mark
Bone Appetit
is an annual celebration of the unique bond between humans and animals.
Since its inception in 2001, this event has been held during The American
Humane Association’s National Be Kind to Animals Week, observed
during the first week in May.
Bone Appetit 2007 was held once again at the Topeka Holiday Inn Holidome. Guests were welcomed with a cocktail hour and silent auction. The highlight of the evening was the popular live auction and “pet parade” with shelter dogs auctioning the outfits right off their backs. “The Exceptions” entertained the guests with their vivacious sound. Bone Appetit 2007 set a record as it raised over $16,400 for the homeless pets of HHHS.
Bone
Appetit 2006 returned
to the Topeka Holiday Inn Holidome where nearly 300 guests enjoyed a
pasta and cheesecake bar, participated in silent and live auctions and
danced until the dogs came home with entertainment from Topeka's premiere
band - The Exceptions. More than $16,000 was raised for the care of
homeless animal seeking refuge at Helping Hands.
Bone
Appetit 2005 moved to the Topeka Holiday Inn Holidome. More
than 300 guests bid on silent and live auction items, were entertained
by the HHHS pets during an even more spectacular Pet Fashion Show and
enjoyed dancing the night away to Topeka’s Premiere Band - The
Exceptions.
Bone Appetit
has changed and grown over the years, thanks to the generosity of Hill’s
Pet Nutrition. The HHHS Staff, volunteers and Board of Directors would
like to thank Hill’s for their support and involvement in our
fundraising efforts.
Bone
Appetit 2004 continued to grow as it became a “Howlin’
Good Time” and the “Purr-fect” party at Aboud’s
at Western Hill’s. This “Bone” was the biggest yet
- in attendance and fundraising. More than 200 guests enjoyed food,
a silent and live auction plus an “Auction the Clothes off their
Backs Pet Fashion Show.” The Music Box’s Sonny Heller entertained
the crowd with his blend of current and past dance hits. More than $8,000
was raised to assist Helping Hands Humane Society’s operational
budget.
Bone
Appetit 2003 took on a lighter approach to celebrate the human-animal
bond. The event moved across the hall to the Shawnee Room at the Expocentre
to take advantage of its intimate stage and dance floor. This “Bone”
featured hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, Pet Parade Fashion
Show featuring a live auction where fashions were worn by HHHS dogs
and sold to the highest bidder. The Pet Parade was followed by a dance
with Big John and the 39th Street Blues Band from Kansas City.
Bone
Appetit 2002 featured Sergeant Timothy Fisher, of the New York
State Police. Sgt. Fisher is a K-9 trainer and coordinated the K-9 search
units in New York City following the terrorist attack on the World Trade
Center on September 11, 2001. His stark slides and first hand accounts
of the dogs rescue efforts in the aftermath of that great tragedy were
overwhelming.
Bone
Appetit 2001 began as an “educational” banquet
with a keynote speaker at the Kansas Expocentre. Our very first guest
speaker was author John Burnam. John served as an infantryman and scout
dog handler in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam Conflict in the late
1960’s. John’s book, Dog Tags of Courage, tells the story
of his experiences in Viet Nam with his K-9 partners. John and his dog
Clipper’s story was featured in a documentary “War Dogs:
America’s Forgotten Heroes” on the Discovery Channel. John,
former President of the Viet Nam Dog Handlers Association, continues
his group’s lobbying efforts to create a memorial in Washington
D.C. to honor the war dogs that serve our country.
Return
to Top