Spring Celebration Brings in $315,000 for City’s Largest No Kill Animal Shelter
April 16, 2026 (CHICAGO) Hundreds of pet lovers, many accompanied by their canine companions, enjoyed a memorable evening on the town at the 19th Annual PAWS Chicago Animal Magnetism event, held Friday, April 10, at the industrial-chic Morgan Manufacturing in the West Loop.
More than 650 guests mingled, generously bid on incredible live and silent auction items, and dined on delectable tasting stations from Chicago’s top restaurants including Gene & Georgetti, Black Dog Gelato, Bombay Eats, Formento’s, Hubbard Inn, and PB&J. Canine attendees joined in the festivities, posing for custom portraits, receiving personalized engraved pet tags, unwinding at the doggy daycare, and feasting at the dog treat buffet sponsored by Kismet.
Presented by RWE Design Build and hosted by PAWS Chicago’s Professional Board, the event offered a spectacular night out to support vital lifesaving programs for Chicago’s homeless animals. The evening was emceed by Jake Hamilton & Anita Blanton of FOX 32 Chicago. This year’s event was led by co-chairs Danielle Kroloff and Ritu Shah.
Several adoptable pets made their debut at the event, including Eleanor, a 2-year-old nursing mom who continued caring for her puppies while battling heartworm, and Walter, a 3-month-old Terrier mix who arrived with five littermates, capturing hearts as he dozed off during the festivities.
PAWS Chicago presented Animal Welfare Leadership Awards to four extraordinary volunteers whose contributions have made a lasting impact on the organization’s mission, including Manu Puri, a steadfast presence for more than 20 years; Joel Cohen, who has advanced the organization’s IT capabilities; Dr. Paula West, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon providing specialized care to animals with complex bone and joint injuries; and Erik Harssema of DLA Piper, PAWS’ pro bono legal partner, who has strengthened the organization’s legal and security foundation.
The event netted a record-breaking $315,000 to help homeless and at-risk pets. PAWS relies exclusively on the generosity of the community and the success of events like these to advance its lifesaving work.
About PAWS Chicago: PAWS Chicago is one of the largest comprehensive No Kill animal welfare organizations in the nation, building programs to end the killing of homeless pets. More than 27,000 homeless and at-risk cats and dogs pass through PAWS Chicago’s Medical Center each year. PAWS is known for healing and rehabilitating 5,000 sick, injured, and homeless cats and dogs annually, and finding them loving families through its adoption program. PAWS Chicago also operates the city’s only high-volume spay/neuter clinic, providing more than 21,000 low-or no-cost spay/neuter surgeries last year, reducing pet overpopulation at its source. Since its founding in 1997, when more than 42,000 pets were killed in Chicago, PAWS Chicago has led the reduction in homeless pet euthanasia in Chicago by 88.8%. PAWS Chicago has earned the highest 4-star ranking by Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest independent evaluator, since 2003. For more information, visit www.pawschicago.org and follow PAWS Chicago on Facebook, X, and Instagram.