The ninth annual Fur Ball presented by Staffworks to benefit Stevens-Swan Humane Society will be another unique experience for event goers and animal lovers. This year, ‘There is no place like home,’ except at Yahnundasis Golf Club from 7 to 11 p.m. May 17, 2019.
Each year Event Chair Jackie Romano and her committee create an event like no other with flair, fun and fundraising for our local animal shelter at its heart. This year’s theme “There’s no place like home” will transform the Yahnundasis into a scene from the Wizard of Oz.
This year’s Fur Ball hosts, or wizards, David and Lisa Corasanti, have been longtime supporters of Stevens-Swan Humane Society. Supporters like them have helped hundreds of animals every day. With a budget exceeding $1 million, it’s only with the generosity of the community that SSHS can continue to care for those animals that don’t have a home…yet.
SSHS finds itself at full capacity daily, caring for about 85 dogs and 200 cats. Some of the animals end up spending months or years with the shelter. Three residents, Carl, Triss and Duke are the longest-term residents at the shelter. Together, they add up to more than 3,000 days, or eight years, in the shelter.
Carl, a 7-year-old canine, has been calling the shelter his home for more than 700 days. Carl’s previous owners were moving and could not take him with them. They turned him into the shelter in October 2016. Carl needs to be the only dog in the home; however, he has the sweetest demeanor with people. While Carl looks sad in his kennel, his temporary home, he is a playful puppy outside.
Triss, a female short-haired cat, is the longest-residing feline at Stevens-Swan Humane Society. Her “cattitude” shows, as she likes to do what she wants and doesn’t let anyone get in her way, even if her desire is a dog bed with a large dog already in it. She is spunky and looking for the perfect home to go to after more than 900 days living at the shelter.
Duke is the longest-term resident, spending more than four years with the shelter as his home. At 7 years old, he has lived more than half of his lifetime at the shelter. Recently, Duke was diagnosed with three low-grade, cancerous mast cell tumors. The tumors have been removed, but there is no guarantee that more won’t appear. Duke may have some special needs, including a home with no other pets or young children, but he deserves a home just like all the others.
A house is only a house. It becomes a home because of the family and the love that is within that home. That is what these animals want and deserve: a home with a family to care for and love them. Stevens-Swan Humane Society and its no-kill mission, make it possible for more animals to fill homes and hearts with their furry love. In the meantime, the care provided by SSHS’s amazing staff makes the shelter as close to a home as they can, and it’s only possible because of our community’s donations.
Stevens-Swan Humane Society depends solely on donations in order to care for more than 2,000 stray and abandoned animals each year, providing food, shelter and multiple veterinary care and services.
“This shelter serves as a temporary home for these animals,” said Diane Broccoli, executive director of SSHS. “Just like any home, we have our day-to-day bills, including caring for the pets, but we also have to maintain our building. That maintenance is an expense above and beyond our more-than $1 million annual budget. Events like the annual Fur Ball help us raise the extra funds needed to make our shelter a safe place for our animals.”
All proceeds from the ninth annual Fur Ball will benefit Stevens-Swan Humane Society, providing the home and care for thousands of animals waiting for a place to call home.
The evening will include complimentary champagne, beer and wine, delicious food stations and heavy passed hors d’oevres, desserts and a night of dancing to music from live band Stage Road.
Tickets are $75 per person or $125 per couple and can be purchased online at stevens-swan.org, by calling 315.738.4357 ext. 0 or by visiting the shelter at 5664 Horatio Street, Utica. Contact SSHS if you would like to join some of the generous sponsors or would like more information about how your donation helps hundreds of animals every year.
The 2019 “Fur Ball” is brought to you by presenting sponsor Staffworks and other generous supporters and sponsors including The Fountainhead Group, Save of the Day Foundation, Roser Communications, PJ Green, WKTV, Putrelo Building Enterprises, Inc., Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy, and Carbone Auto Group.