Helen Woodward knows how to party – for the benefit of animals and people too
by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
Animal rescue can be emotionally challenging, to say the least,
subjecting rescuers to a grim and endless parade of suffering creatures
in dire need. Now and then it’s not a bad idea to let the hair
down, shake the booty, celebrate what you’ve managed to
accomplish, and, while you’re at it, raise some bucks for the
cause.
On Saturday night Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) of
Rancho Santa Fe, California, did just that, throwing what many consider
to be the year’s grandest shindig in an affluent community that
is no stranger to grand shindigs.
The Center’s 22nd annual
Spring Fling black-tie fundraiser attracted an all-time record of 470
guests who contributed $250 and upwards per ticket to feast on food and
wine donated by more than two dozen area purveyors, bid on everything
from books to vacations, cuddle adoptable dogs, admire a pair of rare
twin foals, and dance till midnight with the Wayne Foster Orchestra.
Ten-week-old border collie mix Lola (photo above) and several
four-pawed friends attended in hope of beguiling prospective adopters.
Among
those making it all happen were event chair Elizabeth Hillyer Davidson,
her husband Ron Davidson and mother Betsy Hillyer, co-chair Kerry
Appleby Payne, and 200 volunteers and HWAC staff members.
Receiving no government funding and relying entirely on charitable contributions, HWAC’s many programs include:
• An adoption center sheltering and re-homing 3,000 dogs and cats per year • Pet Encounter Therapy, brightening the lives of 22,000 children, seniors, and hospice patients annually • AniMeals, feeding 250 pets of low-income or homebound citizens each week • AniMobile, teaching respect and compassion for animals to more than 10,000 schoolchildren a year • Therapeutic Riding (on horses), helping 50 mentally and physically challenged students per month
For more info and photos from the Spring Fling please stop by this page again in the coming days.
To make a donation to HWAC, or to adopt Lola or her friends, go to:
