There’s no place like home…for animals!
Kittens, puppies and fundraising, OH MY! The 2018 SPCA Fur Ball presented by IAMSô was purrrfectly themed this year as “Emerald City and the Wizard of Paws.” Around 650 guests contributed to raising $380,000 to help with medical care needs for the Sharonville and North Side shelters in Cincinnati.
“The gala is an opportunity for all volunteers, supporters, donors, sponsors and media partners to celebrate achievements in animal welfare accomplished throughout the year,” states Nyketa Gaffney, SPCA Cincinnati’s Public Information Officer.
SPCA Cincinnati takes in about 12,000 animals each year while only slightly over half of those animals actually get adopted. The faster they can get animals ready to be adopted out, the more animals they can take in. The money raised this year will fund two new noninvasive ultrasound machines that help with the medical process. Another machine that was purchased with the funds is called K-Laser which aids in the healing process after animals go through surgery. Most all animal taken in at the shelters need surgery. With K-Laser, the animals heal quicker and in turn will help them be ready for a new home in a shorter amount of time.
The night started out with a silent auction and was a time for guests to socialize with cocktails. Then many animals available for adoption made their grand entrance down “The Yellow Brick Road” and everyone was invited to follow them to the main event. Nyketa was pleased to say that all of these animals found new homes before the night was over.
“The evening itself was just fantastic…the décor, the ambiance, the support of all the guest who attended and the lovely outfits that they wore! There was so much networking and socializing happening. Auctioneer Doug Sorrell did a fabulous job getting people warmed up and excited about donating and participating in the live auction,” Nyketa Gaffney remembers.
Throughout the night, many people were recognized and honored by their accomplishments. Harold Dates, who helped design some of the legislation through the Ohio Department of Agriculture was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award. Chris and Janeen from 103.5FM WGRR received the PB Johnson award for their commitment to volunteering and helping promote SPCA Cincinnati events.
The Noble Animal Courage Award went to a little chihuahua named Pip, who was taken to Care Center for medical treatment after sustaining injuries from a car accident. Care Center, a community partner of SPCA Cincinnati for the last 15-20 years, collaborated with SPCA Cincinnati to rehabilitate Pip back to
full health. Pip has a story of triumph, overcoming a long recovery process. Once he was up on his own paws again, an employee at Care Center was able to adopt him as their own!
This fantastic evening couldn’t have been possible without the following list of supporters, just to name a few: IAMSô, Bounty, Mason Company, The Sharonville Convention Center, Enerfab, H.J. Benken Florist, Nothing Bunt Cakes, O’Rourke Construction, Cincinnati Reds, Judy Recker & Associates of Sibcy Cline, Tito’s Vodka and Peter J. Kambelos, M.D., F.A.C.P.
To see a list of all sponsors for the event, please visit spcacincinnati.org/events/fur-ball-sponsors-6/.
