Second Chance Animal Services to Use 20th-anniversary Gala Proceeds to Rescue Pets

EAST BROOKFIELD — Second Chance Animal Services announced it has earmarked the proceeds from its upcoming anniversary celebration to rescue pets in overcrowded shelters.

Second Chance is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center with a gala featuring casino games, live music, auctions and raffles, food, and signature drinks by sponsor Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Thanks to the generosity of the event’s sponsors, including RE/MAX Realtor Wendy Johnson and Idexx Laboratories, Second Chance is able to pledge to save two pets for every event ticket sold.

“We wanted to do something really special to mark this milestone and we thought this was a meaningful way to launch our next 20 years of helping pets in need,” Development Director Lindsay Doray said.

Second Chance was founded in 1999 as a small volunteer shelter in East Brookfield with just $400 and an idea by current CEO Sheryl Blancato. Today it is one of the largest animal-welfare organizations in Massachusetts, helping more than 37,000 pets a year. It has revolutionized the animal-welfare field with an approach of keeping pets in homes instead of adopting them only out of the shelter, and operating three full-service nonprofit hospitals to provide access to veterinary care for all.

The anniversary event will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. with live music and, weather permitting, a fire on the patio. Tickets cost $60 and include starter casino money and a bounty of food at various stations throughout the venue with appetizers, pasta, salad and carving stations, a baked potato bar, a cheesecake bar, make your own s’mores, and signature drinks by Tito’s Handmake Vodka. Tickets are available online at www.secondchanceanimals.org and at the adoption center at 111 Young Road, East Brookfield.