Pet Protectors present ‘Quarantiniest Fur Ball Ever’

The fundraiser will be online throughout Oct. 24, with numerous objects, services and experiences up for bid.

By Elizabeth Shepherd • October 8, 2020 1:30 am
“Possibilities,” by Morgan Brig, is wheeled copper artwork made with three vintage glass bottles from the collection of VIPP founder Barbara Drinkwater (Courtesy Photo).
“Possibilities,” by Morgan Brig, is wheeled copper artwork made with three vintage glass bottles from the collection of VIPP founder Barbara Drinkwater (Courtesy Photo).

The Vashon Island Pet Protectors annual Fur Ball this year will be, of course, not in person.

Instead, this always-a-bit-wacky fundraiser — responsible for a substantial part of VIPP’s budget — will be online throughout Oct. 24, with numerous objects, services and experiences up for bid. Featured in the auction this year are stays in exotic holiday spots like Paris and Sardinia — with generous flexibility on travel time — as well as opportunities to support local restaurants and community businesses.

Another special part of the auction this year will be art made from the bottle collection of VIPP founder Barbara Drinkwater, who died in October 2019. VIPP reached out to artists and asked them to select bottles from Drinkwater’s collection and turn them into art, and the results, from islanders such as Morgan Brig, Renee Marceau and Elaine Summers, vary from the whimsical to the magnificent, said organizers.

“Take Your Time,” will up for bid at VIPP’s online auction. This old bottle, once part of a collection by VIPP founder Barbara Drinkwater, has been covered in timepieces and Italian glass by local artist, musician and VIPP supporter Elaine Summers (Courtesy Photo).

“Take Your Time,” will up for bid at VIPP’s online auction. This old bottle, once part of a collection by VIPP founder Barbara Drinkwater, has been covered in timepieces and Italian glass by local artist, musician and VIPP supporter Elaine Summers (Courtesy Photo).

All proceeds from the auction will go to ensure VIPP can continue to feed, house, medicate and re-home found and relinquished dogs and cats, as well as provide lost and found services and low-cost spay/neuter and microchipping for island pets. And in this difficult financial time for many, VIPP also helps island families with pet food and with unexpected emergency vet bills.

The organization, established in 1984, is a non-profit 501c3 no-kill rescue organization run by a small army of animal-loving volunteers.

Many of the auction items are on display at Vashon Center for the Arts, open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Auction-goers can bid on items until 9 p.m. Oct. 24, at vipp2020.ggo.bid.

For more information on the auction and the organization, visit vipp.org, where you can also see the 2020 VIPP video by Julie Sotomura, with music by Pete Droge and Elaine Summers.