We had another great Member Event! This year, we had the honor of celebrating the 30th anniversary of the sanctuary with our dedicated donors in attendance. With over 450 visitors, this year’s event was record breaking with over $12,000 raised that will benefit the primates for years to come. Guests were shuttled down to the sanctuary grounds and decided what section to check out first – perhaps the gift shop or concessions caught their attention, but the most alluring view was that of the 50 primates residing in enclosures around the property.
We love that when members visit, they have the opportunity to see first hand how their donations are making a difference in the lives of the residents. Staff and volunteers are always excited to show visitors the new and exciting enrichment items, the stock of fresh produce, whole grains and tasty nuts in the kitchen and the beautiful property that the primates call home.
The gift shop was a big hit this year with tons of PRC merchandise up for grabs. The concession stand, staffed by long-time supporters Pete & Shelia Garcia and Cheryl & Terry Parson, stayed busy as hungry and thirsty patrons visited for refreshments. Guests also got to participate in the live and silent auctions as well as the raffle. Raffle prizes this year included specialty wines, airline tickets and novelty gift baskets. Thanks to the generosity of so many donors (listed below), the silent auction had nearly 30 items to bid on! The live auction is always exciting, but this year was particularly nail biting as interested bidders fought for a one-of-a-kind painting of Ike chimpanzee by local artist Alec Ganesha.
So many hands went into making this day possible. Many thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers, without whom we simply could not have done it. The volunteers endured the hot weather with smiles on their faces to help us make the event one of the best yet – thank you all! We would also like to thank and recognize our fantastic members for showing your support to the sanctuary and our cause with your presence and your donations. We honestly can’t thank you enough, and we hope to see you again next year!
Last, but definitely not least, we would like to recognize and thank those who sponsored the event:
21c Hotel
A1 Portables
Actors Theatre
Ale-8-One Bottling Company
Alec Ganesha
Alternative Jewelry — Danny & Libby Barnes
AMC Classic Theatre
Amie LeMaster
Animal Hospital of Nicholasville
Barefoot in Kentucky
Big Ass Fans
Bluegrass Hospitality Group
Bonnie Meyer Day
Central Bank
Cincinnati Reds
City Barbeque
Clay’s Mill Baptist Church – Mike Dunn
Dennis Parrish – Artist
Designs and Cool Finds
Domino's Pizza, Nicholasville
Fayette Gallery – Jenny Guidry
Garcia Concrete Construction — Pete & Shelia Garcia
Goff Southeast Tents
Goin’ 8pe
Hayden Company — Bill & Linda Hayden
Hickman Creek Kennels – Lisa Scott
High Bridge Spring Water
Hiking RRG – Mike Johnson
Hyatt Regency Lexington
Indianapolis Colts
Ips Chips
Janice Girardi Sterling Silver
Jon Elliott
Karen Young
Kentucky for Kentucky
Kroger – Nicholasville, Bellerive and Brannon Crossing
Landscapers Corner — Elaine & Bill Pence
Lauren Graziano — Artist
Lexington Legends
Lockmasters Security Institute
Louisville Sluggers Museum
M & E Specialty Contracting — Jack & Lynn Osborne
Mt. Freedom Church – Nathan Elliot
NatalieShopCo
Nate’s Coffee
Park Printing – Tim Park
Pet Wants
Pies and Pints
Picaboo
Raising Cane's
Retta Art and Design
Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital
Short Cuts Grooming
Southern Communications – Mike Mufuno
Spider Monkey Spirits
Shawn Kayley Sullivan
Talon Winery
Unstoppable Guitar System
Watts Realtors and Auctioneers — Ken Watts
Yellow Leaf Design Shop – Melanie Parker
Young Living — Laura Clifford