About Town: Bellevue Generosity Nets A Million to Two Local Charities

Folks around here know how to open their wallets for good causes.

The , which is located in Eastgate, held its annual gala recently at the . The highlight of the evening was the celebrity pet walk. Local media celebrities willingly give up their Saturday night for this great event. They parade on a fashion runway with either their own pet or show off an animal available for adoption from the Humane Society.

Volunteers and Society staff woofed their approval! They said that five pets featured in the fashion show were adopted after the event.

The money comes from ticket sales, a silent and a live auction, and donations. Tuxes and Tails raised a record $870,000.

If you missed the party, you can still celebrate animals by swinging by the shelter and purchasing a few bottles of the private label Tail Waggin’ Red wine. For more information on the wine or how to donate to help homeless animals, go to www.seattlehumane.org.

Guests at the recent Washington Women in Need (WWIN) luncheon in Bellevue were also generous in their support of a great organization. Washington Women in Need provides grants to low-income women in need of health care and education assistance.

One of the featured clients talked about how losing her teeth kept her from getting a job. With a grant from WWIN, she was able to get her teeth repaired and rebuild her life after leaving an abusive situation. Another client expressed her gratitude for the help she received getting back on her feet after a divorce.

The highlight of the event at Meydenbauer Convention Center was when Helena Stephens made the plea for donations. Stephens is the past president of WWIN and professionally is the manager of teen and youth services for the city of Bellevue.

To get the complete picture of what happened when Stephens got to the podium, you need to know that she was wearing an impeccable black suit with a bright red blouse. She then confessed to the crowd that she had been up at 1 a.m. on April 29th to watch the televised coverage of the royal wedding in England.  She commented on the impressive hats worn by the wedding guests. She then reached under the podium and pulled out a gorgeous red hat.

“In honor of women and the royal wedding, I decided to wear my hat today,” she said. “Plus, my husband worried that I wouldn't get my money’s worth out of the hat. So I’m getting it today.”

After the laughter died down, Stephens got guests to open their hearts, wallets and checkbooks to the tune of more than $163,000.

The kicker on all this - her husband, Alec, was in the audience to see her get her money’s worth out of the dramatic chapeau. He grinned when she talked about the hat. Oh, yes, she commented that she also wore it when she watched the royal wedding – along with her pajamas.

Frog Report: My friend, Pat Detmer of Newcastle, knew all about the frogs that I mentioned in a recent column. She has a pond near her home and listens to the frogs all spring. Detmer also knew more than I did about the critters – they’re Pacific Tree Frogs and are quite little, she said, despite the big noise.

One Last Grin: My parents live at Providence Point, a retirement community in Issaquah. After you enter the gate, there’s a 20 MPH speed limit sign. Right below the sign is a second message. It reads: "20 is Plenty."