Sunday, February 8th, starting at 11am at the Empire Polo Club
by Lisa Morgan
Three of our valley’s hardest working organizations are joining forces during the month of love, once again, to play match maker. The 3rd Annual, Faith, Hope and Pups event will bring out adoptable dogs and cats in hopes of connecting them with the loves of their lives. In fact, the entire event exists as a result of a match made in heaven between homeless Jack and a young woman making her way in a new town.
In the fall of 2011, Bianca Rae moved to Palm Springs for a new job- her first after graduating from college. Far from her mid-west home and family, she dove into her new job opportunity, and spent her free time volunteering at an animal shelter. That’s where she found Jack. She adopted Jack on February 15th, 2012, and he became her lifelong Valentine.
“I started Faith, Hope and Pups three years ago to help the Indio animal shelter, where I adopted my dog, Jack,” shared CBS Local 2’s Bianca Rae. “The shelter has since shut down, but I wanted to continue helping our valley’s homeless animals. So, I decided to bring in organizations to help me. My whole goal is to make these amazing animals more visible to people, by bringing them out of the shelters and to their potential adopting families at these events. There’s such a stigma associated with animals from shelters and the shelters themselves. People think the animals from shelters, and even the shelters themselves, are scary. It’s not something that many people think positively about. I’m a big proponent of getting these animals out of the shelters and to the people so they can have a chance to be seen. It’s truly great to be working with Loving All Animals and Palm Springs Animal Shelter, because all of our organizations have the same goal: To create a ‘No-Kill Coachella Valley’, whether we do that through spay and neuter clinics, or these adoption events.”
Faith, Hope and Pups has become quite the community event, growing in its success every year. The first event found homes for 40 out of 70 animals. Once Rae was able to take pause in her grief over having to return the other 30 to the shelter, she realized just how successful her campaign had been. While Faith, Hope and Pups are celebrating its third year, the Bianca Rae Foundation celebrates its one year anniversary. “It’s crazy to me to think that three years ago, I was hoping for 50 people. Here we are now, with our third annual event, and I am amazed at how many people have come forward to help, both with this and the Bianca Rae Foundation, and our efforts to help the children and animals here in the Coachella Valley. I still have so much to learn, but so many people have stepped up – mentors and friends, who have helped make the vision a reality.”
On Sunday, February 8th, the public is invited to join CBS Local 2’s Bianca Rae, Loving All Animals and the Palm Springs Animal Shelter in their efforts to raise money for our Valley’s homeless, highly adoptable animals at The Empire Polo Club in Indio. Tickets are on sale now for $95 which includes a cocktail reception from 11am-12pm, a luncheon, and two polo matches on a day that is earmarked for perfection, according to our weather professionals. Local vendors will be on hand as well with information and items for attendees who have already found their pets. Proceeds will benefit Bianca Rae Foundation, Loving All Animals, and the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. Your tax deductible gift will help raise the much needed funds to carry on the important work of animal rescue, spay/neuter programs, Trap-Neuter-Release feral cat programs, and adoption events. You’ll also be supporting their foster programs, temporary shelter for pets, transportation of animals, vaccinations and microchipping of adoptable pets, and ultimately, the saving of lives.
If you are unable to attend the event in February, you have an opportunity to meet Bianca Rae and Jack, along with a few of their very adoptable friends, at JT’s Diner this Saturday, January 24th, between 9am and 1pm. JT’s Diner will be giving 10% of sales generated during the event to the Bianca Rae Foundation.
More about the organizations involved in Faith, Hope and Pups:
BIANCA RAE FOUNDATION
Bianca Rae, newscaster on CBS Channel 2, knew she wanted to be a voice for those who couldn’t speak for themselves – in her opinion, that’s children and animals. She uniquely uses the voice she has through the media to advocate for the voiceless.
She continues her volunteerism with philanthropy, as an active member of The Junior League of Palm Springs Desert Communities, working with local charities and rescue missions to help women and children. Bianca also volunteers with Companions Visitation Ministry of Sacred Heart church, spending time with lonely senior citizens.
The Bianca Rae Foundation provides Bianca the opportunity to be a “Rae of Hope” for those in need of light. As Bianca says, “It may be impossible to make the world a perfect place, but it is so easy to make it a better place. And if you are blessed with the ability to make the world a better place…why wouldn’t you?”
P.O. Box 10096, Palm Desert, CA 92255
PALM SPRINGS ANIMAL SHELTER
The Palm Springs Animal Shelter is an open admissions municipal shelter, operated by Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter, serving the city of Palm Springs. They are dedicated to building a community responsible for pet stewardship and humane treatment of animals. Since 1996 they have been actively raising funds to help the Palm Springs Animal Shelter with operational needs. On November 1, 2012 the City of Palm Springs and Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter entered into an agreement allowing Friends to assume operation of the shelter. This partnership paves the way for a new model for caring for animals in need in our community, providing a safe haven for both highly adoptable animals as well as those who require behavioral training or medical treatment before they can be adopted.
Committed to being a humane and compassionate animal care and adoption center, the shelter does not euthanize animals for space, or for length of stay. To meet this challenge, the shelter relies on donations to cover the cost of “extended stays” of many of the animals, medical care and treatment, and progressive programs that are helping Palm Springs stay on track to be a community where every pet has a home. The shelter also counts on volunteers to help in nearly every area, including dog walking and enrichment, cat socializing, fostering, medical support, customer service and special events. Most of all, they rely on the community to ADOPT shelter pets!
LOVING ALL ANIMALS
The mission of Loving All Animals is to bring together local and national animal welfare organizations to work together for the benefit of animals. They have been a dominant force in bringing our community closer to becoming a “No-Kill Coachella Valley”. They have been at the epicenter of finding forever homes for the valley’s homeless animal population for many years.
You can find out about other fun Loving All Animal events coming up in 2015, as well as purchase tickets for Faith, Hope and Pups at www.lovingallanimals.org
Phone: 760-834-7000
73550 Alessandro Dr., Palm Desert CA 92260
