State Police in New York, took an early retirement due to his health. His mother worked for the telephone company and his father became the primary caregiver. TJ stayed in Tempe until the Sanctuary found land and he moved to Cascabel in September of 2000.

TJ has always had a love of animals. It was passed down through the family, from his McAndrews grandparents who had a small farm. His Grandmother took in stray cats and dogs. One of his earliest childhood memories is sitting on one of her horses as a small child.

TJ’s oldest sister Karen had budgie parakeets when he was about 5 and that began a life-long fascination with birds.

He was always the kid in the neighborhood who took in the stray dogs. When the family couldn’t find their owners, they stayed. At 10 or 11 years of age TJ found a cockatiel while out playing with neighborhood friends. Of course that bird joined the menagerie. When he was between 13 and 14 years of age, his father’s mother, who lived in the Phoenix area, bought him a Maroon belly conure, and he was hooked on “larger” birds.

When the internet came of age in the early 1990’s, TJ went on line to learn more about birds. He was planning on getting either a large Cockatoo or a Macaw and wanted to learn from people who had those birds which might suit him best.

It was on line, on lists called MacawL and CockatooL that he first met Sybil, who would become the founder of The Oasis. She had not yet formally started The Oasis Sanctuary, but they seemed to get along with (and disliked) the same people. It was not for a year or so that he learned that they were in the same community, literally ten minutes apart.

When The Oasis Sanctuary received its incorporation and 7 months later, it’s provisional 501(c)(3) status in the autumn of 1997, TJ began working as a volunteer. He was working a job at night, but before long found himself working 6 hours 4 or 5 days a week at the Sanctuary. He would bring a change of clothes and rush off to his job at 4 PM.

He recalls the first few times he volunteered at the Sanctuary how amazed he was by the number and types of birds ... and there were only about 100 at that time!

TJ became The Sanctuary’s first employee when he became the Associate Director in January of 1999.

The Sanctuary searched for land for two years and found the facility where The Oasis now exists in the late spring of 2000. By September the facility moved with over 200 birds and began work developing the Sanctuary as it is known today.

Today, in 2006, the Sanctuary has over 450 birds and numerous other animals TJ and staff care for at The Oasis.

"I am pleased to be part of a great team of people making this dream come true." TJ states "While many of my friends have jobs which give them more benefits, money or time .. I cannot think of anything I love doing more than helping create a place where these wonderful animals will be safe."