My 65th birthday & Fundraiser for At-Risk Youth and Dogs

In lieu of celebrating my 65th birthday, I hosted a fundraiser on April 30th at Karyn’s On Green to honor my late son, Dino, and raise money to help at-risk youth and dogs.  We raised just under $10,000 and all proceeds benefited Safe Humane Chicago and Chicago Canine Rescue.  The event was a success especially considering we planned it in only a few weeks.  It took me a very long time to be able to talk about my son passing and this was the first time I’ve been able to speak about Dino at such lengths so this event was a very powerful step in my healing process.

This event was very near and dear to me because my son was a huge animal lover and took in a lot of stray animals.  Having been troubled throughout his life, animals made Dino feel safe and comfortable.  I believe that animals change the conditions of humans and humans can change the conditions of animals, and I wanted to provide that same safeness and synergy for other troubled youth by raising money for these two important organizations.