Best Friends will even help you by sending you materials with which to establish the theme of your party. Here’s how my husband, Paul, and I did it.

Paul and I are known among our friends for hosting terrific "game nights." We invite a dozen or so people over for pot luck dinner and a raucous game of "Celebrity." So when we saw Best Friends' challenge to throw a "Party for a Purpose," it was obvious what we had to do — throw a "Game night for a Purpose!"

We were selective about who we invited, choosing only those we knew to be animal-lovers, people who we knew would be interested in learning about the work that Best Friends does.

For those who had previously attended our regular game nights, they were surprised when we announced that their contributions to the pot luck meal must be vegetarian. I was a little concerned about asking my meat-eating friends to limit their menu, but was pleasantly surprised at the creativity of our guests.

Chile relleno casserole was a big hit, and another guest came up with vegan "treasure pockets," a mixture of nuts and veggies stuffed into soy dumpling wrappers. Of course, the favorite (and a staple of every game night) was Paul’s penne pasta with puttanesca sauce flavored with soy crumbles (which everyone thinks is ground beef).

Best Friends provided us with a magnificent DVD slideshow featuring an impressive collection of photographs of the animals at Best Friends and the natural beauty of the sanctuary itself. As people arrived, the slideshow played on our living room television. Even while I was busy being hostess, I noticed how people gravitated toward the TV and seemed hypnotized by the amazing images.

When everyone finished eating, we gathered everyone together and spoke to our friends from the heart about what Best Friends means to us. I shared with my friends how, as a child, I dreamed someday I would have a giant farm where I could take in all the animals that didn’t have a home, so they would never have to wander the streets or end up in shelters — and how even though I had not achieved that personally, the founders of Best Friends had made my dream come true.

Paul told how, that very day, we had welcomed our newest family member into our home, a beautiful blue parakeet we adopted from Best Friends and who was delivered to us by a sanctuary staffer who had come to Los Angeles on other birdie business.

Everyone sat rapt with attention as we watched the 15-minute informational video also supplied to us by Best Friends. When it finished, there was not a dry eye in the house. I honestly believe seeing this video is what moved people to become members. (One of our guests had his checkbook out before the video was even over!).

After the show, I realized people might have questions, so I started an impromptu Q&A session in which I was able to provide additional information to my friends about the sanctuary.

Once we had the important business behind, we then proceeded to play our favorite game, “Celebrity,” then finished the evening by giving out Best Friends key chains and copies of the Best Friends magazine (also supplied by Best Friends). Everyone loved leaving with a little gift and was very impressed by the quality of the glossy magazine and the array of topics it covered.

When it was over, everyone had a great time, but knew the evening had been about more than just having fun. Every guest left with new information and knowledge that somewhere out in Utah, an amazing place called “Best Friends” exists. And that it’s a place where membership dollars ensure that every animal who arrives there will be loved, fed and cared for the rest of their lives. A place where the long-ago dreams of a little girl who loves animals have come true.

Barbara Caplan-Bennett is a Best Friends Network volunteer.

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.

Best Friends will even help you by sending you materials with which to establish the theme of your party. Here’s how my husband, Paul, and I did it.

Paul and I are known among our friends for hosting terrific "game nights." We invite a dozen or so people over for pot luck dinner and a raucous game of "Celebrity." So when we saw Best Friends' challenge to throw a "Party for a Purpose," it was obvious what we had to do — throw a "Game night for a Purpose!"

We were selective about who we invited, choosing only those we knew to be animal-lovers, people who we knew would be interested in learning about the work that Best Friends does.

For those who had previously attended our regular game nights, they were surprised when we announced that their contributions to the pot luck meal must be vegetarian. I was a little concerned about asking my meat-eating friends to limit their menu, but was pleasantly surprised at the creativity of our guests.

Chile relleno casserole was a big hit, and another guest came up with vegan "treasure pockets," a mixture of nuts and veggies stuffed into soy dumpling wrappers. Of course, the favorite (and a staple of every game night) was Paul’s penne pasta with puttanesca sauce flavored with soy crumbles (which everyone thinks is ground beef).

Best Friends provided us with a magnificent DVD slideshow featuring an impressive collection of photographs of the animals at Best Friends and the natural beauty of the sanctuary itself. As people arrived, the slideshow played on our living room television. Even while I was busy being hostess, I noticed how people gravitated toward the TV and seemed hypnotized by the amazing images.

When everyone finished eating, we gathered everyone together and spoke to our friends from the heart about what Best Friends means to us. I shared with my friends how, as a child, I dreamed someday I would have a giant farm where I could take in all the animals that didn’t have a home, so they would never have to wander the streets or end up in shelters — and how even though I had not achieved that personally, the founders of Best Friends had made my dream come true.

Paul told how, that very day, we had welcomed our newest family member into our home, a beautiful blue parakeet we adopted from Best Friends and who was delivered to us by a sanctuary staffer who had come to Los Angeles on other birdie business.

Everyone sat rapt with attention as we watched the 15-minute informational video also supplied to us by Best Friends. When it finished, there was not a dry eye in the house. I honestly believe seeing this video is what moved people to become members. (One of our guests had his checkbook out before the video was even over!).

After the show, I realized people might have questions, so I started an impromptu Q&A session in which I was able to provide additional information to my friends about the sanctuary.

Once we had the important business behind, we then proceeded to play our favorite game, “Celebrity,” then finished the evening by giving out Best Friends key chains and copies of the Best Friends magazine (also supplied by Best Friends). Everyone loved leaving with a little gift and was very impressed by the quality of the glossy magazine and the array of topics it covered.

When it was over, everyone had a great time, but knew the evening had been about more than just having fun. Every guest left with new information and knowledge that somewhere out in Utah, an amazing place called “Best Friends” exists. And that it’s a place where membership dollars ensure that every animal who arrives there will be loved, fed and cared for the rest of their lives. A place where the long-ago dreams of a little girl who loves animals have come true.

Barbara Caplan-Bennett is a Best Friends Network volunteer.

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.