Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter will continue its themed benefit lunches with an upcoming April 27 event, and the theme will be ‘Purse Dogs & Cat Clutches,’ a play on FOPAS animals and various types of totes.
FOPAS tries to provide different styles of fund raising events to appeal to all individuals, and each year the staff plan an event that will focus on attendee enjoyment, whether indoors or outdoors, or a casual or sit-down lunch. The Purse Dogs & Cat Clutches is a sit-down, served lunch, with an honoree, and short presentations.
Tickets, at $39, are limited, and available for purchase, on-line at the FOPAS website; parkvilleshelter.com. Tickets need to be purchased prior to the luncheon and are not available at the door.
The luncheon will be held from 11:30 to 2 p.m. at the Pavilion in iWerx at 1520 Clay Street, North Kansas City.
Each of the FOPAS’ luncheons recognizes a long-time valued supporter of the shelter, which have included donors, an inception board member, foster family, and veterinarian. Previous honorees were: Dr. Warren Jones, DVM, Roger and Sue Lange, Diane Detmer (FOPAS founder), Pat and Judy Kelly, and John and Henrietta Miller.
This year, FOPAS will honor Joel and Patricia Brummel. “While being long-time financial benefactors of FOPAS, they have adopted multiple dogs from the shelter,” Beth Gamelin, FOPAS volunteer, said. “The Brummel’s have the compassion to adopt an animal that will require extra effort to assimilate back into a loving forever home. Each animal is unique and requires individual attention to their particular needs based on their history, sometimes very unfortunate history. The Brummels embrace the compassion to give what is needed to a special-needs animal. FOPAS supporters, whether a donor, volunteer or foster family are all incredibly important to the success of FOPAS’ mission.”
A benefit luncheon had been held each year for five years until the COVID hiatus. The unique themes included: 2015 ‘Go Fish,’ 2016 ‘Denim and Diamonds,’ 2017 ‘Moovie Madness,’ 2018 ‘Peace, Love & Paws,’ and 2019 ‘Time in a Bottle.’
“All themes were creatively conceptualized to add interest and fun to an appeal for support and funds for FOPAS,” Gamelin said. The luncheons are an important piece of the annual support needed to continue FOPAS’ care and support of homeless and abandoned animals.”
At each dining table there will be a ‘cat clutch’ favor, filled with dog, cat, and ‘people chow’ treats. In addition, part of each table’s centerpiece will be a dog-themed fabric purse, won by luck depending on which chair the luncheon attendee may select at the table.
Luncheon attendees can win prizes in various ways at the luncheon. ‘Count the Bones’ is a jar filled with wood dog bones, in which the attendee must estimate the number of ‘bones’ in the jar. The winning attendee will have the closest estimate to the actual number without going over. Prizes include cat and dog jewelry and wine.
Door prizes can be won with the random drawing of three attendee’s tickets that will be placed in a jar upon luncheon entry. Prizes include metal wall art, jewelry, and a purse.
For a $5 ticket, attendees can participate in two games of chance, Plinko and Purse Pong.
In Plinko, the participant is given several chances to win by dropping a circular chip in a multi-row pin board, with the chip bouncing, in a random route, to the bottom slots that indicate if the attendee has won a $5-$25 donated gift card.
In Purse Pong, a participant has several chances to bounce a ping-pong ball into an array of purses on the game table. If the ball lands in a purse, the participant wins a $5-$25 donated gift card.
There will also be a silent auction and a raffle at the event. Some of the raffle items at the luncheon include: a round of golf at The National Golf Club, charcuterie items, spa gift certificates, filled theme totes such as yoga, fishing, gardening, beer basket, custom beer, cake gift certificate, fresh bread gift certificates, and hand-crafted wine-tasting flight boards.
Silent auction items include: a five-day guest house accommodation in Summerland, Fla. (near Key West), a four-night condo accommodation in Breckenridge, Colo., a Dooney & Bourke signature purse, custom pet portrait, artwork, and other unique items.
“New this year, if someone is not able to attend the luncheon, a ticket is available to purchase for $39 to have a personal bidder act on their behalf at the luncheon for bidding on silent auction items. Prior to the luncheon, the personal bidder will work with the ticket purchaser to determine which and how much is to be bid on auction items,” Gamelin said.
Items for purchase will be available at the Pawsome Treasures Shop and 100% of the money spent will go to FOPAS. Items available will include: new handcrafted jewelry, dog collars and leashes, etched paw prints or cat whisker glasses (beer or wine, stemmed or not), baby beanies and afghans, decorative dishcloths, handcrafted greeting cards, and more.
There are about 54 hard-working volunteers at FOPAS who manage dog care, and about 100 volunteers who manage cat care.
The FOPAS Board and leadership teams for both the dog and cat accommodation houses consist of only volunteers, with a commitment to furthering the FOPAS mission.
“As the lead luncheon organizer, I have been a volunteer for eight-plus years,” Gamelin said. “Some FOPAS volunteers have been with the shelter almost its entire life, 25 years. In addition, FOPAS mentors and educates students, junior volunteers (parent/child team), and Scout Troops, encouraging the young in independent volunteering in the future.”
While the shelter is located in Parkville, it enjoys the support of Parkville proper, Platte and Clay county donors, volunteers and adopters.Adoption hours are each weekend, and FOPAS has, on average, five to ten adopters who find their perfect animal match each weekend.”
When FOPAS reaches capacity, since it’s a small shelter, special adoption fees are instituted to encourage adopters to act on finding their forever pet.
Established in 1999, FOPAS’ mission has been to provide a haven for homeless cats and dogs. “Thanks to dedicated volunteers, generous donors, and community supporters caring together, we have since rescued thousands,” Gamelin said. “We rescue stray and discarded animal companions who have found their way to ‘The Little Shelter That Does’ and they, in turn, rescue our hearts. In addition to rescuing and rehabilitating homeless cats and dogs, our volunteers work to educate the public about the importance of spay/neuter and microchips. We also educate young people about the positive difference they can make in the community. Once a cat or dog arrives at FOPAS, they become part of our family for the rest of their lives. We do the very best for each and every one and we carry them in our hearts, always.”
Gamelin also encourages people to consider that animal rescue is a vital component to the health and vitality of a community.
“There is something sacred about the bond between humans and their animal companions. Having a haven for homeless animals is healthier and safer for the community at large. Veterinary care, vaccinations, and spay/neuter efforts help to end needless suffering and curb pet overpopulation. FOPAS is operated primarily by seemingly tireless volunteers, from the local and extended community, who share their time and talents. They give for the animals and they enrich the community with their compassion. The shelter is blessed by the friendship shown from the community and a caring network of volunteers.”
Other ways the public can help FOPAS include:
April 11 – Raising Canes on Ambassador Drive: mention FOPAS and 15% of your order amount will be donated to FOPAS
May 14 – Pizza Hut on Lewis Drive – mention FOPAS and 20% of proceeds will be donated to FOPAS
May 15 – Chipotle on Chatham – mention FOPAS and 25% of your order will be donated to FOPAS
Other planned fund raisers will include spring and summer garage sales, a fall Facebook on-line auction, and pet pictures with Santa in December.