June 17th marked a landmark evening for animals as more than 400 people came out to support Animals Lebanon's fourth annual Gala for Change!
The event was celebrated at Lebanon's hottest rooftop venue, Skybar, boasting an unparalleled view of the Mediterranean while guests basked under the star-filled and moonlit open night sky.
The evening was ignited with exotic animals sounds and beautiful specially made animals in nature video which captivated the crowd's attention, and followed with a moving video of some of our most memorable rescues.
President of Animals Lebanon, Lana el-Khalil Bacha then welcomed the guests, giving a poignant speech where she called for people to give their financial backing to the goals of Animals Lebanon.
This year, our main message is "Animal Welfare is Human Welfare"
"People ask us all the time, why do you choose to fight for animals?" stated Lana in part of her speech.
She continued to explain, "In a country like Lebanon, where people have suffered the brunt of war, the turbulence of political instability, where children still roam the streets selling chewing gum barefoot??where the will to live through another day can sometimes be enough of a cause to fight for...?why animals?
But I believe the real question is, ?Why not??
You see, Lebanon can never be a progressive nation if we put all our focus on improving one problem while neglecting the others.
What type of a nation will we belong to if we put all our efforts into human rights alone but allow the air we breathe to become more polluted and our rivers to grow toxic. Or, if we drive through our streets and
still see dogs, cats, chimpanzees, and lions, boxed like vegetables on the side of the road and sold under the blistering sun.
All our struggles are one ?
And the activists who selflessly put their lives on the line to stand up for people, the environment, children, the poor, women, education?animals...are all fighting to see the realization of one united
dream:
A Lebanon ? *no, a progressive Lebanon* ? where no one has been left behind!"
Following to Lana's inspiring speech, the program started with an outstanding performance by international performer Cinda Ramseur - a singer and songwriter who has performed with the likes of Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston. Cinda was joined later by Lebanese tenor Marc Reaydi,and finally the party was ignited as Cinda took to the stage again and wowed the crowd with her infectious moves and soul-sailing singing!
The night was also marked by a raffle of over 80 gifts including an exquisite bracelet in rose gold, ruby, and diamond designed by the reputed House of Tabbah exclusively for this night! Another special gift was a roundtrip ticket for two to Athens by MEA.
As the Gala drew to a close, new supporters started showing up to celebrate with us, for the first time ever, the Animals Lebanon After Party, which continued well into the night.
To view more pictures of the night, please click here
A big thank you to all of our sponsors! Many of these companies have been with us from the start, and others joined us newly this year. What is clear is that every year there are more and more caring companies ready to show their support and commitment to animal welfare.
Our platinum sponsor, Fidus Wealth, has been with us every year and together with Gold Sponsor Vineyards they covered the entire cost of the
gala!
This means that every ticket sale, every other sponsor, every donation during the night - all went directly to improving animal welfare!
A very big thank you to our Silver Sponsors -
Ramco
Pepsi
METS
La Villa
International College
Christina Benneke,
La Libanaise des Jeux
GMD Holding
Royal Canin
Our Bronze Sponsors -
New Earth
Cat Group
Pet Care Veterinary Clinic
Mak Holding
Continental Beverages
Edghurst
Time LTD
SBC Tanzania
SBC Nigeria
SBC Kenya
Our In Kind Sponsors -
Fluid Design
Future Graphics
Maroon Asmar
L'Avenue
Pepsi
Enotica
ODEROSE
Time Out
Beiruting
Our Raffle Sponsors -
MEA for offering two plane tickets to Athens
Tabbaha Jewellery for offering a specially designed bracelet for the event
Phoenicia Hotel
GSPA
ABC
Fanar Restaurant
Salon Ashraf and Hany
L'avenue,
Skills Learning Center
Saifi Suites
Time Out Magazine
Entrepreneur Levant
Magazine
Paul Costantinian
Supercalifragilisticexpiallidocious,
Lomography
Paname
Genesis Gym
Cubanas
Galizio Torresi
Tony El Mendelek
Marinella Restaurant
Smartiz
Salon Rony Nacouzy
Kiphy,Urbanista
Special Thanks to Cinda Ramseur and Mark Reaydi and the Sky Bar team!
Thanks to all of your support, Animals Lebanon will be able to work for another year to save lives and improve the condition of animals in Lebanon through hard work on much needed legislation.
We hope to see you all again next year for another inspiring evening for the animals
The Animals Lebanon Team
