Monmouth County SPCA Valentines Day Brunch a Tremendous Success

The Monmouth County SPCA Valentine’s Day Brunch was a huge success this year selling out with over 300 guests. The Brunch was hosted at the beautiful Navesink Country Club in Middletown and featured a delectable display of breakfast food as well as pastries and fresh fruit. The event boasted an impressive $53,000 in funds raised to support the homeless animals of the shelter, exceeding all goals and past Brunch fundraising. The room was filled with the smooth piano and vocal talent of Barbara King, who brought a delicate and comforting ambiance to the morning. DonnaLyn Giegerich returned for her second year as our event emcee and also received special recognition for outstanding community networking.

Others recognized were Nancy Barr-Brandon for her dedication to TNR cat rescue, Barbara Leary for her outstanding leadership among grade school students and Josephine Joel for her commitment to the Monmouth County SPCA while serving on their Board of Trustees for over 25 years. Among guests were County Freeholders John Curley, Tom Arnone, Serena DiMaso and Christine Hanlon. The shelter was also happy to welcome many of our longtime donors such as Carol Stillwell, Margrit & Jack McCrane, Linda & John Bauer and Fred Century. Some mentionable highlights of the Brunch were some of the amazing auction items which featured exotic vacations, upscale dining experiences, spa packages, high-end accessories and plenty of gourmet treats.

The 50/50 raffle acquired more than $20,000, a few thousand more than last year, and a lucky Neptune City resident was the recipient of the winnings. A new feature to the event was a mystery jewelry sale where one lucky winner took home a beautiful diamond and sapphire necklace for a mere $25 ticket! Much of the success can be held akin to the steering committee which included Peg & Jeff Blazewicz , Jacki Cimino, Susan Carney, Beatriz Fernandez, Stephanie & Mike Flynn, Marlen Kroll, Jill Livingston, Susan O’Connor, Amy Thomas and Fran Turner. The Monmouth County SPCA is now gearing up for their 2017 Dog Walk + Pet Fair being held on Saturday, April 29th at Brookdale Community College, their first annual 9 & Dine golf outing on June 6th in addition to their largest fundraiser, the Fur Ball gala, which will be held in October. For information on any upcoming events, visit monmouthcountyspca.org.