1 of 8
Louie and Nicole Escobedo
2 of 8
Carey James Balboa and his world famous chihuahua, Romeo El Perrito
3 of 8
Haley Larimore, Kristen Sheft, Taylor Towsley
4 of 8
Steve and Emily Cavezza
5 of 8
Jon and Hailey Reynolds
6 of 8
Bonnie Garner and Joe Galante
7 of 8
Ryan Tolbert
Heather McBee, Phran Galante, Natalie Corwin
8 of 8
Ryan Tolbert
Rundi Ream, Bonnie Garner, Janna Landry, Phran Galante, Hillary Butler, Anna Henley, Pattie Freeman
On September 15, Pet Community Center hosted the 11th annual Art for Animals at The Factory in Franklin, hosting over 300 guests from all walks of life dedicated to the mission of improving pet welfare.
The event was festive and social, but the purpose of Pet Community Center was never far from anyone’s mind. Pet Community Center provides necessary veterinary care, spay and neuter services, microchipping and more to Nashville’s underserved and most vulnerable pet populations.
Art for Animals is one of Nashville’s long-running and most popular fundraisers, offering a live auction of exclusive artwork and a silent auction from local artisans and generous vendors. Hosted by event chair, Heather McBee, and emcee Suzanne Alexander, the event raised an astonishing $187,000 in support of the mission and expansion of Pet Community Center services. One of the night's live auction packages included a 1-week stay in an exclusive 2 bedroom villa valued at $14,000 in Cabo San Lucas was bought for an astounding $6,000! Thanks to the passionate support of the event’s attendees, Pet Community Center will serve even more dogs and cats in the coming year, many who are in need of medical treatment.
The night also celebrated Phran Galante, who was visibly moved to receive The Jourdan Parenteau Excellence in Service Award, which honors individuals who have shown exemplary leadership in animal welfare. Phran has helped to bring together advocates and organizations from across Nashville to make improvements for shelter animals and pets in the community for more than 20 years. Phran has supported numerous animal welfare groups in the community and continues to be an outspoken advocate and champion for animals. Countless animals have been touched by her passion. Phran says passionately, "Animals can't speak for themselves, so we must do it for them."
Pet Community Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the human-animal bond through accessible veterinary care & support services serving Middle Tennessee. They offer affordable and no-cost spay/neuter services, low-cost veterinary care and the Community Cat Program which spays and neuters feral cats & kittens. Natalie Corwin, President / CEO of Pet Community Center says, "We performed our first spay/neuter surgery in 2011 and since that time we've helped 55,000 dogs and cats, the shelter intake rate has dropped by half and euthanasia has gone from over 80% to 14%. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished for Nashville's animals."
To learn more about Pet Community Center, visit www.petcommunitycenter.org.