Hosted at the Midnight Garden at 1501 S. 17th Ave., the event will feature a pork loin meal with complimentary champagne, live entertainment, donation opportunities and live and silent auctions. It will run from 4 to 9 p.m. on March 23, which also happens to be National Puppy Day.

ARL Executive Director Austin Gillis said this will be the third ball. Prior to the name change three years ago, the event was called Whiskers and Wine. He said extra time and effort was put into the Furr Ball, so an ARL Easter event will not be held this year.

“This is a dinner gala,” he said. “Some people will have formal wear, business casual. We will have a few guest speakers. There will be a live auction, a silent auction and the Giving Wall. There will just be all kinds of fun things going on the entire night.”

The Giving Wall is similar to the holiday Angel Tree. Attendees can pick a slip from the wall which contains needed ARL items, such as kitty litter or hard dog toys.

Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown Executive Director Austin Gillis shows off one of the kittens waiting for adoption. The ARL is hosting the annual Furr Ball on March 23 to raise funds for the shelter.

“Some people don’t like giving monetary donations, so they feel better when they can give actual physical items,” Gillis said. “Plus, some people might not be able to bid on the auction items.”

Erika Melchor, the ARL volunteer coordinator who also helps with events and manages social media, said the biggest challenge in organizing the event was coordinating the auction items. There are big ticket items up for auction, such as a jersey signed by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce or a one-week stay in Mexico.

Gillis recalled the effort to acquire a basketball signed by Caitlin Clark. Instead, they got the Kelce jersey through a “fluke.”

“Everybody in the world is trying to get a signed basketball from Caitlin,” he said. “We were able to get one from the coach, which was cool.”

Gillis said a maximum of 800 people will be able to attend the Furr Ball. In previous years, the average number of attendees was 150.

“If we can get 800, we’re ready,” he said. “We’re not expecting it to be that big, but the more we can get, the better.”

So far, more than 100 tickets have been sold, and tickets will also be sold at the door. Tickets cost $75 per person, or a table seating eight can be purchased for $800. Gillis said there is a reason for the extra cost of the table. The table will be reserved, and the purchaser will not have to worry about fighting for a seat, particularly if they are bringing friends.

Live Furr Ball entertainment will be provided by Max Wellman, owner of NOCE — a jazz and cabaret club in Des Moines. That is what Melchor is looking forward to the most, especially after last year’s event.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I never knew you could do so much with a violin, the variety of music. We have someone new this year, so I want to see this music and enjoy this event.”

Funding

The Furr Ball serves as the biggest fundraiser for the ARL which has an annual operating budget of $600,000.

“It takes a huge chunk out of that budget,” Gillis said. “Last year, we raised close to $60,000. This year, our goal is $70,000, but $100,000 is my personal goal. If we get $100,000, that is only one-sixth of what we need for the entire year.”

He said the ARL is planning more events for 2024. For example, they will celebrate St. “Piddy’s” Day on Sunday by posting pictures of the felines housed at the shelter.

“Just trying to get them some exposure,” Gillis said. “Sometimes it’s about raising the overall funds as it is about getting the animals exposed and adopted. Where we may not be able to make money in an adoption, we will be able to save money because we are getting them adopted and have less cost. It’s a win-win, just in a different way.”

The executive director is working on determining a daily or weekly cost for each animal, but roughly estimated it costs on average $20 per day per animal. That does not take into account the initial costs. For example, when a female dog is brought to the shelter, the ARL has to have her vaccinated, spayed and microchipped.

As of Wednesday, there were more than 100 animals at the shelter. In January, the ARL announced it had reached the max capacity for cats. Gillis said they are no longer full but are still teetering on the edge.

“The hangup we’re having is we will have a really good week, get five or six cats adopted,” he said. “Then Monday morning we get a phone call from a person with a litter of eight kittens and they can’t take care of them. We’re flirting with capacity, but making strides with openings.”

