BROOKINGS – One of the most important fundraisers for the Brookings Regional Humane Society is quickly approaching: its annual Paws for Wine night.
Scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday at the Swiftel Center, the program will feature wine tasting and a plated dinner as well as raffles, silent auctions and live music. The wine on offer will be Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio, Mirassou Pinot Noir, Dreaming Tree Cabernet and Luccio Moscato.
Tickets, which cost $45, are available at Cinema 8, the Brookings Regional Humane Society and at the door on the night of the event.
Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. with a live auction following.
“Even though all of our fundraisers are important, this one has always been the one that has brought in the most money for the shelter,” BRHS President Beth Reams said.
There are limited VIP early admission tickets available for $60, which includes exclusive early 5 p.m. access with hors d’oeuvres and champagne. There will also be a special raffle featuring an item from Riddle’s Jewelry.
“We’ve almost sold out for the VIP tickets, but there are plenty of regular admission tickets still left,” BRHS Executive Director Maia Moore said, adding that people should come for the simple reason that it’s fun. “It’s one of the things we hear over and over again, that this is so much fun. We love the animals and we love to have our events where we’ve got dogs at the park and things like that, but it’s also fun to have people just come and socialize. The whole evening is all about visiting.”
“We learn a little bit about the event every year and we take notes,” Moore said. And they try to improve it every year, too. “Yes, it’s a fundraiser, but we also love hearing that people come and have a good time.”
Fundraising is necessary for BRHS to continue to keep its doors open. At the end of 2017, the nonprofit faced a financial crisis as they’d have no funds to pay their bills in a few months’ time. An outpouring of local support got them through to their Paws for Wine event in 2018. Local support was incredible then, too, with unprecedented giving for silent auctions and an anonymous matching donor.
Moore and Reams expect this year’s Paws for Wine to be more in line with previous events, but they’ll work just as hard to earn people’s support.
“We know we’ve got to work hard, and we’re not afraid of working hard,” Moore said.
Moore recommended people check out their Facebook page to stay updated on this and other events. Visitors to their page should check out the events tab.
Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.
