The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center Celebrates the 16th Annual Get Wild! Gala
EAST QUOGUE, NY – The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons celebrated their 16th Annual GET WILD! Gala raising funds to contribute to their mission to rehabilitate and successfully release animals back into the wild across Eastern Long Island.
Michael Hayes was honored at this year’s Gala, held at the Southampton Arts Center and the event chairs for this year’s benefit were Ingrid Edelman, Jane Gill, Missy Hargraves, Jonathan McCann and Lisa Baron Schenker. The emcee for the event was Award-winning animal advocate Jill Rappaport.
Guests were treated to live music from special musical guests Taylor Barton and G.E. Smith, cocktails, light fare, and a silent auction.
All guests were welcomed to the cocktail party, which featured appearances by some of the non-releasable hawks and owls that the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center has rehabilitated and now reside at the Center. All proceeds benefited the native wildlife treated at their hospital.
The highlight of the evening was board member Jeffrey Colle’s gift to the silent auction of a safari in Africa, at Buffalo Kloof in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province – which ended up selling multiple times to the great benefit of the Wildlife Rescue Center.
- Notable attendees included: Michael Hayes, Kathleen Mulcahy, Noelle Dunlop, Missy Hargraves, Jill Rapaport, Beth Stern, Chuck Scarborough, Taylor Barton, G.E. Smith, Jean Shafiroff,
Sponsors of the 16th Annual Get Wild! Gala included:
- Red Fox Sponsor: Penni Ludwig
- Great Horned Owl Sponsors: Leslie L. Alexander Foundation, Max, Beau, Bubba, Elliot and Willow Colle, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edelman, Andy Sabin Family Foundation, Lisa Baron Schenker and Gregg Schenker
- Red Tailed Hawk Sponsors: Susan Allen, Linda Hackett, Linda Lloyd Lambert, Linda and Russell Munson, Katherine Rayner, Louise and Lenn Riggio, Jonathan and Wendy Turetsky.
- Great Blue Heron Sponsor: Anonymous, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, Christine Seddon-Grofik and George Grofik.
- Snowy Egret Sponsor: Christine and Randall Blank, Roberta J.M. Olson and Alexander B.V. Johnson.
- Eastern Screech Owl Sponsors: Missy Hargraves, Jonathan W. McCann
With Special Thanks to Express News Group, Lawlor Media Group, Charles Spitzner Nursery, Tito’s Vodka, Duckwalk Vineyards and Leslie Wine.
About the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center of The Hamptons
The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center, Inc., Eastern Long Island’s only wildlife hospital, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of wild animals impacted by human encroachment on their habitat. It is a grass-roots organization that began with a few concerned friends and has grown to include over 3,000 members and supporters. The center operates as a full-service professional wildlife hospital, with licensed rehabilitators, biologists, animal behaviorists, and volunteers on staff. More than 300 people have been trained to help with wildlife rescues. The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center is located on Munn’s Pond Park through a cooperative licensing agreement with Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. The center is located on a greenbelt of public land parcels that stretches from Tiana Bay to Peconic Bay on the eastern end of Long Island, New York. This ecosystem is one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable, with salt and freshwater wetlands, Pine Barrens, deciduous forest, and meadowland. As a result, it is an ideal location for a wildlife rehabilitation center. The hospital is intended solely for wild animals. There are no ambient noises or smells to stress the wildlife that is recovering within, unlike a veterinary hospital. Every year, the Wildlife Rescue Center receives over 10,000 calls for information or assistance regarding wild animal encounters. In addition, the center offers educational programs to local elementary and secondary schools. Local college students participate in cooperative education programs and internships. The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center has an annual operating budget of more than $650,000, almost entirely funded by generous donors.
For more information, visit: www.wildliferescuecenter.org