Fortunately, the ARL has made further strides with the number of dogs in the shelter and is utilizing the Surrender/Wait List. A resident of Marshall County can call the shelter with a dog that needs to be surrendered. If there is no kennel available, that resident is placed on the Surrender/Wait List. When a spot opens up, then ARL staff begin calling entries, starting with people who have been listed the longest.

If they are unable to attend, Gillis said people can help by volunteering. People who want to walk a dog, brush a cat or help with day-to-day tasks are always welcome, he said. For handy fix-it residents, they also have projects volunteers could work on.

For people who want to do more than volunteer, the ARL does not have enough staff members. Gillis is focusing on hiring full-time and part-time kennel attendants who are at least 16 years old.

AUCTION ITEMS:

• Kate Spade crossbody bag and a $1,000 McGregor’s Furniture gift card

• Quarter beef from Brian and Ericka Pickard

• Birthday party for 10 at the Marshalltown Fire Station; includes meeting firefighters and a tour of the facility, two pizzas, 12 cupcakes and a Dairy Queen ice cream cake

• Party for 10 people at Hampton Inn with La Carreta catering a Mexican fiesta taco bar

• Weber Spirit E-310 gas grill; includes MARSHALLTOWN Co. swag, a Fareway gift card, Marshalltown Chamber Bucks and a $100 gift card to Market on Main

• ServiceMaster of Marshalltown duct cleaning

• Dining experience at Opa Grill for 10 people

• Dinner and drinks for 12 on the patio at The Outlet Co-Work & Space

• Tannin Wine Bar package; includes wine and charcuterie tasting for 10 people

• Injectable fillers by Blissful Expressions, PLLC

• Soul or System Photography package; includes a gold champagne clutch

• Gift basket featuring local businesses; includes items such as gift cards from Legends, Create-A-Keepsake and Big Barn, Marshalltown Chamber Bucks, wine glass from Hellberg’s Jewelers, season tickets to Live on Stage and more

• Travis Kelce autographed jersey

• One-week stay in Mexico for four at the Villa Group Beach Resorts & Spas. Choose from Cabo San Lucas, Loreta, Puerto Vallarta or Cancun.

• Four tickets to Foreigner at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 9; includes $100 Visa card and a $50 Firebirds Wood Fired Grill gift card

• Trip to Louisville for a bourbon distillery tour; includes $1,500 Hotel Distil gift card and $500 Visa card

• Animal portrait tattoo by Joel Hernandez at Warlock Tattoo in West Des Moines

• Four Iowa State home football game tickets with a $100 Visa card and $150 to Cornbred BBQ

• A June 16-19 stay at the Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham in Nashville and a $300 Visa card

• Trip to Galena, Ill. with a two-night stay at Stoneybrook Inn, $300 Visa card and $100 gas card

• Showroom Auto total vehicle detailing package; includes basic oil change, tire rotation and $100 Rubes gift card.

• Jill’s Decadent Cheesecake and Coach purse

• One-hour Des Moines Distilling Tour and Taste for eight people; includes van donated by Jensen Ford Lincoln for the tour

• Dooney & Burke crossbody purse, $500 Visa card for a Marriott stay and two tickets to a Chicago Cubs game

• VIP bowling at Wayward Social for up to 36 bowlers; includes six VIP lanes for two hours, shoe rental and personal bartender

• J.A.M. culinary package; includes in-home pasta making class and “From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen” by Snoop Dogg

• Vintage popcorn machine with popcorn bags

• Scenic Valley Boone Railway Lantern Tour date night; includes $100 gas card and $150 gift card to Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ & Brew in Luther

• Horns Outdoors gas pizza oven

• Signed jersey by Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott

36-inch Blackstone Griddle with a hard cover; includes gas tank, griddle accessories and $500 Visa card

• Iowa Hawkeye Women’s basketball signed by Coach Lisa Bluder; includes flower bouquet and Caitlin Clark memorabilia

——

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.

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