Captured Event

January, 19 2010 - Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation's Stars Sponsor Reception

What: Private Pre-Gala Reception

Where: Mandarin Lounge, 44 Maryland Plaza, St. Louis, Missouri

When: January 16, 2010

Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Ticket Prices: By Invitation Only.

Beneficiary: Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation

Executive Director: Elena Bicker

Staff: Judy Bentley, events manager; Kathleen Huls; Bobbe Bartlett, development director

Sponsors: Purina One, Anheuser-Busch Companies, AmerenUE, Natoli, ASPCA, American RadioLabeled Chemicals, Inc., American Airlines, First Bankers' Banc Securities, Inc., Edward Jones, Heffernan Insurance Brokers, Ed Curtis, Steve and Diane Parrish Foundation, The Westin St. Louis

Attire: Business Casual/Cocktail

Information: Judy Bentley, 925-296-3154

Board of Directors: Tony La Russa, Co-Founder and Chairman, Manager, St. Louis Cardinals; Gregory L. McCoy, Esq., President, Gagen McCoy; Brenda de la Ossa, Secretary, Community Volunteer; John Watson, Treasurer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corporation; Bill Blase, Senior Executive Vice President - Human Resources, AT&T, Inc.; Bradley N. Blake, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Blake Hunt Ventures; Sandy Block, DVM, Bollinger Canyon Animal Hospital, San Ramon; Maria Brunner, Owner, Insight Mgt.; Glenn Colacurci, Retired Managing Director, Smith Barney; Grant E. Finlayson, Managing Director, Pacific Ventures, LLC; Roger Haughton, Retired Chairman & CEO, The PMI Group, Inc.; Neal Mitchell, Community Volunteer; John Schiavo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc.; Marsha Servetnick, Community Volunteer; Jim Sexton, DVM, The Sexton Clinic; Amy Trask, Chief Executive, Oakland Raiders; Hall of Fame Board: Michael Duffield, Maddie's Fund; Bill Goldberg, Professional Wrestler and Actor; Frank Johnson, III, Senior Business Analyst, E & J Gallo; Mark McGwire, The Mark McGwire Foundation for Children; Dan O'Brien, Olympic Athlete; David Pratt, Owner, St. Louis Cardinals; George Riggs, Publisher, San Jose Mercury News; Dan Roberts, The PMI Group, Inc.; Keith Thomas, President, KRT Marketing

Blacktie Photos by: Terry Baer

Cheers to ARF!
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Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation's Stars Sponsor Reception

Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) held its "Stars to the Rescue" Sponsor Reception on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Mandarin Lounge, Central West End. The invitation-only party included event sponsors and their guests. The "Stars to the Rescue" concert took place Sunday, January 17, 2010 at the Chaifetz Arena, Saint Louis University campus.

"Stars to the Rescue" featured the following artists:

Dierks Bentley
Among the most successful and relevant country singers in the business, Dierks Bentley’s kind of country has never been straight-up-the-middle. Instead, the Arizona native grew up on a potent hybrid of honky-tonk, bluegrass, singer/songwriters, classic country and modern rock & roll, forging his own sound along the way. Bentley is a CMA Horizon Award winner; his new album, Feel That Fire, a 12-song serving of rockers and ballads with a dash of honky tonk and bluegrass, is scheduled for release February 3. 

Dennis DeYoung
The lead vocalist, keyboardist, accordion player, producer, writer and creative force behind many of the band Styx’s hit songs, Dennis DeYoung continues to cultivate a successful solo career today. He has produced several impressive albums - including Desert Moon, Back to the World, Boomchild, and 10 on Broadway. Dennis DeYoung has also composed and recorded a musical based on Victor Hugo's novel, Hunchback of Notre Dame. He was recently awarded the 2009 Great Performer of Illinois award celebrating his contributions to music and the culture of Chicago and State of Illinois.

Lovehammers
A Chicago-based, alternative rock band, the Lovehammers’ sound is best described as a combination of pop-punk, and grunge influences. With a basis in friendship that goes back to their Little League days, the Lovehammers’ manipulation machine can take a bare bones song and morph it from an acoustic jam to a full-on orchestration. Their most recent album, Heavy Crown (2009), “offers a refreshing respite from today’s over-compartmentalized musical climate.” Since 1997, the band has independently released five full-length albums and EPs and one major label LP (Epic Records as Swinging Lovehammers). Vocalist Marty Casey as a runner-up in the 2005 reality television show, Rockstar: INXS.     

Kathleen Madigan
Back by popular demand is American Comedy Award winner, Kathleen Madigan with her accessible and unpretentious style that has earned her a devoted and growing following. Kathleen packs theaters from Nevada to North Carolina and everywhere in between. Kathleen's a mainstay on Comedy Central, performs standup specials on HBO, and is the host of her own weekly show on Sirius Radio Networks, The Kathleen Madigan Show.

David Nail
Growing up in a small southeastern Missouri town, David Nail might’ve chosen to follow any of the dreams that drifted by like the riverboats on the mighty Mississippi: but in the end, it was music that called his name. His dream became a realization with I’m About To Come Alive, a collection of songs that captures the highs and lows and the hometown flavor of his own experiences. Hard knocks and heartache, good times and bad, small towns and big cities – it’s all in his music. Nail counts Vince Gill, Glen Campbell, the Beatles, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles among his influences.

Proceeds from Stars will benefit Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation as well as many animal rescue organizations in the greater St. Louis area.

The catalyst for ARF came in May of 1990 during a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees when a stray cat wandered onto the playing field. Terrified by the roar of the crowd, the frightened feline dashed about, eluding umpires and players. Tony, then the Manager of the Oakland A's, coaxed the cat into the dugout, secured its safety for the remainder of the game, and took responsibility for placing it with a local shelter.

To his dismay, Tony discovered not a single No-Kill facility existed in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. When Tony learned the cat would be euthanized, he and his wife, Elaine, named her "Evie" and found a home for her. His experience with this cat became the genesis for the founding of ARF, a No-Kill organization dedicated to bringing people and animals together to enrich each other's lives.

As life-long animal advocates with a deep concern for the thousands of animals abandoned to shelters each year, Tony and Elaine were inspired to create ARF in 1991. Their goal was to find caring homes for these animals and educate the public about the importance of controlling pet over-population through spay and neuter programs. Since then, ARF's mission has been expanded to include many outreach programs. It is only through a comprehensive approach that includes public education, early spay/neuter, and community involvement that ARF will achieve Tony and Elaine's ultimate vision of no more homeless, unwanted pets.

For more information about the Stars Sponsor Reception, the "Stars to the Rescue" concert, or ARF,  please contact Judy Bentley, events manager, at 925-296-3154 or visit the ARF website, www.arf.net