Donors and friends of Anderson Humane recently attended
our annual gala to celebrate our work, learn about our future plans, and financially support this vision. The theme was Better Together, to underscore our mission to bring animals and humans together for good, rooted in the truth that meaningful connections with animals make us better people. Due to covid, this was our first gala in two years, and our most successful to date.
Chief and Blossom, Anderson Humane’s two mini-horse ambassadors, greeted guests in the parking lot with a photo op. Our new rabbit ambassadors, Jake and Elwood, met guests once they got inside. During the cocktail hour, guests also mingled with several of our Healing Paws therapy dogs, while also bidding on a wide variety of silent auction packages and enjoying the lovely grounds of Fishermen’s Inn, a venue that shares our passions for land and wildlife conservation.
During the program, Beth Foster, our president and CEO, shared her vision for a future campus in Elburn, which will allow Anderson Humane to treat more injured and abandoned wild animals; house an Animal Resource Center with dogs, cats, pet birds, and little critters; provide one home for all our ambassador animals; host an equine training, adoption, and therapy center; and more.
Anderson Humane leaders presented the Ruth and Ivar Anderson Founder’s Award to Steve Hinze, for his sizable contribution that allowed Anderson Humane to purchase the land for our future campus in Elburn. The Citizen’s Award was given to Brilliance Subaru of Elgin, for their ongoing partnership to facilitate dozens of animal adoptions. And the Inspiration Award was presented to Joe, a Chihuahua and one of our dedicated Healing Paws animals, as well as his person, Lisa Smith.
The program also included stories of lives changed through human-animal connections; several songs from Riley Elmore, season 11 finalist on NBC’s The Voice; and a live auction. The evening’s many activities were made possible by our sponsors, Subaru, Panera, Flood’s Royal Flush, and Silver Crown Valet Inc.
By the end of the evening, Anderson Humane had raised more than $250,000 to fund our work to find loving families for homeless pets, rehabilitate injured wild animals, provide educational opportunities for animal and nature lovers of all ages, and build our future campus to extend and expand these and many more programs well into the future.