Fall Benefit 2010 - Thank you to all for making it a huge success!!

A huge, huge thank you to everyone for making Pet Haven's Fourth Annual Fall Benefit another huge success!!! We woke up yesterday morning to snow, and more snow ... a winter storm and power outages ... even that couldn't stop Pet Haven's dedicated and determined volunteers from making their way to the hotel early Saturday morning to get set up for the big event after spending an entire day on Friday also getting ready!! Even their spirit wasn't dampened with the snow ... one volunteer even said, "Heck!! If no one shows up we'll just have a big karaoke party for Pet Haven volunteers!!!" Well .. no karaoke party for us :) As 6 pm approached last night  Pet Haven supporters came walking into the hotel with big smiles on their faces, ready for a great night of fun and festivities and the highlight of a dog and cat fashion show presented by Lulu & Luigi!  We had a full house!!!

Thanks so much to all the Pet Haven volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past months preparing for the Fall Benefit. And Thank you to Pet Haven supporters who braved the winter storm to come out and support homeless dogs and cats. And thank you to our sponsors (Chuck & Dons, Pampered Pooch Playground, Downtown Dogs, Photographers Guild, Canine Coach, Lake Harriet Veterinary and Neiman Marcus), our celebrities, the girl scouts (who came to help us out last night), Tim Simplot (for DJing), Sarah Beth Photography for taking photos in the back of our celebrities and the animals as they prepared for the fashion show (we'll share those photos once we have those available!) and for everyone who donated to our silent auction. We will have a lot more photos and info to share on the Fall Benefit ... but we simply couldn't let a day pass without extending our heartfelt gratitude for all of your support.

Fall Benefit Preliminary Numbers are In!!

I am thrilled to share preliminary numbers for our Fall Benefit! This is our third year in a row to sell out! Much to our surprise, our first year in 2007 was a sell out and we were able to raise ~$14,000 for homeless dogs and cats. In 2008, we sold out again, and raised a little over $20,000 ... again ALL going directly for our adoption program and spay/neuter initiatives.

This year, despite the struggling economy, we were able to raise almost $29,000!! We were able to do this because of the support and generosity of so many individuals and companies! Many, many thanks to everyone who helped make our third annual Fall Benefit a HUGE success.

As we finalize numbers and as we get photos from Sarah Beth Photography who donated her time to take photos of the pet fashion show (presented by Lulu & Luigi), I will post additional information on our website. For now, I have heard from many who are anxious to hear how we did ... so I didn't want to keep you waiting and to let you know that because of your support and generosity we will be able to continue rescuing and rehoming dogs and cats, spaying/neutering, and advocating on behalf of companion animals.

Stay tuned ... more info and photos to come on the Fall Benefit!

Pet Haven Fall Benefit

Last night, Pet Haven held its second annual fall benefit to raise money. The goal of the program is to help save cats and dogs from the streets and put them into the loving hands of a new family. The cat blog and Pet Haven's website is designed to raise awareness about adoptable cats and dogs. If you are looking to adopt a cat, you have come to the right place. Featured on this blog in previous and upcoming posts, are cats that are available for adoption. You can view pictures and read details about each cat. If you prefer dogs you can check out Pet Haven's dog blog and I also encourage everyone to learn more about Pet Haven itself.

My girlfriend Kelsey and I volunteered last month at Pet Haven's Meow Off event, featuring a cat walk fashion show and a meowing competition. We fell in love with Pet Haven and all it does to help get stray animals off the streets and into loving homes. We agreed to volunteer at the Fall Benefit.

The Fall Benefit event held over 250 people in a sold out Double Tree ballroom. Celebrities walked down the cat walk with featured dogs and cats from the program. A silent auction filled with numerous goodies, artwork and gift packages was held and gift packages were given out to all attendees. Everyone that came enjoyed bags filled with puppy treats, kitty treats, chew toys, coupons and other great items. I have selected a few pictures to feature some of the cats that strutted their stuff during this event, but you can view all of my photos from the night at my Fall Benefit picture set and you can see more pictures and read more about the event at the Pet Haven Huge Success blog.

Marilou Chanrasmi, president of Pet haven, made some very heart felt speeches thanking the attendees and telling stories about some of the people and pets whose lives have been enriched through Pet Haven's services. The entire event reminded me how much pets can enrich our lives, and how it is our true duty to love and support all animals. Support Pet Haven by contributing money, volunteering your time or adopting a pet; and know that you are helping the quality of life for underprivileged animals in your community. Learn how to help at Pet Haven's website.

Browsing this blog periodically, checking the listing of available cats, looking and reading about the available animals and sending links to your cat loving friends and family will help raise awareness of Pet Haven's services. Together we can nurse sick and elderly animals back to health, and find loving homes for these amazing animals.

Enjoy the pictures below:

this cute little kitty stole the show

sporting plaid on the cat walk

arriving in galmorous style

the packed ball room before the event