By Joseph Knoop
Fur will fly and funds will be raised for a new animal shelter at the third annual Fur Ball fundraiser, presented by Zionsville Animal Hospital in February.
Funds raised will go toward a 7,000-square-foot shelter built on six acres of donated land. The Humane Society for Boone Co.’s stated goal is $1.5 million, with more than half of the funds already raised. The Community Foundation of Boone Co. has pledged to match 50 cents for every dollar spent.
The Humane Society for Boone Co. handles more than 300 abandoned animals each year.
“We’re limited by the number of families that can open their homes to foster animals, so without a kennel, when we don’t have a foster home, we have to say ‘no,’” said Susan Austin, Humane Society for Boone Co. vice president and director of fundraising.
Attendees may come dressed as they are but are also encouraged to dress up to fit the fundraiser’s Mardi Gras theme. A Mardi Gras mask contest, live and silent auctions and photo booth are included in the festivities.
Austin added that a number of pledges for donated construction work have also been made, including a vacuum system and air duct work.
“We’re getting additional donations, which will help us drop that dollar amount needed for the building, but we also wanted to make sure we had plenty of money in the bank so that once we complete it and open the doors, they stay open,” Austin said.
The Fur Ball Fundraiser is scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Golf Club of Indiana’s Cardinal Room at 6905 S. 525 E. in Lebanon. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person or $475 (pre-sale only) for a table of 10. Ticket price includes a buffet dinner while cocktails are served at a cash bar for the evening. Checks for tickets should be sent to the Humane Society of Boone County at P.O. Box 708 Lebanon, IN 46502 to the attention of “Fur Ball.”
