Unconditional Love: Adoption in the Hamptons

(This article first appeared in the July 5, 2017 issue of The Independent Newspaper)

The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation enters into its eighth year of the annual Unconditional Love Gala. The anticipated event will be held this Saturday at the residence of Chuck and Ellen Ward Scarborough in Southampton beginning at 6:30 PM.

“It’s critical to who we are and what we do,” Southampton Animal Shelter’s adoptions coordinator, Kate McEntee, explained.

With Chuck Scarborough as master of ceremonies, the event will honor Jean Shafiroff and Sony Schotland.

“[Sony] is the co-founder of the shelter. She’s basically the woman who started it all, Southampton Animal Shelter and ARF. She basically had major contributions in getting these big organizations running. We thank her for all her support throughout the years,” McEntee said. “[Jean] has been a chair of Unconditional Love for the past few years. So we’re honoring her this year for everything she does for us.”

In addition to honoring extraordinary women, Katie Jacobs of Christie’s will be the new auctioneer this year. Trips to the Victoria Hotel in Paris and Deer Valley in Utah, luxury accessories, Jimmy Fallon tickets, and more are all exciting options for bidding. For those intrigued, debuting this year is an online platform for the live auction where everything is available through a mobile device.

After the roaring success of Catwalk for Canines, where each animal featured found itself a “furever home,” this year the shelter hopes money raised will assist in their “patient pets,” those who have remained at the shelter for over 90 days, some even for years.

“We take everything that comes to our door. Age and health don’t matter,” McEntee emphasized. “Supporting them is what it’s all about. It’s the reason we can help animals with special needs, who need to go through training.”

Unconditional Love is more than a gala, it’s the mentality of the foundation. Through its tireless efforts and tremendous heart, with the help of countless supporters, Southampton Animal Shelter gives second chances to the four-legged community.

Chairmen include Andrea and Alex Douzet, Missy Hargraves, Antonella Bertello, Marcy Warren, Ellen Ward Scarborough, and Mollie Ruprecht Acquavella. Corporate chairs are Allen and Company Inc., Ferguson Cohen, LLP and Stifel. Platinum vice chair is Susan Allen. Diamond vice chairs are Jean and Martin Shafiroff, and Leslie Alexander and Liz Brown. Gold vice chairs are Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller, Jonathan McCann, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Liberman.

Silver vice chairs are Amy and Ray Cosman, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Brigid Fitzgerald and Michael Katz, David Bohnett, Ellen and Chuck Scarborough, Margo and John Catsimatidis, Paul Herman, Renee and Dale Schlather, Sequin, and Sony Schotland. Associate vice chairs are Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Craig Dix, Kathy Ferguson and Mark Zurack, Muriel Siebert Foundation, Southampton Hospital Foundation, and Tito’s. Junior co-chairs are Kingsley Crawford, Elizabeth Shafiroff, Kathryn McEntee, Sarah Vacchiano, Merritt Piro, and Pamela Suskind.

Junior Committee members are Jessica Mackin, Nicole Teitler, James Marzigliano, Gloria Dios, Lily Baker, Stephen Ham, Alison Ham, Isabelle Mercier-Dalphond, Tony Bowles, and Anna Johnston.