PAWS Magazine

Issue 63, Spring 2006

Wild Night: A Night to Remember

A Gala Celebration for PAWS

More than 330 friends of animals gathered on March 11 at W Seattle for Wild Night: A Gala Celebration for PAWS. And what a celebration it was! Guests sipped the Wild Night signature cocktail—the PAWSmopolitan—while browsing a fabulous array of silent auction items to the cool sounds of the Garfield High School Jazz Ensemble.

After an animal-friendly banquet, the pace picked up with Emmy award-winning emcee Christine Chen, co-anchor of Q13 FOX News @ Ten, and auctioneer extraordinaire, Howard Choder.

What happened next made PAWS gala history. The bidding was fast and furious as guests vied for the chance to win unique items such as the instant wine cellar of 80 fine vintages, and the opportunity to feature their favorite feline or majestic mutt in the PAWS 2007 calendar, photography by B. Sparks. And there were tears of joy as more than $40,000 was generously donated in the Fund a Need—paying for four months of PAWS' medical costs for the animals.

By the end of the evening, more than $160,000 was raised to support PAWS' life-saving work—exceeding the event goal by more than $40,000! To our Wild Night sponsors, Honorary Event Chair Muriel Van Housen, table captains and their guests, auction donors, members of the Board, and volunteers; a thousand thank yous and congratulations on this incredible success. We'll see you next year at Wild Night!

PAWS Youth Helping Animals Award

During Wild Night, the inaugural PAWS Youth Helping Animals award was presented to Catherine Hannan in special recognition of her leadership and compassion for animals. Last year, Catherine created an organization called Sun Puppies to host a fundraising walk to help dogs cared for by Rescue Every Dog, a support group for rural animal shelters. The walk raised $750 that paid for life-saving surgery for a puppy. Congratulations Catherine; your dedication to animals is an inspiration to us all!

The PAWS Youth Helping Animals award was created as a way to honor a local young person aged 18 or younger for outstanding service and compassion toward animals. Nominations for the second annual Youth Helping Animals award will be invited this summer.

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