BARK AFTER DARK GALA
Date: September 17, 2022
Time: VIP Social Hour beginning at 5:00pm. Doors open to the Gala at 5:45pm and we will end our evening not later than 11:00pm.
Location: *New Location* Downtown Des Moines Marriott. 700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50309
Join us for Bailing Out Benji’s not-so-annual Bark After Dark Gala on September 17, 2022 in Des Moines, Iowa.
After a two year break due to the pandemic, we are honored to invite our friends, supporters and volunteers back to Des Moines for a night of networking and celebration of all that has been accomplished in the fight to end the cruel puppy mill industry.
Reserve your tickets now to Bailing Out Benji’s largest event of the year and support our efforts to continue researching and advocating against puppy mills. Enjoy an evening full of music, great food, guest speakers, a silent auction and a room full of advocates who share your passion for helping animals.
Event Sponsors
Hall of Puppy Mill Survivors Sponsors
Judith Neal Family
Becky Monroe Family
Friend of Benji Sponsors
Jacobson Family
Biwer Family
Yarger Family
Proud Supporter Level
Wholesome Pet Essentials
Tickets
Individual Ticket
$50
VIP Ticket
$75
*For adults and children ages 10 and up. Includes access to the gala, appetizers, food, dessert and beverages.
*Includes a ticket to the VIP Social Hour in the Hall of Puppy Mill Survivors, as well as everything included with the individual ticket.
If you have any financial barriers that will prohibit you from attending the gala please contact Mindi Callison: mindi@bailingoutbenji.com .
Sponsorship and Table Reservations
If you are interested in investing in a future with no more puppy mills, this is the spot to do it! A variety of sponsorship levels are available that offer an array of benefits to your family and/or business.
Please email Mindi Callison: mindi@bailingoutbenji.com
Hall of Puppy Mill Survivors
*New this year*
As a part of our VIP social hour and the entirety of the Bark After Dark Gala, Bailing Out Benji will be showcasing puppy mill survivors from across the country. These dogs are the reasons why we do what we do and we want to honor their stories and share them with the world.
All canvas prints will be displayed throughout the evening and can be picked up at the end of the night or will be shipped to the family within 2 weeks after the evening of the gala.
8X10 Custom photo canvas display
$75
8×20 Custom photo canvas display
$150
11×14 Custom photo canvas display
$250
16×20 Custom photo canvas display
$400
This room is being sponsored by the Neal Family and the Monroe Family.
Silent Auction
This year, our silent auction will be virtual, while also having additional items that will be available in-person only. A few of the items we will be auctioning off include:
Vacations:
Sports Items:
Our silent auction will have even more items, including those donated by Tito’s Vodka, the East Village Spa, KONG, and Best Friends Animal Society.
If you are interested in donating items to our silent auction, please email Brandi Webber: brandi@bailingoutbenji.com or Ashly Dale: adale@bailingoutbenji.com
Special Guests
Mindi Callison is the Founder and Executive Director of Bailing Out Benji, a national nonprofit organization that focuses on building a grassroots effort to create change for puppy mill dogs.
At just 21 years of age, Mindi founded this organization after discovering a local puppy-selling store in her town. She began ongoing protests at pet stores in her hometown of Ames, Iowa and that inspired advocates from all over the country to do the same. In just a few short years, after being featured in a documentary and several books, Mindi’s Iowa-based organization has expanded to include volunteer teams across the country. This nimble, innovative organization is entirely dedicated to ending the inhumane breeding practices of dogs and cats in commercial facilities. They work to research and reveal the links between puppy mills across the country and the pet stores and websites where the puppies are sold.
This research has been crucial in passing many local and state bills across the country which regulate the sales of puppies, kittens and rabbits in stores. While most national organizations are headquartered on the coasts or in large cities, Bailing Out Benji’s Iowa roots allow them to serve as a much needed and powerful voice for animals across the Midwest, which is a strong hold for animal agriculture and dog breeding.
and
Eleanor the golden retriever who was rescued from Daniel Gingerich’s puppy mill.
James Evans is a multi-awarding winning creative strategist and leader with 25+ years of experience developing relationships between organizations and their constituents. His expertise has been utilized across a diverse group of brands, both non for profit, and for profit. Specific brand experience includes: Timberland, Disney, The Mills Corporation, NAACP, Baltimore Health Department, Maryland Health Department, Kennedy Krieger Institute, CVS Caremark’s Project Health, Safe Streets Baltimore and many other brands.
James and his team have initiated several programs, including the ground breaking Gulf Spay/Neuter Campaign and HSUS’ Pets for Life, which helped reshape animal welfare, while simultaneously advocating for more diversity and inclusion throughout the field.
James has played an integral part in Animal Welfare projects like The Humane Society’s Pets for Life, Adopters Welcome, Outdoor Cats Research, Stop Puppy Mills, Spayathon, as well as Best Friends Animal Society’s Outreach Action Team, Maddie’s Fund, and SPCA of Texas’ Let’s Fix This Campaign.
James is currently the founder and CEO of CARE, Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity, a non-profit that is using research, community wisdom and storytelling to inspire inclusivity in animal welfare and create BIPOC run equitable organizations and programs.
Rita Bettis Austen is the Legal Director of the ACLU of Iowa. As Legal Director, she oversees the legal program’s efforts to promote and protect the basic rights and freedoms of all Iowans through litigation.
In this role, she has brought cases championing voting rights, freedom of speech and religion, racial justice, gender equality, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ equality, immigrants’ rights, fair sentencing for juveniles, and the rights of the accused. Before becoming legal director, she worked as a staff attorney for the ACLU of Iowa. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law.
Event Sponsors
Hall of Puppy Mill Survivors Sponsors
Judith Neal Family
Becky Monroe Family
Friend of Benji Sponsors
Jacobson Family
Biwer Family
Yarger Family
Proud Supporter Level
Wholesome Pet Essentials