Reflections on a fabulous evening ~ Woody

Wow!

That best sums up the evening that Dee, Moose, Max, and I had last night. The sanctuary was the guest of honor at the annual Friends Caring and Sharing Ornament Party. This is an amazing group of ladies who for 30 years have been helping a wide array of local charities with their annual event.

Each year the group selects a people based charity and an animal charity, and then holds a wonderful dinner, complete with raffle and wish list items for each charity. All the raffle proceeds go to the charity, along with the wish list items that have been brought to the event.

Since we work with both animals and people, we were the sole charity to be honored, and got all of the attention. Dee and I brought along Max and Moose, and the four of us arrived at the Roseville Elks lodge and right when we walked in, again, Wow!

The room was magnificently decorated, buzzing with energy and excitement, and filled to capacity by the time dinner was ready to be served. The leaders of the group, had asked us earlier what items we needed, and we gave them our wish list. Off the side of the room was an 8 foot table that was heaping with items from that list, along with a basket that was filled with checks and gift cards. Wow!

The boys were a huge hit, my bride looked marvelous, and we got to spend the evening with more than 100 amazing women sharing the joys of what we do the sanctuary. It was a magical, wonderful evening.

I was asked to give a talk, and was honored to share about our history, our current challenges, and the blessings that have been found amongst them, along with our great hopes and dreams for the future. We extended an invite to all to come and visit the sanctuary, and were told that many plan to attend the December 12th Open House.

I would add a special Thank You to the leaders of the group; Kathy Timmons, Jonni Spehar, Ruby Shoemaker, and Linda Norris. It was they who made the choice of our sanctuary being the charity of choice, and as many know, it could not have come at a better time.

The event raised more than $2,200 for the sanctuary (not including the value of the wish list items), and the four of us drove home feeling like our tanks had been filled to the brim. We were floating, and will never forget the evening, the new friends we have made, and the kindness that was extended to our sanctuary.

Wow!