GALT Events Greyt Retired Athletes Benefit Dinner and Auction
FundraiserGreyt Retired Athletes
Benefit Dinner & Auction
Saturday, February 28, 2015
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
III Forks
17776 Dallas Pkwy
Dallas, TX 75287
For the second year in a row, GALT held its annual Greyt Athletes Dinner and Auction fundraiser at the fabulous III Forks Restaurant, and this year's event was even more spectacular!
III Forks' stellar food and service were matched by the star power of our special guest, former Dallas Cowboy great Jay Novacek. Brady Tinker -- creator and host of DFW Sports Beat -- and Burton Gilliam of "Blazing Saddles" fame served as emcees, interviewing Jay and other special guests throughout the evening. Brady and Burton also were co-auctioneers of our Live Auction, and Jay jumped in to help pump up the bidding!
Other retired athletes recognized at the dinner were the following Major League Baseball players:
- Jack Lazorko
- Mike Phillips
- Mike Bacsik
- John Knox
- Bump Wills
The Live Auction bidding was hot and heavy for footballs autographed by Jay Novacek and "Blazing Saddles" DVDs signed by Burton Gilliam. Other popular items were autographed jerseys from Dirk Nowitzki and Mario Lemieux. There was even a Mario Lemieux autographed bathrobe, modeled by Burton! There was something for everyone - golf outings at Vaquero Country Club with Chuck Greenberg - a week in a beautiful private home in Angel Fire - a catered Greek dinner and Gittings photo shoot – Mark Followill's personal Mavs tickets with a Kenichi dinner - and even four premium seats at a Rangers game with a chance to spend an inning with Chuck Morgan in the announcer's booth. The final item was a suite for 20 at a Frisco Rough Riders game, which included throwing out the ceremonial first pitch!
Our wonderful GALT supporters braved the cold weather and icy road conditions to ensure a successful event and raise much-needed funds for the hounds. Throughout the evening, the dinner attendees were able to mix/mingle, get autographs and have their pictures taken with the celebrity guests.
For those who missed out on the Live Auction bidding, they could still come home with something special from the Silent Auction, which featured some gorgeous jewelry and accessories, sports memorabilia, one-of-a-kind art pieces, stunning home décor items, restaurant/spa gift certificates, doggie gift baskets and more.
Of course, the Live and Silent Auctions were the main reason for the event, i.e. to help raise funds to defray GALT's ever-present medical, boarding and other operating expenses. Many thanks to our generous donors and bidders!
Many of our attendees purchased new GALT memberships or upgraded their current membership status at the event. A special members-only raffle was held, and Lisa Bengelsdorf was the lucky winner!
In addition to the donors, bidders, members, other attendees and our dedicated volunteers, our deepest thanks go out to our terrific sponsors who helped make this wonderful event possible:
- VCA Preston Park Animal Hospital
- Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center
- Helen Manning
- Animal Dermatology Referral Center
- Nicole and Mike Nixon
- Southwest Art Gallery
- Canine Positive Touch
- Top Paw Resort
- John Hudson Photography
- Shawn Fernandez Media Works
Everyone played a part in making this an incredibly successful event, and we are sincerely thankful to have such a tremendous team of supporters who join us in meeting our mission of "No Grey Turned Away."™ If you missed the fun this year, come out next year and join the party to support the hounds!