Annual Fur Ball raises at least $100,000 for pet protectors

Hundreds of islanders clad in animal prints, tails and furry hats overran the Open Space Saturday night for Vashon Island Pet Protectors’ annual Fur Ball fundraiser.

November 17, 2015 2:47 pm
A group of raccoons gathers at this year’s Vashon Island Pet Protectors’ Fur Ball. The event was held Saturday night at the O Space and was a fundraiser for the organization.
A group of raccoons gathers at this year’s Vashon Island Pet Protectors’ Fur Ball. The event was held Saturday night at the O Space and was a fundraiser for the organization.

By ANNELI FOGT

Editor

Hundreds of islanders clad in animal prints, tails and furry hats overran the Open Space Saturday night for Vashon Island Pet Protectors’ annual Fur Ball fundraiser.

The Wildest Fur Ball Ever sold out weeks in advance and was “a wild success,” according to VIPP president Geoff Fletcher.

“I saw people in costumes from Saturday Night Live’s Two Wild & Crazy Guys to a Wild Thing from the (Maurice Sendak book),” Fletcher said.

By auctioning off items like handcrafted gifts and lunch with the now infamous dog duo of Phoebe and Tillie, and having attendees participate in a dessert dash, the event raised around $100,000, if not more, Fletcher said.

He said the dessert dash, which requires attendees to bid on desserts in order to get first pick, brought in $13,000, and the Raise the Paddle donation portion accounted for $40,000. He said he did not yet have a total from the auction portion and ticket sales, but knew the event was well attended and plenty of money was raised.

“It was the most financially successful Fur Ball yet,” Fletcher said Monday.

He said he continues to be amazed by the amount of community support that nonprofits on Vashon receive.

“We probably have more not-for-profits here per capita than anywhere else in the country,” Fletcher said. “The community really supports them and cares, and it makes it a great place to live.”