Jacksonville Humane Society’s Toast to the Animals event
Join the shelter for a night of giving, animals and celebration
November 10, 2021, marks Jacksonville Humane Society’s (JHS) 23rd annual Toast to the Animals event — where around 500 guests will gather in Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field (the Jaguars Foundation and Pet Paradise are co-chairs of the event) to celebrate JHS’s impactful work and continued animal care. Guests will receive a complimentary JHS wine glass which can be used to drink wine and beer provided by presenting sponsor North Florida Sales (the food is local, too!). Music, auctions and the famous Wine Pull, where guests can purchase a “pull” and receive a surprise bottle of wine, will be there for guests to enjoy, too.
While many pets will be featured on-screen, the shelter will have one special pet in attendance that found their forever home while at JHS. The pet and their new family will have the opportunity to go on stage and share their adoption journey with the audience.
Available pets for adoption won’t be in attendance, but their presence will still be felt through videos played throughout the event. Because of JHS’s strong community, they’ll often get updates about pets even after they’re adopted. “We do a lot of before and after pictures of pets that come in,” Theresa Scordo, chief development officer at JHS, said. “Some of these pets need a lot of TLC, not just grooming, but serious medical care and surgery, more than spay/neuter. When they are with us each day you start seeing them change for the better, not just physically but behaviorally too, then they get adopted and sometimes their new family will update us on how they are doing or create a dedicated social account for the pet. These pets look totally different from their first day with us.”
All of the money raised from the event will go towards JHS’s Medical Fund, an integral part of its lifesaving mission. The fund ensures that the nearly 9,000 animals in the shelter's care always get necessary medical treatments. This year, the event specifically honors philanthropists Linda and David Stein who have sponsored several charitable endeavors including donating to animal welfare organizations in Northeast Florida.
Toast to the animals will be a night of fun, great food and drinks and an opportunity to give back to an important cause in the Jacksonville community. To learn more about our shelter partner, read our article.
Photo by Jacksonville Humane Society
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