The Annual Second Chance Pets’ “There’s No Place Like Home” Silent Auction Dinner attracted 170 guests and volunteers to Lakewood Yacht Club Oct. 4 and raised $16,000.
A record 300 items lined every available linear wall with such sought after items as Vera Bradley’s newest patterned collection celebrating Breast Cancer survivors, a Christian Dior “motorcycle collection” handbag and a collectable baseball signed by Nolan Ryan.
The highlight raffle item of the evening was a seven-foot rotating Christmas tree decorated by local artist Sandra Kelly and fully decked out in kitty and doggie ornaments. The tree was won serendipitously by SCP founder Faith Vilas (now retired) who was joined at her table by fellow founders Denise Tutor and Jo Hollen.
The Wizard of Oz themed event, originally dreamed up by past SCP President Suzanne Silver, transformed the ballroom entrance with a yellow brick road, a vintageWizard of Oz movie poster, a hand-painted Emerald City backdrop donated by Seabrook’s Farpoint Theatre, scarecrows as well as live fully-costumed characters from the iconic musical.
Farpoint Theatre in conjunction with Santa Fe High Theatre Students and SCP volunteers provided actors portraying characters ranging from Dorothy to a full complement of menacing Flying Monkeys. The students are directed by Santa Fe High Fine Arts Chairman Peter D. Kinser. Local favorite Mickey Hobbs lent his voice to such favorites as Somewhere Over The Rainbow and almost any song requested.
Silent Auction Chair Jennifer Maxwell addressed the guests as follows. “Thank you all for coming tonight, your faith and support in our organization is truly appreciated. Second Chance Pets has adopted out close to 7,000 pets since our beginning in 1994 – all without a shelter.
“Total SCP adoptions since last year’s auction: 326. That’s 195 cats and 131 dogs placed in loving forever homes. We as a community are making positive incremental strides in solving the problem of homeless and abandoned pets. You have made that possible.”
She concluded with “As Margaret Mead, 20th century American Anthropologist, said: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’”
