Porter County Animal Shelter Donation

On October 29, 2022, Memorial Opera House Foundation presented its first inaugural Halloween
a fundraising gala, Phantoms of the Opera House, which was held at the Porter County Expo Center in
Valparaiso. Although the event was primarily a fundraiser for the Foundation, a portion of the
proceeds were awarded to the Porter County Animal Shelter on January 10, 2023, as part of the
Foundation’s mission is to give back to the community and support a worthy cause.

At the Halloween event, Animal Shelter personnel were present with adoption pets for attendees to
visit. They even conducted a brief “Puppy Parade” showcasing dogs in costumes leading through the
audience as one of the evening’s early attractions.

Yesterday, Memorial Opera House Foundation board members, Kaye Frataccia-Seibert and Christy
Vice, as well as Memorial Opera House staff and Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney met at the
Animal Shelter to present Darrin Biggs and his staff with a $1200 contribution. Darrin commented, “It
was nice to see so many people from [Memorial Opera House] and Commissioner Blaney come
down to be a part of the presentation. We look forward to teaming up with MOH in the future and
appreciated the opportunity to show our animals in a relaxed setting. Thank you to Scot and the staff
for your generosity and support of the Porter County Animal Shelter.”

Memorial Opera House Foundation is already in the planning stages for the 2023 Phantoms of the
Opera House's annual gala is scheduled for Saturday, October 28. 2023 once again at the Expo Center.
They hope to make this an annual event for adults to dress up, dance, socialize, compete in the
costume contest, and bid for raffle prizes. They hope to have some new surprises on hand for
attendees as they continue to develop the theme and program for this year.

Photo credit: Maxine Spencer, PCAS Health Technician
Pictured: Rear, L-R: Scott “Stretch” Miller, MOH Technical Director; Christina Pals, MOH Costume
Shop Manager; Scot PJ MacDonald, MOH Executive Director
Center, L-R: Vicki Zimmerman, MOH Production Manager; Laura Blaney, Porter County Commissioner;
Chisty Vice, MOHF Board Member at Large; Darrin Biggs, Porter County Animal Shelter Director;
Jennifer Schaafsma, PCAS Assistant Director.
Front, L-R: Rae Smedley, MOH Box Office Manager; Natalia Klobuchar, MOH Administrative
Coordinator; Andrew Brent, MOHF Marketing Consultant; Kaye Frataccia-Seibert, MOHF Board
Member at Large; Danielle Lopez, PCAS Public Relations Coordinator; Dawn Harbaugh, PCAS Intake &
Adoption Coordinator; and Jazmine Lopez, PCAS Health Technician.