This isn’t your typical gala.
Start by doing what is necessary.
This year’s gala won’t include any fancy linens or an open bar. This year, we’re paying it forward to our community that desperately needs us.
On October 9, 2020, at Silver Street Studios we will be running a Drive-Thru Vet Clinic + Pet Food Bank for the public. We’ve vetted more than 1,530 animals brought to us by the public. For free. In a city of 4 million, we’re the only organization offering this free service.
Your donation allows us to keep giving. We are also still doing what you’ve come to expect from Friends For Life—taking the hard cases and rehabilitating the “unadoptable.” In fact, we are year-to-date, 100 adoptions over last year’s total.
Donate.
Virtual raffle line-up.
Through generous sponsors, donations, and a lot of hard work by our Host Committee this year, we’ve assembled some pretty awesome items. Each Raffle has a different set of items and a different close time; click “Select Tickets” in the pop-up to get tickets for the items you want to enter for.
We’ll be announcing the winner’s live during our broadcast on October 9.
Click “Select Ticket” in the pop-up window to see the items.
Closes: October 9, 2020 × 1:00PM CT
- Car Detail × Patagonia Backpack
- Gin, Vodka, × Tequila Package
- Orange Cat Quilt
- Custom Digital Pet Portrait
- Snooze Breakfast Nook Pack
Closes: October 9, 2020 × 3:00PM CT
- Vegas Vacation
- Whiskey × Rum Package
- Green Cat Quilt
- ‘The Comfy Dog’ Kit
- ‘The Cozy Cat’ Kit
Closes: October 9, 2020 × 6:30PM CT
- One Week Lake Conroe Vacation
- Worldly Wines
- ‘The Pampered Cat’ Kit
- ‘Adventure Dog’ Kit
Timeline.
In addition to helping more than 150 animals, here’s a run-down of what you can expect each hour throughout the day.
- 10AM × Welcome + Mobile Adoption Vehicle Glow-Up Reveal + Introductions
- 11AM × Behind the Scenes at the Clinic + ‘5 Things You Don’t Know About Your Dog (That Your Dog Wishes You Knew)’ with Alese Zeman, CPDT-KA, Outreach Coordinator
- 12PM × ‘Thinking Outside the Shelter’ with Beth Brown, CPDT-KA, Behavior Coordinator
- 1PM × Dog’s Eye View Clinic Walk-Thru: ‘Look for the Best Kept Behavior Secrets That Shouldn’t be Secrets’ with Suzanne Turner, ADT, Clinic Lead + Raffle 1 closes!
- 2PM × ‘The Kittycakes Journey’ with Salise Shuttlesworth, JD, Founder + Executive Director + Behavior Training with Honorary Chair dogs, Galilea and Mr. Wiggles
- 3PM × ‘What’s Happening Inside Our Mobile Adoption Vehicle: Through a Cat’s Eye’ with Beth Brown, CPDT-KA, Behavior Coordinator + Raffle 2 closes!
- 4PM × Happy (Fundraising) Hour! Enjoy a drink and watch Kitten Kindergarten: Live from the shelter (And, yes, it’s as cute as it sounds.)
- 5PM × Why in the World Would a Shelter Do Something This Ambitious and How is it Working? with Suzanne Turner, ADT, Clinic Lead
- 6PM × On-Site Pet Owner Interview
- 6:30PM × Raffle 3 closes! + ‘Where Does Sheltering Go From Here?’ A conversation with Salise Shuttlesworth, Evelyn Cutts, Jennifer Hopkins, Suzanne Turner, and Alese Zeman
Frequently asked.
Have a question? Drop us a line.Where can I watch the livestream on October 9?
Right here!
At the top of this page, you’ll see a box with the countdown. That will show the live Zoom Webinar where you’ll be able to get involved with the Q&A and watch all the action.
We’ll also be livestreaming different segments to Facebook Live (we’d stream the whole thing there, but the put a 90-min time limit on it and we’ll be going from 10AM-7PM).
If I commit to a table, will I attend in-person?
No.
While we want more than anything to have you with us, social distancing and protecting everyone’s health will still be a reality when October 9 comes around.
Table buyers/sponsors will be entitled to different perks and opportunities. To learn more, check out the 2020 Gala Letter or email us at gala@friends4life.org.
What kind of activities will there be virtually?
