Community Corner

Hello Bully Gala Raises Awareness, Funds for Pit Bulls

Join this event on Saturday, Feb. 18, to help a good cause.

Hello Bully, a local organization giving battered dogs with a tattered reputation a chance at redemption, is celebrating its belief in the very name of an upcoming fundraiser—Lovers Not Fighters.

“We are nonprofit and every dollar we make goes directly to helping pit bulls in need,” said Nicole Garritano Meloy, Hello Bully’s volunteer event manager. “We go all out for this event as far as attendance and donations grow and we have grown through the years in a spectacular way.”

The Lovers Not Fighters gala is the largest fundraiser of the year for Hello Bully and it kicks off at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland. Meloy said more than 400 people are expected.

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The annual event started in 2009 with 200 guests with an end result of $11K raised. The next year, there were 300 attendees that brought in $20K. In 2011, there were 375 guests that helped to raise $42K. Adoptable dogs from three Pittsburgh shelters also will be in attendance.

“It shows how much we have grown over the years not only as an event, but as an organization,” Meloy said.

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The organization’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and repair the reputation of the American Pit Bull Terrier. There are no salaried positions at Hello Bully, while volunteers and fosters support the organization out of the kindness of their hearts, and their passion to help a breed misunderstood.

The money raised at the event goes directly to fund the pit fix program, which provides neutering and spaying services, along with lending aid to the Hello Bully Halfway House for rehabilitated dogs.

The cocktail party style event also includes a DJ, a presentation about Hello Bully, and more than 30 raffle baskets that range from $75 to $200. A silent auction and a live auction also will be held. April Gruver of Edgewood, owner of Vanilla Pastry in East Liberty, is donating cupcakes for the gala.

Meloy said she can’t wait to be in a room with more than 400 people who love pit bulls and share a common goal to help the animal.

“You can’t believe everything you see on TV,” Meloy said. “The media portrays these dogs as monsters and most people who don’t know any better base their perception of these dogs on the news. Most people who have a bad idea about a pit bull have never met one.”

Samantha Ginsburg of Braddock Hills is a senior volunteer with Hello Bully who also is a member of the gala committee. She helped to gather countless donations from local business owners and friends for the raffle. The East End Food Co-Op and D’z Six Pax ‘N Dogz are among the businesses who donated items.

A pit bull owner herself, the cause is close to Ginsburg’s heart.

“Humans have created a pit bull overpopulation epidemic,” Ginsburg said. “Advocacy is one of the most important things we can do to help pit bulls. This fundraiser helps us to raise money and awareness to that we can continue our mission to ‘rescue, rehabilitate and repair the reputation of the American Pit Bull Terrier.’”

Tickets are $50 for general admission, which includes food. Every guest gets a gift bag filled with coupons, pet-related items and more. VIP tickets are $120, which includes a VIP reception from 6 to 7 p.m. and a special gift bag. They also have VIP seating, two drink tickets and table service for those who need it.

Meloy looks forward to furthering the Hello Bully mission and enjoying a successful event.

“They are big lovers and you cant believe everything you see,” Meloy said. “We have had a lot of success in changing peoples minds and perception through everything that we do.”

For more information about Hello Bully and the Lovers Not Fighters gala, visit www.hellobully.com.

Full Disclosure: Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch Local Editor Stephanie Rex is a volunteer at Hello Bully.


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