The Guelph Humane Society (GHS) is doing something that hasn’t been done by a humane society before. It is hosting a live, two-hour television variety show. As a non-profit organization and registered charity that does not receive government funding, GHS relies on the donations from patrons, and this variety show is not your average fundraiser.
Natalie Thomas, Manager of Marketing & Communications, explains.
“Our biggest fundraiser of the year is our annual gala, usually held in person in November. In 2019, our gala raised $267,800 for vulnerable animals in our community. Obviously, we had to cancel our in-person gala in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions, and we made the decision this spring to again postpone our in-person gala without knowing what kind of COVID-19 restrictions would be in place come November.”
Natalie continues, “Even though we are postponing our gala for 2021, we knew we wanted to hold an event to engage our community. Events that are normally held in person have shifted to Zoom events, and organizations have worked really hard to put on high quality events using online platforms. But we wanted to stand out. We wanted to be different. We didn’t want to just try and replicate our in-person gala in an online package.”
GHS reached out to Rogers tv and asked about hosting a television show. Rogers tv was very supportive. Now, GHS will be debuting a two-hour live variety show.
“We have never produced a television show before, but we pride ourselves on being innovative,” Natalie admits. “I think our supporters appreciate new opportunities to get involved with GHS, and hopefully we have people tuning in on November 4th to experience this one-of-a-kind television event.”
The show is called There’s No Place Like Home. It takes place on November 4 from 7 pm to 9 pm on Rogers tv in Guelph, Kitchener, Brantford and Stratford, and can be streamed live from rogerstv.com.
“The theme ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ really resonates with GHS this year, because we just moved into our new home at 190 Hanlon Creek Blvd. For the animals in our care, they can’t wait to go home with their new families and find their Happy Tails. But while they are at GHS, the new building is so bright and spacious and inviting, that it’s okay to call 190 Hanlon Creek Boulevard home for a little while, too!” smiles Natalie.
The new, larger GHS building allows staff to help more animals than ever before, allowing them to better fulfill their mission to support and promote the welfare of animals. From providing animal care and shelter to Guelph and Wellington County’s most vulnerable animals, to adoption services, GHS is not just in the business of small animal and pet care. They help sick, orphaned, and injured wildlife, and stray or surrendered farm animals. There’s No Place Like Home will feature all aspects of the types of work the Guelph Humane Society is doing.
“Intertwined with our show is our 50/50 Lottery,” Natalie adds. “It’s our third 50/50 lottery of the year, but this time the winning ticket will be pulled live on television near the end of our show. The winning prize is well over $11,500 and growing, and someone will find out during the show whether or not they are the winner.”
What can viewers expect to see on November 4?
“We have so many exciting segments planned. People will enjoy seeing behind the scenes of what a typical day is like for cats and dogs in our care. There’s a dog fashion show, thanks to our friends at Ren’s Pets. A group of young dancers from Emotion Dance Company will be performing a song from The Wizard of Oz, and I’ve heard there are even animals in the dance. I haven’t seen a rehearsal yet, so even I’ll be surprised. And I can’t wait to hear local musician Kat Steeves sing her own rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. That’s going to be a really powerful moment in the show.”
If she could tell you anything about animal rescue, it would be this, “It’s all about the animals. Everything we do is to help as many animals as possible. Even this show; it’s to raise awareness about the work we do, grab people’s attention, and hope that our community feels compelled to support us and if they are able to do so, make a financial gift that will change the lives of animals in need of a second chance.”
Mark November 4 on your calendar so you can tune in or stream There’s No Place Like Home. Donations are accepted year round at https://guelphhumane.ca/donate-online/.
Natalie concludes, “People can also support us by purchasing 50/50 lottery tickets, buying dinner and dessert out on November 4th from one of our local food sponsors (with a percentage of sales coming back to GHS), or even bidding on items during our online auction that takes place Oct. 22-Nov. 5. Information on all of these ways to get involved with our variety show can be found at www.GuelphHumane.ca/TV.”