Dogs, Drinks and Dancing: Paws and Pours Event Supports Alexandria Nonprofit
Owners and their dogs gathered in Fort Hunt Park to support the mission of providing a work opportunity to people with disabilities
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The heat only strengthened the appeal of Paws and Pours, the third annual fundraising event for Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats, promising community members and dog-owners alike an evening full of drinks, dogs and dance.
Over the last three years, Paws and Pours has raised funds to support Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats, a nonprofit organization in Alexandria, VA, that started in 2017 and combines a love of dogs with a commitment to provide employment, training, and opportunities for adults with disabilities.
“The event has kind of blossomed out of our nonprofit’s need to be able to expand employment opportunities for disabled adults,” said Anne Tuccillo, Co-founder and Executive Director of Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats. “We realized that you can’t do that alone by just the sale of dog treats, so we realized that we have to bring in more community support and community involvement through fundraising.”
At this year’s Paws and Pour’s third annual event, which occurred from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria, they partnered with new and returning sponsors to orchestrate a lively event full of activities and fundraising opportunities.
“All the sponsors are amazing, and we are just appreciative for all their generosity,” said Darcy Kohn, Community Outreach and Marketing Lead for Pawfectly Delicious Dog Treats. “The fact that they’re continuing to support our missions and encouraging them to come out to our biggest fundraising event to be able to support adults with disabilities and give them employment is awesome.”
Some of these sponsors included those behind activities such as the Dog Agility Course by Wholistic Hound Academy, which presented dogs with an opportunity to participate in their own obstacle course. Others were Alexandra Schmeling, who drew take-home pet illustrations, and Lasting Impressions Photography, who captured pictures of the dogs for their owners.
“We’re getting more brand recognition, we’re getting more sponsors from the local community and beyond, to kind of help bridge the gap, because putting on an event like this costs a lot of money,” said Tuccillo.
More of these sponsors included those such as The Hip Replacements, who performed live music that paired with boards of charcuterie made by Crudités All Day, beer and assorted drinks courtesy of the Wine Institute, and Specialty Mocktails & Drinks to give food and a show for attendees.
All the support from sponsors and attendees, along with a silent auction, helped create an event that has continued to improve since its start.
“We’ve been continually able to improve the event year after year. This is our third year, and we hope to continue it for years to come,” said Tuccillo.
Additionally, the support garnered by the event continues to contribute to the organization devoted to opening doors in the workforce for people with disabilities.
“When you look for the available job opportunities, there aren’t very many, and if you look, there are so many people that have a hard time getting work. So this is just a drop in the bucket,” said Mike Shaw, Chairman of the Board.
