Photos by Molly Wald“One party, five million reasons” was the slogan that helped prompt Best Friends members across the U.S. and even in Canada to invite their friends, family, and neighbors into their home on July 25 to celebrate the culmination of Best Friends Week, which began on July 19.
It was “National Host a House Party Day,” designed not just to celebrate Best Friends’ silver anniversary but to remember the five million animals still euthanized every year and to widen the grassroots support we need to decrease and eventually eliminate that number. By bringing potential members and supporters of Best Friends into their homes, the party hosts were able to get the message out about our work in bringing about a time of No More Homeless Pets and to recruit others to get behind that cause.
Jackie Schwab, who hosted a party at her home in Tampa, Fla., had around 20 guests. She launched the party by showing a video introducing Best Friends and the work we do.
“All the guests were so impressed and truly touched by the video and by all the hard work and dedication of everyone at Best Friends,” she says.
Telling of just how impressed and touched Schwab’s guests were, they collectively donated $555 to Best Friends.
“I feel great that I spread the word about Best Friends,” Schwab says.
Other locations for the parties included California, Colorado, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Quebec, Canada.
Lori Ralston had eight guests at her home in Westminster, Maryland. She says the party was actually her dog Ophelia’s idea. Ophelia lived for two years at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary before Ralston adopted her. “She wanted,” as Ralston says, “to help out her friends who are still at the sanctuary.”
Ralston provided her guests with gifts to take home to their own pets and even baked them a paw-shaped cake.
“I keep trying to garner new members and always will,” Ralston says. “It’s always a pleasure talking about Best Friends and letting people know what wonderful work you all do.”
Richard Hinds hosted a party on behalf of his friend’s 11-year-old daughter Sarah at his home in Albuquerque, N. M. A lifelong animal advocate and a fan of Best Friends magazine, Sarah read about our “Party for a Purpose” campaign and asked Hinds if she could have such a party at his house. Fifteen adults and 10 children attended, and together they contributed $450 to Best Friends.
“The number of donations Best Friends received from the parties is truly a testimony to how dedicated our members and supporters are in spreading the word about Best Friends,” says Lisa Ladd, project coordinator in Best Friends’ marketing department. “It was a fantastic surprise to receive so much. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who pitched in.”
National Host a House Party Day was part of a larger campaign Best Friends is running all year long encouraging our members to host a “Party for a Purpose,” in which members and supporters hold parties to introduce friends, family and neighbors to Best Friends. The goal of the campaign is to double our membership by the end of the year and hasten in a time of No More Homeless Pets. If you would like to hold your own “Party for a Purpose,” click here.