BILL BROOKS’ CALGARY
Shining a spotlight on city events
There must have been something magical about the evening of Oct. 14. How else to explain the enormous success of not one, but four events all happening at once? Whether the UNICEF Gala at the Hyatt, the Mustard Seed event at the Fairmont Palliser, the Booby Ball at Hotel Arts or Cocktails for Critters at the Westin, all surpassed expectations and raised huge coin for their respective causes.
Now your faithful social scribe is good, but not that good as to be able to cover all four events. There was a time, maybe 20 years ago, that such a feat would have been easy. That I attended and covered UNICEF and Cocktails was a fullon evening as it was.
The Calgary Humane Society’s (CHS) 17th annual Cocktails for Critters was a sold out event attended by 490 guests. More than 100 staff and volunteers ensured the event was a success, raising an impressive $176,000 for the care of the more than 5,500 animals the society receives each year.
Highlights of the evening were numerous, but top of the list surely had to be the pet fashion show which featured appearances from 25 current and alumni animals. A silent auction, raffle items and heartfelt addresses ensured all in attendance had a wonderful evening.
Guests included: k.d. lang and Heather Edwards; CHS board chair Dr. Miriam Carey and her husband, artist Errol Lee Fullen; CHS manager of development Rae Fehr and his wife Desiree Ellis; Douglas Beckstead and his wife Andrienne; Hal and Maddie Walker; avid animal lover Laureen Harper; CHS executive director Carrie Fritz; emcees Scott Fee and Jordan Witzel from Global TV; Christy Thompson with Rufus; Stephanie Mathieson with Royce; Katrina Veysey; and presenting sponsor, Preventous Collaborative Health’s Nalini and Rohan Bissoondath with colleagues Kim LaPlante, Tara Therien, Shantelle Murphy and Stevie Blanchard.