Dear WPN members, friends, and community,

Women’s Professional Network is honored to share our mission to support, empower, and advocate for each other and their community by holding our annual event to recognize a very deserving beneficiary for this year’s Annual Gala & Raffle Dash.

WPN is excited to announce our 2020 Annual Gala & Raffle Dash Event is scheduled for Friday, September 25^th, 2020, and are honored to announce the beneficiary for this year’s event to be Animals As Natural Therapy.

Animals As Natural Therapy (ANT) proudly serves youth ages 8-18, veterans, & elders through equine therapy & other animal-assisted learning programs. Many of those they serve are struggling with trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger & behavior management, and other challenges affecting their daily lives. Their work is based on the knowledge that animals can reach a place in the human heart that other approaches may not. Additional services include mobile therapy animals, leadership & anti-bullying workshops, suicide prevention curriculum, and team-building experiences. Of their participants, 90% are low income. The unique equine facilitated experiential l earning offered by ANT can impact hard to reach hearts that are shut down to other therapies. Animals as Natural Therapy is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit with programs being funded by donations.

Animals As Natural Therapy’s mission is to strengthen our community by developing healthy, resilient individuals through animal-facilitated education, with special attention to at-risk youth.

Join us Friday, September 25^th 2020 from 5 PM - 8 PM at Hotel Bellwether to enjoy a cocktail hour, fun animal photo ops, followed by a plated dinner, raffle dash and silent auction, inspiring program, and a delicious dessert dash. This special event helps to raise critical funds that supports ANT’s equine therapy and other mental health programs, allowing them to offer meaningful interventions to families at low cost. Funds raised also help to care for their rescued animals, of which many have also been mistreated.

Help us build a stable of support for the youth, veterans, and animals who received hope at ANT, and join us to celebrate continued years of healing! We greatly appreciate the support of our members, friends, and community as we come together in making this a successful event. Your support is the heart beat of how such incredible organizations continue to grow as they serve those in our community by offering therapies so they can thrive.

Should there be any continuing stay-home orders or county event cancellations due to the pandemic during the date of our scheduled event, we plan to offer a virtual event so you will still be able to join us in celebrating and supporting this very deserving organization for a special evening.

We look forward to having you join us and seeing you to celebrate together!

Thank you,

Karyn Shaffer

WPN President