UNION PIER – The Michiana Humane Society cares for over 1,000 animals a year, and this mission was greatly enhanced on August 28 with the Music In The Pines concert and auction.
Michiana Humane Society Executive Director Johanna Humbert thanked hosts Jeff and Allison Goldberg for sharing their ‘magical’ Whispering Pines property in rural Union Pier, where the festivities included live music from The Newports, an exciting auction of incredible offers and periodic tours of resident dachshunds. ” Olivier.”
Humbert also thanked main sponsor @properties (who she says has sponsored the Humane Society summer event at the Grand Cottage since 2015) and all of the other sponsors “for investing in the refuge and helping us get moving. things for over a thousand animals. every year who need our help.
“Our mission is to enrich the community by giving animals and the people they love a second chance, and all proceeds from tonight’s event will help us do that,” she said.
Music In The Pines co-host (and Michiana Humane Society board chair) Allison Goldberg thanked everyone for helping support the Michiana Humane Society
“It means so much to Jeff and I that you are here to share our much-loved property,” she said.
She also thanked the members of the organizing committee, Colleen Neubauer and others for making the fundraising possible.
Goldberg then spoke about the need to provide additional funding to the Humane Society’s Petey Fund for Sick Animals.
She said Petey was a lovely little dog who arrived at the shelter very sick and needed a lot of care – but the money to do it just wasn’t there.
“It used to be that he would have just been euthanized, but one of the things we are trying to do – and what we have achieved is to send 98% of the animals that come through our doors live. So that’s quite an achievement, we try not to euthanize. We are a refuge without death.
Goldberg said in the case of Petey’s vet bills, “We’ve made the call, and all of you and all of your friends and neighbors in the community have responded. We’ve raised enough money to help Petey …
A fund named after Petey was then created to help “these special animals that come … to restore them again”.
Goldberg said the COVID period has put a strain on the fund since owners of pets in need of medical care have “exploded” mainly due to financial hardship. Additionally, a dog infected with the highly contagious Parvo virus forced the shelter to take measures to prevent it from spreading, including isolating everyone in the surgical unit (according to the Michiana Humane Society website, “Onyx” has since recovered and has been placed in a new home). A ringworm outbreak and another period of isolation didn’t help either. Goldberg said the director of the shelter, Karen Edwards, had done everything she could to get the shelter back to good health.
“We need help with the Petey’s Fund, we need to be able to help these animals because when they arrive they have not been treated, they have not been vaccinated, they have heartworm , they have the Parvo virus, they have all these diseases that should have been eradicated, ”she said.
Following the live auction portion of the evening (details appear below), a Fund-a-Paws paddle drive session reached its goal of raising $ 50,000 for the Petey’s Fund.
Humbert had noted earlier “thanks to your generosity, we are helping more animals than ever”.
Dave Meyers and Stacy Hirsch of Scheerer-McCullough Auctioneers were successful in securing bids on a treasure trove of offers that included the following: a take-out Thanksgiving dinner for 6 hosted by Chef Jackie Shen; a four night getaway to Telluride, Colorado, home of the Goldbergs for 4 with private jet transportation and breakfast and dinner each day (“Telluride is one of the most beautiful places on the planet,” said Allison Goldberg) ; Four tickets to the Chicago Cubs’ home game on September 11 against San Francisco and dinner at Smoke Daddy Wrigleyville; Flhair, Fashion and Food for Fabulous Five by Timothy Jeffry Salon and Farina’s Supper Club; a painting of pets commissioned by abstract artist Eva Carlini; a gourmet dinner and award-winning food and wine pairing for 10 guests at Tabor Hill Winery; a personalized oil portrait of your dog by famous artist Thomas Allen Pauly; a hand-made queen-size “Radiant Design” quilt by Kathy Sorenson; a 16-person sunset cruise aboard the Nightingale yacht on Lake Michigan with appetizers and drinks; and a weekend getaway for 4 to Halls School vacation rental in a restored old school with dinner for 4 at Susan’s Restaurant.
All in all, Humbert said Music In The Pines made around $ 150,000 for the animals.
Over 260 tickets were sold for the event and Eileen Kochanny won her second consecutive award for best picnic scene (with “Lady and the Tramp”). Many attendees at the Ravinia-style event set up intricate seating / dining areas on the lawn between the music stage and a pond.
The Michiana Humane Society’s next fundraising event is slated to be a studio art tour on October 16, with a selection of studio tours of Harbor Country artists, followed by an after party.
The Company is also looking for foster families for pets. According to the MHS website, “We will provide the pet, basic supplies and veterinary care. You provide the home, the care and the love.
To learn more, visit https://michianapets.org.
