Spencer's Garden Party

On August 18, 2013, we held a fundraiser for the Oakville Milton Humane Society in our backyard. The idea was to raise pledges for Spencer, for the OMHS Mutt Strutt. It was the culmination of months of work and planning, and everything turned out perfectly. The fact that we were able to raise $1756.07 was completely mind blowing, and we are so grateful to every single person who generously donated an item, bought tickets, or attended the event.

The Before Picture

Having never put together any type of fundraiser before, we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into, and man was it a lot of work, thank goodness we had a ton of help.
It was supposed to be just a little gathering, but by the time the event arrived, we had almost 60 people RSVP. The day of the party, the backyard was nicely packed, with everyone in great spirits, and feeling generous.
The one thing you can never control in an event like this is the weather, and lucky for us, after a spell of colder weather, the sun was shining brightly, and the backyard was abuzz with activity.

Generously Donated items

It was important for the event to have something for everyone, including tasty snacks (the favorites were the samosa's, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and lemonade with raspberries), and we even had a bouncy castle for the children.
For entertainment, we brought in Leon Stevenson of Mojo-X fame, doing the first solo performance of his career, and it was killer. With Monty by his side, when Leon kicked into his set, the party really got started, and the purse strings started to loosen.

Leon and Monty

Because the cost of hiring myself to perform was exactly $0, I was an easy choice for the second act, and though it was a little self-indulgent to perform at my own party, it actually went over pretty well. (Though the resulting videos, not-so-much, and will never be seen).
I brought in Michael Tucker to do the sound, and he worked harder than I ever could have imagined, and the party and music wouldn't have been nearly as great without his help.

Me and CJ

It was an unforgettable day, full of fun, and laughter, and all for a good cause. Will we do another fundraiser next year? We're honestly not sure, but if we do, we'll take what we learned from this year's party, and make the next one even better. Hope to see you there!

Spencer, Mary Agnes and us at the Mutt Strutt

Post-Party Comments:

Lisa A - "You are AWESOME!!!!!!!  and kind and generous and caring and so giving of yourselves to help all of the animals. With the whopping amount you raised you are going to help a LOT of animals!!! Thank you so much. I love you Spencer!"

Anne S - "WOWOW...more than three times your goal! Put me down as IMPRESSED! It was a lovely afternoon...so well organized and relaxing to attend. Big congratulations to you...Beth, Mike and Spencer!!!!"

Kim M - "That is fantastic!!!  It was such a lovely afternoon. "

Jake E - "Thanks for the invite to the party! Loved it!"

Janine P - "That is amazing! Good for you and for the shelter!!!"

Brian and Nancy V - "That is absolutely fabulous Mike and Beth and so generous of you to donate so much of your time to such a wonderful cause.  It was such a lovely and fun afternoon.  We are so proud of you and we know all the animals will be thanking you for what you have done for them."

Oralyn W - "Great work on the fundraiser. Congratulations."

Emma R - "Way to go, guys!! You are AMAZING!"

Andrea B - "You guys did an awesome job!  And what a great result!! It was a great day."

Heather W - "Way to go! Great job"

Roxanne J - "Great job guys! Thats amazing:o)"

Valerie W - "Wow, congratulations, it was a wonderful afternoon as well."

Robin S - "Had soooo much fun! Spencer needs to have more parties!!"

Donna K - "Thank you so much Mike and Beth for everything. I'm sure all the animals appreciate all your effort for helping them. You are two awesome people who really care. Thanks again for caring."

THANKS goes out to:

Beth Cameron, Linda & Gord, Katie Land, Darla McKeen, Donna & Doug Kirkwood, Brian and Nancy Villemaire, Michael Tucker & Angela, Leon and Monty, Robin and Brento, Sabrina and Sol Rae, Liz Clarke, Jackie and Leo, Pam, Josh and Arius and Ayla, Janine, Andrew and Natalie, Kim Millan, Val Westwood, Laura Murray and Linda, Jake Edwards, Lynn, Allison and Jason, Tammy and kids, Sam and kids, Nicole Livet, Cynthia and co, Brenda C, Caitlin Jones, Mel Ruf, Neighbour Nancy, Grant Love and his Mom, Anne Smith, Andrea Barker, Heather White, Carol Stone, Jim Anderson, Doug & Maureen Cameron, Paula Annibale, Jenn Hibbert, Scott Frail, Roxanne Johns, Lisa Ashby, Janna Macmullin, Janet, Linda Taylor, Joanne Stewart, Todd and Michelle Bamford, Oralyn Whyte, Heather Schaefer, Lisa Winn and Andrew Aldridge, Paula Fleming and to anyone else who contributed, you are amazing, and we thank you with all our hearts.