Home > News & Events > MAARSianChronicles > Issue 10: December 2004 > MAARS News & Events: MAARS Around Town

MAARS News & Events

MAARS Around Town

by Tina McCormick, MAARS Director of Operations

4th Annual MAARS Gala Benefit Cocktail Hour, Dinner & Silent Auction a Huge Success!

On November 5, 2004, MAARS celebrated its 5th birthday at our 4th Annual MAARS Gala Benefit Cocktail Hour, Dinner & Silent Auction at the elegant Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. We are thrilled to report that this was the best Silent Auction fundraiser to date!

Attendance was the highest yet, with the beautifully decorated tables filling the large ballroom. The atmosphere was very festive, with balloons and gift-wrapped raffle items decorating the room. Framed photos of MAARS birds, parrot photo cut-outs, autumn flowers, and wrapped presents adorned the tables.

The party was hosted by Katie K9, a local radio celebrity, and music was again provided by the Twin Cities' own Tresa Sauer Jazz Trio.

Several feathered members of the MAARS flock also attended the event, delighting guests and volunteers alike in their very own windowed play room located directly off the main ballroom.

MAARS supporters enjoyed a fantastic seasonal dinner of butternut squash and apple soup, rolls, vegetable ravioli, and birthday cupcakes. During dinner, MAARS Executive Director, Eileen McCarthy gave a short presentation highlighting the successes of MAARS' first five years, and asking MAARS supporters to keep animal and environmental welfare in mind when they consider "moral values" in the week following the presidential election. Three hard-working MAARS Volunteers, Alayne, Dale, and Alex Rueber were presented with surprise Outstanding Volunteer Awards, and everyone had a chance to finish their dessert while watching the slide show presentation, In Our Hearts, Not Our Homes, produced by The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS).

The Silent Auction featured over 125 items to bid on, including electronics, sporting goods, restaurant gift certificates, theater tickets, collectibles, home decor items, and much more. Hosted by professional auctioneer, Jennifer Sexton of Jennifer-Anne Auctioneering, the live auction was exciting, with a retired Swarovski crystal cockatoo figurine being one of the highlights.

We received many compliments on the evening as the guests left, full from a fantastic sit-down dinner, and with their own birthday gift in hand — a framed professional photo of one of several MAARS birds we've been fortunate to know over the years.

Thanks so much to everyone who attended and/or supported this year's Gala Benefit Cocktail Hour, Dinner & Silent Auction with funding or item contributions! We're already excited for our next banquet in the fall of 2005!

MAARS at the Minneapolis Women's Expo

We are happy to announce that MAARS will be represented at the 13th Annual Women's Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center, January 14, 15, and 16, 2005. One of the largest events of its kind in the country with attendance last year reaching over 50,000, the Women's Expo is a three-day event catering to every aspect of a woman's life. It features exhibits, seminars, celebrities, shopping, food sampling, and great fun! The MAARS booth will be located right next to the main stage. We hope to find many new MAARS friends and supporters among the many attendees and vendors. We look forward to seeing you there!

Adoption Days at Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet

Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet is a relatively small local chain of stores that focuses on providing high-quality pet food and supplies and superior customer service in the Twin Cities area. They have been tremendously supportive of MAARS and our programs, and we are pleased to host Adoption Days in their stores.

The next MAARS Adoption Days at Chuck & Don's will be from 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.at the Elk River store on January 22, 2005, and at the Cottage Grove store on February 5, 2005. Come visit us at these events and take the opportunity to ask MAARS staff members about anything you'd like to know — how to adopt, questions about MAARS, or avian care questions — and meet a few birds available for placement.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to get out and educate the public and to encourage support of our organization. It is also fun for MAARS birds and Volunteer Staff to get out and socialize and have fun for the day! We look forward to seeing you there!

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