Like many Best Friends members who have been following our 25th anniversary celebration suggestions, Iowa native Barb Dunakey liked the idea of throwing a Best Friends house party. And like many members, she did throw one.
For about 700 people.
No, she doesn’t have a huge house to throw grand fetes. What Barb has is an ability to think outside the box.
After considering hosting a party in her home, she started thinking: Maybe there was a way to host the event without engaging in lots of prepping, cooking and cleaning. Wouldn’t it be great to pull something like this off without shelling out a lot of cash for food, drink, party favors, etc.? What would it take to throw a really really BIG house party?
She found the answer to her questions at the K9 Karnival in Clive, Iowa.
Yes, she hosted her Best Friends house party at a mini-convention. Her venue was a booth set up like all the other participating vendors. Barb decorated it with pictures from her March trip to the Best Friends sanctuary along with our fliers and information sheets, as well as fliers and information sheets on local shelters. She also played Best Friends DVDs throughout the day.
“Oh, it was just so much fun to do,” Barb says. “You know I’m such a big fan of Best Friends – especially since seeing it with my own eyes. I knew a house party at my house would be fun for a few people, but this way I know a few hundred people had a chance to share my experiences.”
Barb had a pretty significant “in” to the Karnival: her daughter, Renee Schneider. Renee was in charge of outreach programs through her job at Citadel Broadcasting Corporation. It was her idea to host the K9 Karnival as a means to promote rescues and shelter groups, merchandisers, vets and other animal-related organizations. Like other vendors, Barb paid for the right to set up shop – but she did admit her daughter gave her a family discount.
Not only did Barb introduce Best Friends to several people who had never heard of us, she signed up three new members to the network; each said they would be hosting their own house party.
“When people saw my booth, many of them came running up to me and saying, ‘Oh! You’re from Best Friends!’ So of course I explained that I wasn’t – I was just a member throwing a house party. People would ask about that, and I’d explain.
“But I have to say, one of the biggest draws at the booth was my scrapbook of photos from my Best Friends trip. Nothing tells the story of Best Friends better than pictures.”
Barb captured a lot of the K9 Karnival activity on video, complete with steel drum soundtrack and captions. To view the video, click here.
“This was such a rewarding experience,” she says. “And I had such a great time doing it. I’ve always been a big fan of Best Friends and I became a bigger fan – if that’s even possible – after I went to visit. I’m happy to do anything I can for the organization.”
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.