Lenawee Humane Society looks to Howl-O-Ween Ball to boost bottom line
ADRIAN — The Lenawee Humane Society will have its 18th annual Howl-O-Ween Ball Oct. 21 at the Adrian Tobias Room on the Adrian College Campus. Attendees, sponsors, donors of auction items and more are needed for this signature fundraising event.
"We don't receive any local, state or federal support. Donations and fundraisers literally keep our doors open," Sasha Wilkerson, communications manager for the Lenawee Humane Society, said. "We're definitely looking for attendees, we're looking for sponsors, we're looking for donors, and for donated items to our silent and live auctions."
The auction items range from gift baskets to experiences and they are 100% donated, so every dollar raised goes back into supporting the shelter and saving lives, Wilkerson said.
Along with the live and silent auctions at the event, there will be an online auction, too, Wilkerson said.
"There's something for everybody. These items are awesome. There's gift baskets and experiences and trips — pretty much anything you can think of, plus they are donated by community members and local businesses," she said.
It's been a tough year for animal shelters across the country, Wilkerson said, and the Lenawee Humane Society is no exception.
"We need this fundraiser to be successful in order for our year to be successful. And on that note, this year has been really tough, not only for our shelter but for shelters around the country. For whatever reason we're finding it really hard to get animals out of the shelter and into homes and the animals that are in homes are having a tough time staying there," Wilkerson said. "Whether people are losing their jobs or whether they're losing their homes or falling on tough times, we're seeing a lot of issues where it's not necessarily the animal's fault that they need to come to us. So it's crazy. We have a lot of really good animals that are sitting in our shelter and not a lot of adopters. So we need them to be adopted now more than ever."
The adoption fee for an animal just barely covers the cost put into each pet that comes through the doors of the Lenawee Humane Society.
Each animal has to be spayed or neutered before they go home. There's a round of vaccinations. All animals are tested for diseases, microchipped and get flea preventive treatments once a month.
"That adoption fee covers just the tip of the iceberg. Not only are there the costs associated with each specific animal, but we also have to cover the cost of food, cleaning supplies, building maintenance, utilities, even the water bill. These are things that people don't usually think of when it comes to an animal shelter, but all of those things come into play when you think of how we are not supported by the local or state government and everything relies on donations," Wilkerson said. "So when you think maybe giving $10 or $20 may not be enough, I tell you every little bit counts, and it makes a huge difference. We've actually been here in existence for 101 years. So your donations work. It does pay off and any support we can get for fundraisers like the Howl-O-Ween Ball definitely helps every bit of the way."
Sponsorships start at $250 and go up from there. For sponsors who donate $1,000 or more, their business will be featured in a lighted ice sculpture at the event. Businesses also get mentioned in social media posts and on the organization's website. For attendees, the cost per individual is $100 or $650 for a table of eight. Tables reserved by Aug. 31 are only $500.
Cocktail hour starts at 6 p.m., and the event starts at 7 p.m. and lasts about three hours. There will be appetizers, dinner, a cash bar, live and silent auctions, games with great prizes, a caricature artist, photo booth, live music and costume contests.
"You do not have to dress up at all. You can just come in your best party wear if you like," Wilkerson said. "But for people who want to have fun, some people dress up with their entire group and they do a theme or maybe just you and your partner want to coordinate. The more creative you get, the more of a chance you have to win a prize."
More details, registration details and the upcoming online auction can be found on the Lenawee Humane Society's website at lenhumanesoc.org.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee Humane Society looks to Howl-O-Ween Ball to boost bottom line
