Capital Area Humane Society’s 10TH Annual Fur Ball Yes, Spring is in the air and that can mean only one thing! It’s time for the Capital Area Humane Society’s 10th Annual Fur Ball. Every year the Fur Ball has a unique theme, this year was no exception. VIVA PAWS VEGAS!! You guessed it … a twist on Las Vegas, complete with all the fun and excitement. The evening’s event featured great décor of black, red and glitz, right down to the huge feather centerpieces on the tables. New this Read more [...]

Sparrow Hospital Guild presents the 87th Annual Charity Ball Any event that has had an 87-year history must be the “Social Event” of the season. Charity Ball has certainly had a long and impressive run, guided each and every year by the members of Sparrow Hospital Guild, whose sole mission is raising funds to support Sparrow Hospital. Persevering through world war; economic depression and bad weather, somehow there has always been a ball. The venue has moved several times throughout the years; Read more [...]

Saturday evening April 14, 2012 Eagle Eye Golf Club was transformed into Mardi Paw, the theme of the ninth annual Fur Ball (can you say Fur Ball without just a little smile? I can’t — and that is a good thing). The evening is all about fun and supporting animals. This year was no exception. The great tones of the jazz saxophone filled the room, along with nearly 400 guests and 50 dogs of all sizes and shapes. Celebrity waiters from the community were there to wait on you hand and paw — for Read more [...]

February is always that month that needs something. Oh, of course it plays host to Presidents’ Day, Valentine’s Day and the ever popular Groundhog Day. And this year February even got an extra day because it was Leap Year. But none of this can brighten up a winter evening like the Sparrow Gala! The joy of picking just the right cocktail dress, jewelry and the perfect pair of shoes, and the fun of seeing the look on that special guy’s face when you remind him “no tux required.” I know Read more [...]

Sparrow Hospital Guild presents the 86th Annual Charity Ball Any event that has been held annually for 86 years must be steeped in tradition. How can any group or organization sustain a fundraising event for all of those years? Especially when that event is a black-tie optional, sit-down dinner and dance, held right here in the Lansing community. Humor me for a minute while I look at the who, what, when, where and why of this special fundraiser. Who: The Sparrow Hospital Guild, a group of 50 Read more [...]

I made my way to the Country Club of Lansing following a steady stream of red tail-lights. The evening was cold and damp, it was one of those nights when it would have been so easy to just go home and cuddle up on the couch. I guess I could have convinced myself that I purchased a ticket so it really wouldn’t matter if I went or not. I suppose that is partly true. However, as I joined more than 300 members of our community — all of them there to support Ele’s Place, and the families that Read more [...]

Monday, Aug. 15 was one of those picture perfect “Pure Michigan” evenings. The weather was warm and the breeze was light — an ideal setting to support Women’s Caring Programs. This year’s Twilight Gathering was held at the home of Kelly Rossman-McKinney; she and 17 friends and business women in the Lansing area served as co-hostesses. I was running a few minutes later than I had planned, which often is the case in my crazy life. I pulled onto Canyon Drive in Delta Township looking for Read more [...]

6,000 homeless animals, each requiring a medical evaluation, behavioral screening, food, shelter and love ― that’s the minimum number of animals the Capital Area Humane Society cares for each year. The goal for each of these animals is a second chance: a safe and loving home. It costs a lot of money to provide for 6,000 animals each year. The shelter receives no government support, only funds donated by a generous and caring community, many of whom were at the 2011 Fur Ball, the Humane Society’s Read more [...]

The event was attended by about 700 Sparrow supporters including community leaders, physicians and dignitaries. Funds from this year’s Gala will support Sparrow Hospital’s Cancer Center and Phase I Clinical Trials. The evening’s theme was the “Party after the Party.” You know, the Frank Sinatra, Rat Pack era, where friends gather to get comfortable and you’re able to loosen your tie, let your hair down and enjoy a really great time. Every room at the club had something fun and Read more [...]

The Country Club of Lansing was the place to be on Saturday, evening Nov. 20, as the Sparrow Hospital Guild held their 85th Annual Charity Ball. Think about that for a minute, the same event held each and every year since 1925, hosted by the same organization. That is absolutely unheard of, yet the Guild, as they are simply known, has done just that. Their ball has sustained in the best of times and in the worst of times, yet they have always been there, true to their mission. Let’s talk Read more [...]

There are not many people who leave a legacy like Lansing’s Lucile Belen. You might think I’m referring to the huge hat collection that Belen left her beloved Zonta Club of Lansing. However, those beautiful hats are only a part of her legacy. Belen had asked the Zonta Club of Lansing to hold an auction and donate the proceeds to her favorite charities — which is exactly what they did, Tuesday evening, Oct. 12 at the Country Club of Lansing. The ballroom was lined with Belen’s beautifully Read more [...]

When Barbara Streed’s son, Thomas, was two years old, he had an allergic reaction to nuts. At the time, in 2000, her husband Dan had been stationed in Hawaii. They were in the middle of dinner and had just opened a bag of cashews that their four-year-old daughter had insisted on having. To make things fair, Streed decided to give Thomas half of a cashew. “He spit it out and started combing his tongue with his fingers,” Streed said of his immediate reaction. They raced to their neighbors Read more [...]