Here are just a few of the things we’re planning for October 9:
- Raffle items
- Behavior training
- Live interviews
- Dogs!
- Cats!
Be sure to check out the full timeline (next FAQ) to see all of the events we have for the day.
What does the event timeline look like?
In addition to helping more than 150 animals, here’s a run-down of what you can expect each hour throughout the day.
- 10AM × Welcome + Mobile Adoption Vehicle Glow-Up Reveal + Introductions
- 11AM × Behind the Scenes at the Clinic + ‘5 Things You Don’t Know About Your Dog (That Your Dog Wishes You Knew)’ with Alese Zeman, CPDT-KA, Outreach Coordinator
- 12PM × ‘Thinking Outside the Shelter’ with Beth Brown, CPDT-KA, Behavior Coordinator
- 1PM × Dog’s Eye View Clinic Walk-Thru: ‘Look for the Best Kept Behavior Secrets That Shouldn’t be Secrets’ with Suzanne Turner, ADT, Clinic Lead + Raffle 1 closes!
- 2PM × ‘The Kittycakes Journey’ with Salise Shuttlesworth, JD, Founder + Executive Director + Behavior Training with Honorary Chair dogs, Galilea and Mr. Wiggles
- 3PM × ‘What’s Happening Inside Our Mobile Adoption Vehicle: Through a Cat’s Eye’ with Beth Brown, CPDT-KA, Behavior Coordinator + Raffle 2 closes!
- 4PM × Happy (Fundraising) Hour! Enjoy a drink and watch Kitten Kindergarten: Live from the shelter (And, yes, it’s as cute as it sounds.)
- 5PM × Why in the World Would a Shelter Do Something This Ambitious and How is it Working? with Suzanne Turner, ADT, Clinic Lead
- 6PM × On-Site Pet Owner Interview
- 6:30PM × Raffle 3 closes! + ‘Where Does Sheltering Go From Here?’ A conversation with Salise Shuttlesworth, Evelyn Cutts, Jennifer Hopkins, Suzanne Turner, and Alese Zeman
All times and dates listed are Central Time (Houston).
How can I learn more?
We’ll continue to update this page with the latest updates. If you have specific questions, reach out to us at gala@friends4life.org.
Gala donation levels
and their life-saving power.
$20,000 × MAV Sponsor
Our MAV is an indispensable part of the free clinic. The 26’ mobile adoption vehicle serves as a treatment center, transport and safe exam room that we can set up in any neighborhood. The MAV is our hub of every operation in the community. Sponsoring this life-saving moving billboard is an extraordinary opportunity to update the vehicle and get your name in front of grateful Houstonians.
$10,000 × Crisis Responder
This level will fund an entire clinic day for 110 animals. This cost is possible because our veterinarians graciously donate their time. It includes an exam, vaccinations (DA2PP, bordetella, rabies, FVRCP), dewormer, flea preventative, heartworm preventative, heartworm blood test, feline leukemia/FIV blood test. This also includes access to the pet food bank and supply bank of leashes/collars/carriers/beds.
$2,500 × Change Agent
This level will fully vaccinate 277 animals. This keeps cats safe with FVRCP/rabies shots and dogs safe from parvo, distemper and rabies. Houston is a warm Petri dish for the growth of communicable disease and if shelters do not respond dramatically right now to fill the gap in vaccinations, we will all bear the weight of the outbreaks.
$15,000 × Clinic Sponsor
Heartworms are 100% fatal left untreated. Private veterinarians charge $100 for the test and $940 for treatment of a medium-size dog. This is impossible for many Houston families. Because we’re able to do things more economically than private clinics, this support level allows us to test AND provide life-saving treatment for 36 dogs.
$5,000 × Emergency Lifeline
Some animals who are seeing us are diagnosed with serious medical issues. Their families need special help. We have run senior blood panels and underwritten x-rays. We have treated parvo, kidney disease, mange, diabetes, broken bones and more. We continue to take tough medical cases into our program as well. This level helps us respond to animals in urgent medical need, both within the Friends For Life program and those in our clinics.
$1,000 × Good Neighbor
This level will spay 20 cats at a low-cost clinic. This spring, thousands of kittens have been born all across our city. We’ve been contacted by countless neighbors asking for help with rescuing kittens and free spay/neuter. Our Fix Houston™ program needs your support to help us continue our proactive work of TNR.