PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island's only avian rehabilitation center is looking to expand so it can accommodate more sick and injured birds. Sheida Soleimani, the founder and executive director of Congress of the Birds, told 12 News she wants to build the state's first-ever avian release center. Soleimani explained that the avian release center will be a "flight school" for rehabilitated birds. Without proper conditioning, she explained, the birds may not be able to survive once released back into the wild. "They need a place to practice flying, a place to stretch their wings and build their muscles," she explained. Rehabilitating sick and injured birds is a passion for Soleimani that she first discovered when she was a child. "My parents are both political refugees from Iran," Soleimani explained. "My mother was a nurse back in our home country. It was her greatest joy in life to take care of people, and she missed that so much [upon moving to the United States]." "She was like, 'OK, I'm in this new place and I keep on finding all of these animals hit by cars. What am I going to do?' So, she started using her skills a a nurse on the injured animals she was finding," she continued. "We had all sorts of animals around our house at any given time." Soleimani said her mother's love for rehabilitating animals is what drove her to open the Congress of the Birds six years ago. "I see these animals come in and they're at death's door," Soleimani said. "They're so sick and sometimes they die in my hands. It's heartbreaking." Soleimani said she mostly receives calls for sick and injured wild birds, which she treats in her basement clinic. She's nursed hundreds of birds back to health over the years, from songbirds and cuckoos to bald eagles and hawks. Soleimani has even cared for an arctic bird that was blown off course. But with the number of calls increasing by the day, Soleimani needs more space to work her magic. That's why she's working on building 20 cages of varying sizes on 42 acres of woodlands in Glocester, which was gifted to the rehabilitation center. Soleimani said it would mean the world to her to give her birds a better chance at survival before releasing them back into the wild. "Being able to release one bird, even for me, is giving back in some way, shape or form," she said. "If we did not care for these birds or help them get back on their way, they would be dead. So, that's the joy." Soleimani has created a GoFundMe page in hopes of drumming up financial support for her avian release center, which is being paid for entirely through donations. So far, it's raised more than $12,000. Those interested in donating can also do so online. Soleimani is always looking for volunteers as well, so anyone who wants to get involved can email [email protected] for more information. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW