Several people have asked about the shelter benefit dinner. As promised, here is some information about it. I have written a history of it and will send that to anyone who wants it if you will email m at my personal addy. In a nutshell: The first was held in Las Vegas, NV for CJ's 24 KT Shelter, with subsequent dinners at Ferret Business of Georgia (Julianna Quadrozzi), St. Louis (SOS), Toronto (Ferret Aid Society) and Portland, OR (Oregon Ferret Shelter AND Pacific Ferret Shelter Network). All food is donated by an anonymous donor(s). NO money that is collected goes toward anything other than the shelter or SOS. UPCOMING EVENT: I will arrive in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. I will be at Barb's cooking most of Thursday. Volunteers should have my cell phone number already. If not, it is (860)906-8798. I do NOT listen to messages; I DO lose my phone a lot. If I do not answer, let the phone pick up so I have your phone number and I will call you back. People begin arriving about 4:00 pm and leave by about 8:30 pm. (Barb said people could stay later, though.) Dinner is served from about 5:00 to about 8:00 pm. There is NO charge for the dinner. You MAY - and are encouraged to - make a donation to the shelter. I put a big jar out for the donations and count them up to see how much we collected, but all money is turned over to the shelter operator that night. If you want a receipt, let me know and we will get you one. The jar is NOT passed and nobody knows if you put money in or not. Every person there gets ONE door prize ticket. All doorprizes are donated by individuals and companies. The items are NOT auctioned off or raffled. You MUST be present to win. You can only win one prize. You have as much chance of winning a $100 prize as you do of winning a $5 prize. Alcohol is not served. Food is available for carnivores, veggies and vegans. Locals usually provide sides and desserts, but these are extras and not required. DIRECTIONS and rides will be available at the front desk of the hotel. For those who want to mapquest it yourself, these are the pertinent locations: Airport: Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) Pittsburgh, PA Hotel: Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport, 8256 University Blvd., Coraopolis, PA 15108-2591; 412-262-3600 or 800-333-4835 Barb's (http://www.ferret-hide-e-hole.org/): 145 Margaret Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15210-2236; 412-481-5927 Questions? -- Renee Downs "Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk "The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the credit! Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.) http://www.ferretemergency.org [log in to unmask] International Ferret Congress http://www.ferretcongress.org American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org [Posted in FML 6138]