Broadway Barks Celebrates 10 Years of Saving Lives - Summer 2008 - Out of the Cage!, the E-Newsletter of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

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Broadway Barks Celebrates 10 Years of Saving Lives

Broadway Barks founders Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters paused for a photo with the Maddie's Fund mascot while an excited crowd awaited them in Shubert Alley.

On July 12, Broadway Barks 10 celebrated a decade of placing homeless Little New Yorkers center stage and one step closer to their new adoptive homes. Adoptions were brisk for the 26 organizations represented at this year's event, hosted by founders Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore.

As in years past, some of Broadway's brightest stars introduced animals for adoption to the enthusiastic crowd that jammed New York's famed Shubert Alley. Other celebrities were on hand to show their support for the event, and the Maddie's Fund mascot circulated throughout the crowd, bringing smiles to faces young and old.

This year's celebrity lineup included Sebastian Arcelus, Christine Baranski, Laura Benanti, Kerry Butler, Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Glenn Close, Charlotte d'Amboise, Harvey Fierstein, Boyd Gaines, Peter Gallagher, Joel Grey, Schuler Hensley, Jackie Hoffman, Cheyenne Jackson, Andy Karl, Lacey Kohl, Nathan Lane, Li Jun Li, Michael Longoria, Mario Lopez, Priscilla Lopez, Heather MacRae, Andrea Martin, Nick Mayo, Judy McLane, Matthew Morrison, Michael Mulheren, Bebe Neuwirth, Orfeh, Faith Prince, Pamela Remler, Loretta Ables Sayre, and Jennifer Smith. Dr. Ruth Westheimer made a surprise appearance.

Also stars in their own right are the shelters and rescue groups that brought cats and dogs to Broadway Barks to meet their future adopters. This year's participants included Mayor's Alliance members A Cause for Paws, Adopt A Boxer Rescue, Animal Care & Control of New York City, Animal Haven, Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Anjellicle Cats Rescue, ASPCA, BARC, Bideawee, Bobbi & the Strays, City Critters, Humane Society of New York, The Husky House, KittyKind, Long Island Greyhound Transfer, Loving Touch, Metropolitan Maltese Rescue, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, NYC Siamese Rescue, NY PET-I-CARE Adoption Program, P.L.U.T.O. Rescue of Richmond County, Russell Refuge, SaveKitty Foundation, Staten Island Council for Animal Welfare, Stray from the Heart, and the Tigger Foundation.

Actress, singer, and now author Bernadette Peters donates proceeds from her new book, Broadway Barks, to NYC shelters and rescue groups.

Making this year's Broadway Barks even more memorable was a special pre-event appearance by Bernadette Peters in Shubert Alley, where she greeted admirers and signed copies of her new children's book, Broadway Barks, which tells the story of a dog who finds a home through Broadway Barks, the event. Ms. Peters donates the proceeds from the sale of her book to animal shelters and rescue groups in New York City. Click here to purchase your copy of Broadway Barks.

This year, two special awards were presented by Broadway Barks sponsors. The ASPCA Award was presented to Rescue Ink, an animal rescue organization that works to end animal abuse and neglect. Tom Viola and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), who produce Broadway Barks, received The Pedigree Award for their ongoing support that has helped to make the event so successful year after year. And Broadway Barks 10 was recognized by a Proclamation from the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, proclaiming July 12, 2008, as Broadway Barks 10 Day.

In addition to promoting adoptions and raising awareness for the many deserving animals in New York City who need homes, Broadway Barks raises funds through a silent auction, signed memorabilia sales, and donations. The money raised is distributed among the shelters and rescue groups that participate in Broadway Barks, and a generous amount is donated to the Picasso Veterinary Fund of the Mayor's Alliance. This fund was created in 2003 by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore to pay for extraordinary medical care for sick and injured animals at NYC's Animal Care & Control shelters.

Shubert Alley was filled with excitement as Broadway Barks celebrated a decade of saving lives on July 12. a resounding success!

Shubert Alley was filled with excitement as Broadway Barks celebrated a decade of saving lives on July 12.

The Mayor's Alliance expresses its appreciation to Bernadette Peters, Mary Tyler Moore, BC/EFA, and all the individuals and organizations that help to make Broadway Barks a huge success. If you missed this year's event and would like to find out how you can help New York City's homeless animals, click here.