VIVA PAWS VEGAS!

On Saturday, April 12, 2008, we held our 3rd annual Casino Night - Paws Vegas - at the Robert Meyner Reception Center at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. The event was a huge success and raised over $140,000 towards our Homeward Bound Shelter Renewal Campaign to support our long-awaited shelter renovation which is currently underway.

Michael M. Arms, President of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in California delivered a heart-wrenching keynote address. Mike is a pioneer in the animal welfare field and is recognized worldwide. He has been a friend of the MCSPCA and our director, Ursula Goetz (both are shown to the right), for some time and his speech was so moving there wasn't a dry eye in the house! Thank you Mike for an amazing keynote address.



Teresa and Frank Frattini (shown to the left), owners of The Hungry Puppy Corporation were honorees. Frank and Teresa opened their store in Farmingdale back in 1987 and have been supporters of the MCSPCA for many years, donating pet food and supplies, sponsoring events and to show that The Hungry Puppy isn't just about the dogs, their most recent donation to our Homeward Bound renovation fund will be for a new Kitty Kubby! Thank you Teresa and Frank!



Laura and Christopher Nalbandian (shown to the right) served as the Event Chairs. Laura and Chris have made the MCSPCA a cause very dear to their hearts. They are long-time MCSPCA supporters, have adopted many animals from the shelter and have taken a leadership role every year in raising extraordinary support for our Dog Walk. Thank you Laura and Chris!



Tim McLoone and the Shirleys provided wonderful entertainment. Tim also presided over a reverse “ante-up” auction for naming opportunities in the new building. Thanks to his excellent job as "auctioneer" and so many generous donors (including a dollar-for-dollar match by an anonymous donor), netted $80,000!

Melissa Grieves won the Blackjack Tournament and graciously donated the mahogany, custom-made table valued at $7,000 back to the MCSPCA. Lillian and Merrick Pratt, of Highlands, won the 4-day luxury Las Vegas vacation raffle valued at $20,000.  Congratulations all!

We had a very special guest come by to remind us why we were all there. Mike Arms, and SPCA staffers Francesca and Kathy introduced Albert - an extremely sweet dog found tied to a lightpost with heavy chains and a padlock. Albert came to us starved and scared, but that did not stop this sweetie from loving everyone and giving them his biggest smile. Albert has gained back much of his weight and now is ready for adoption. A testament to the unconditional love animals give us, Albert came to Casino Night as a representative of the over 4000 animals that pass through the doors of the MCSPCA every year on their way to their new beginnings. Now the MCSPCA itself is getting ready for it's own new beginning, a new building filled with state-of-the-art concepts and materials that have been proven to provide the best possible environment for animals waiting for a loving home like Albert. Our building will finally match our programs and services, help increase adoptions and enable us to expand community services like dog obedience training, humane education and more. Read more about our extreme makeover on our Renovation Page.



All photos on this page were taken by Paul Newland of www.solvara.com. To view more photos of the event go to http://www.solvara.com/events.htm  Scroll down to "Celebration Themes" and click on Monmouth County SPCA Gala Fundraiser. If you would like a print of any pictures, please email Paul at Paul@Solvara.com. Paul generously volunteered his time and photography skills. Thank you Paul!


Special thanks go to our sponsors:

Whale Sponsor
  Saker Shoprite, Inc.
High Roller Sponsor
  Peninsula Realty
  Purr'n Pooch
  The Hungry Puppy
V. I. P. Sponsor
  Dr. Toni-Lynne Calabrese and Valentine
  Mike and Christine Frenville
  Madison Marquette
  Chris and Laura Nalbandian

And to Merri-Makers for their wonderful catering, and to Christopher and Laura Nalbandian for generously underwriting our cocktail hour.

And of course BIG thanks go to our Casino Night Committees, who all worked so hard to make this event a huge success:

Event Committee: Mary Pearson, Chair; Kathy Ahn; Kelly Bagwell; Terri Balsamo; Rich Devlin; Jean Greller; Ursula Goetz; Jean Hager; Mary Preston; CathyAnn Sarra; Maryann Small; Diane Weber

Honorary Committee: Dr. Susan Curley; Debbie DeLisa; Susan Hunt; Lisa Low; Sabine & Christopher O'Connor; Marti Quinn; Laura & Richard Saker; Meg Waye

Thank you everyone for showing your support for the MCSPCA and our renovation and making Casino Night a huge success. To say "a good time was had by all" is probably an understatement!