On Saturday, ballgowns and tuxedos will take over a downtown venue to raise money for the furriest of Gainesville residents — those housed at the Alachua County Humane Society.
For $25, guests to the humane society’s fundraiser, to be held at the Wooly from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., can enjoy music, appetizers, dessert and a photo booth, said Kaitlyn McGowan, the operations manager at Feathr, a local marketing startup hosting the event. So far, 200 tickets have been sold.
“If this winter ball goes well, this definitely opens up a new door to how we can help the community,” she said.
The event will be held at 20 N. Main St.
Margot DeConna, the director of development for the humane society, said she is always trying to find new ways to draw attention to animals in need.
Over the weekend, for instance, a photo-shoot fundraiser was hosted that catered to dogs, cats and every other kind of pet. For $100, pet owners received professional portraits of their animals.
The eccentric fundraisers are not for naught. In 2017, the humane society is striving to make Gainesville a no-kill community.
Diane Twitchell, a customer success manager for Feathr and volunteer at the humane society, said an event like this can make a difference, and all the money raised will go toward saving more animals.
As someone who has fostered more than 25 dogs — 15 dogs in 2016 — Twitchell said she knows how badly Gainesville pets need to be adopted. Informing the public about their plight is just as important, she added.
“It’s not only good to raise money but to raise awareness as well,” Twitchell said.
