HARPS Benefit - A Fabulous Success!
May 29th, 2008
by Lisa Stolley
The Hooved Animal Rescue & Protection Society (HARPS) 2008 Fundraiser held Sunday, May 18, at La Strada Ristorante in Hoffman Estates, was a spectacular success, raising nearly $90,000 for the rescue and rehabilitation of abused and neglected horses and other hooved animals.
Over 200 equine enthusiasts, both local and long distance, showed up for the benefit, including HARPS guest of honor and National Chair award-winning actress Loretta Swit, of M.A.S.H. fame. On this evening, Swit’s starring role was as long-standing and wholehearted advocate for HARPS and its founder, Donna Ewing. Ewing, whose efforts in horse welfare have gained her national acclaim, was the originator of the first humane society for horses in 1971. Her mission – “to throw a lifeline to abandoned and suffering horses” – is as unwavering in 2008 as it was nearly 40 years ago. That philanthropic goal is clearly shared by a vast net of horse lovers, whose steadfast support made the fundraiser a triumphant achievement.
Fundraising, fun and good food were the evening’s fare. Guests enjoyed a sit-down dinner prepared by La Strada’s talented chefs, a silent and live auction, and a hilarious performance by comedian George Casey, who flew in from Branson, Missouri to entertain the crowd. Loretta Swit, wearing a two-karat diamond and gold necklace donated on consignment by M.J. Miller & Co. of Barrington for the HARPS fundraiser, shone as host, greeting guests and helping to raise money for the horses.
by Lisa Stolley
The Hooved Animal Rescue & Protection Society (HARPS) 2008 Fundraiser held Sunday, May 18, at La Strada Ristorante in Hoffman Estates, was a spectacular success, raising nearly $90,000 for the rescue and rehabilitation of abused and neglected horses and other hooved animals.
Over 200 equine enthusiasts, both local and long distance, showed up for the benefit, including HARPS guest of honor and National Chair award-winning actress Loretta Swit, of M.A.S.H. fame. On this evening, Swit’s starring role was as long-standing and wholehearted advocate for HARPS and its founder, Donna Ewing. Ewing, whose efforts in horse welfare have gained her national acclaim, was the originator of the first humane society for horses in 1971. Her mission – “to throw a lifeline to abandoned and suffering horses” – is as unwavering in 2008 as it was nearly 40 years ago. That philanthropic goal is clearly shared by a vast net of horse lovers, whose steadfast support made the fundraiser a triumphant achievement.
Fundraising, fun and good food were the evening’s fare. Guests enjoyed a sit-down dinner prepared by La Strada’s talented chefs, a silent and live auction, and a hilarious performance by comedian George Casey, who flew in from Branson, Missouri to entertain the crowd. Loretta Swit, wearing a two-karat diamond and gold necklace donated on consignment by M.J. Miller & Co. of Barrington for the HARPS fundraiser, shone as host, greeting guests and helping to raise money for the horses.
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As the mainstay of
the night’s fundraising, the silent and live auctions showed an
impressive array of items. The silent-auction goods numbered over 140
and included artwork, sports packages, Father’s Day box seats at
Arlington Race Track, custom-made golf clubs, and Disneyland family
packages. The nine live-auction items, were, as one guest put it,
“extraordinary.” A bronze sculpture of a horse and her two foals by
artist Lorenzo Ghiglieri, appraised at $31,000; a one-week stay for two
couples at the famous Four Seasons Troon North Golf Resort in
Scottsdale, AZ., an actual aerial “dog fight” with two Marchetti SF260
aircraft fighter jets; and a meticulously hand-crafted Amish horse
carriage were just some of the high-end pieces donated to the event.
For HARPS, the successful outcome of the fundraiser elicited a profound sense of gratitude and relief. This past year has been particularly trying in the area of finance, largely due to two huge rescue and rehabilitation efforts, the first of which involved the horrific double-decker trailer wreck in Wadsworth, IL, in October 2008. Eighteen of the 59 Belgian Draft horses on the truck were killed or had to be euthanized: Donna Ewing assumed responsibility for the remaining horses, providing – and paying for –medical and surgical care, board and feed, and the placement/adoption of the 41 young horses.
No sooner had HARPS finished digging into its proverbial pocket to finance the Belgian horse rescue effort when another large-scale equine emergency demanded immediate attention. Thirteen American White horses (think Lone Ranger and his faithful mount, “Hi Yo, Silver!”) in Monmouth, IL, were at real risk of severe neglect, having been all but abandoned by their owner, whose health issues interfered with the necessities of horse care. Contacted by a relative of the owner, Ewing and her daughter Ronda, sprang into action and within days, the herd of white horses – among them stallions, mares and fillies – were at the HARPS farm in Barrington . The costs of de-worming, vaccinating, gelding, and training the white horses, most of which had been minimally handled, took a further toll on the HARPS coffers, as did the numerous smaller but equally important rescue efforts, one of which resulted in the addition of two formerly neglected burros to the HARPS menagerie.
The HARPS 2008 Fundraiser, then, provided the very much-needed financial support to further its commitment to the humane treatment of our hooved friends. That Donna Ewing and HARPS are grateful to their donors is an understatement. As Ronda Ewing said, “There are no words to express how profoundly thankful we are.”
For further information contact: HARPS, P.O. Box 94, Barrington, IL 60011, (847) 382-0503 or visit www.harpsonline.org
For HARPS, the successful outcome of the fundraiser elicited a profound sense of gratitude and relief. This past year has been particularly trying in the area of finance, largely due to two huge rescue and rehabilitation efforts, the first of which involved the horrific double-decker trailer wreck in Wadsworth, IL, in October 2008. Eighteen of the 59 Belgian Draft horses on the truck were killed or had to be euthanized: Donna Ewing assumed responsibility for the remaining horses, providing – and paying for –medical and surgical care, board and feed, and the placement/adoption of the 41 young horses.
No sooner had HARPS finished digging into its proverbial pocket to finance the Belgian horse rescue effort when another large-scale equine emergency demanded immediate attention. Thirteen American White horses (think Lone Ranger and his faithful mount, “Hi Yo, Silver!”) in Monmouth, IL, were at real risk of severe neglect, having been all but abandoned by their owner, whose health issues interfered with the necessities of horse care. Contacted by a relative of the owner, Ewing and her daughter Ronda, sprang into action and within days, the herd of white horses – among them stallions, mares and fillies – were at the HARPS farm in Barrington . The costs of de-worming, vaccinating, gelding, and training the white horses, most of which had been minimally handled, took a further toll on the HARPS coffers, as did the numerous smaller but equally important rescue efforts, one of which resulted in the addition of two formerly neglected burros to the HARPS menagerie.
The HARPS 2008 Fundraiser, then, provided the very much-needed financial support to further its commitment to the humane treatment of our hooved friends. That Donna Ewing and HARPS are grateful to their donors is an understatement. As Ronda Ewing said, “There are no words to express how profoundly thankful we are.”
For further information contact: HARPS, P.O. Box 94, Barrington, IL 60011, (847) 382-0503 or visit www.harpsonline.org