10/23/2026
❤️✨ LOVE UNMASKED: A NIGHT WE WILL NEVER FORGET. ✨❤️
It’s hard to believe that nearly one week has passed since our 2026 Love Unmasked Masquerade Gala, an evening dedicated to the animals, the mission, and the love that brings our community together.
As I sit back and reflect on the evening, my heart is filled with gratitude. There are so many people who deserve recognition, appreciation, and a heartfelt THANK YOU. This event was so much more than a gala. It was a room full of people who took time out of their lives to show up, support our mission, celebrate our work, and stand beside Rooted In Love Rescue & Sanctuary.
To every single person who attended, supported, encouraged, donated, and helped make this evening possible: THANK YOU. ❤️
Thank you to our family, friends, supporters, and everyone who purchased a ticket and chose to spend their evening with us. Your presence meant more than you may ever realize. When you support our sanctuary, you are supporting the lives of animals who have needed someone to step up for them. You are helping us continue to provide safety, medical care, nourishment, rehabilitation, and a lifetime of love to those who need us most.
We never take that support for granted. Every person in that room was part of something bigger than one evening, and we are so incredibly thankful you chose to be part of our journey.
🥂 TO OUR INCREDIBLE GALA CONTRIBUTORS THANK YOU! 🥂
🎶 DJ Alex Martinez — Thank you for bringing the music, keeping the energy going, and helping make the evening so enjoyable for everyone. Your contribution helped create the atmosphere we hoped for, and we appreciate you being part of our special night!
👑 Carol Nichols, Mrs. Michigan International Universe — Thank you for taking time out of your evening to join us, meet our guests, spend time with our team, and be present for our event. Your willingness to show up and share this special evening with us meant so much!
❤️ Brittany and Chris Cluff — Thank you for traveling all the way from Tennessee to be with us and speak at our gala. The time and effort it took to make that trip did not go unnoticed. We are always so happy to have you in our lives, and we love you both! Thank you for continuing to stand alongside us and for being part of our journey. We are incredibly grateful for you! Christopher Cluff
🎤 Lori Pinson from FOX 2 News Detroit — Where do we even begin?! Thank you for your beautiful presence as our MC, for keeping the evening moving, and for bringing such warmth, excitement, and energy to the room. You helped make the evening feel special from beginning to end!
So many of our guests were excited to meet you, and it was wonderful to see the smiles and excitement you brought to the evening. You are truly a beautiful person inside and out, and we are so grateful you chose to spend your evening with us. We look forward to crossing paths again! Lori Pinson Fox 2
☕ Le’Creme Coffee Specialty Bar — Rafid and Ronda — Thank you for providing such wonderful service and for bringing your coffee specialty bar to our event. Your presence, time, and contribution meant a tremendous amount to us. We appreciate you being part of our evening and helping make it memorable for our guests!
📸 Karen DeCoster, our wonderful photographer — Thank you for being there throughout the evening, capturing the moments, the people, and the memories that made this night so special. We are so excited to see the photographs and relive the evening through your lens!
For everyone wondering when the pictures will be available, we will be sharing a link very soon where you can view the photographs from the gala! We cannot wait for you to see them!
💛 TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS — THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.
To Michelle Jones and her family, Liz, Lisa, and Dave: thank you for the hard work, time, and effort you put into helping make this gala happen. Your willingness to step up and contribute is appreciated more than words can express. Michelle Goryl Jones
Amanda, thank you for everything you do for our organization and for your beautiful blanket donation. Your continued support and dedication mean so much to us.
To every one of our board members who stood up and spoke on behalf of our organization and our mission: YOU ARE TROOPERS! Thank you for being willing to stand before our guests, represent what we do, and help share the heart behind our work. I appreciate each of you more than you know.
Being surrounded by people who believe in what we are doing and are willing to stand beside us is something I will never take for granted.
🐾❤️ AND TO OUR ROOTED IN LOVE FAMILY…
This thank-you deserves its own moment.
To the people who are part of the everyday work of this rescue and sanctuary, the people who show up day after day, the people who give their time, energy, hearts, and so much of themselves to these animals: THANK YOU.
The work of a rescue never stops. It is not just the public events, the photographs, the fundraisers, or the moments people get to see. It is the early mornings, the late nights, the feed buckets, the cleaning, the care, the worry, the medical needs, the hard decisions, and the endless commitment to animals who depend on us.
And then there was the gala.
The planning, preparation, organizing, decorating, coordinating, and countless details that went into creating this evening required an incredible amount of time, effort, sweat, and tears. So much work happened behind the scenes, and I know how much was poured into making this night possible.
To everyone in our Rooted In Love family who contributed to this event while continuing to care for the animals and keep everything moving at home: I SEE YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU. AND I THANK YOU. ❤️
This mission is built on love, but it is also built on the people who are willing to put that love into action. I am so grateful for each of you.
✨ LOOKING AHEAD: OUR 2027 EDUCATIONAL FACILITY AND PROGRAMS ✨
One of the most exciting parts of the evening was speaking with guests who expressed an interest in becoming involved in our upcoming 2027 adventure: our educational facility and programming!
To those of you who approached me, shared your ideas, offered your support, or expressed an interest in being involved, THANK YOU! Those conversations meant so much to me, and I am excited about the possibilities ahead.
Although 2027 may seem far away, planning is already underway, and things will begin moving quickly!
Our vision for this educational facility is about creating opportunities to teach, connect, and help people better understand animals, rescue, compassion, and responsible care. We want to create meaningful experiences that make a difference for both animals and people.
And one thing I want everyone to know is that our educational programming will move forward regardless of when the facility itself is built. We will begin developing and offering programs here on our property in whatever capacity is possible while we continue working toward the larger vision.
If you spoke with me at the gala about becoming involved, or if you are reading this and would like to be part of this next chapter, please reach out to me personally!
📱 Text: 810-751-0201
📧 Email: Please send me a private message, and I will provide the best email contact.
I want to stay connected with you, continue those conversations, and explore how we can work together. There is so much ahead of us, and I am genuinely excited about what we can accomplish with the right people coming together around a shared purpose.
❤️ FROM MY HEART, THANK YOU. ❤️
Putting on an event like this takes a village. It takes people willing to give their time, businesses willing to contribute, friends and family willing to show up, supporters willing to believe in the mission, and a community willing to care about the lives we are working so hard to protect.
To everyone who played a part, whether you were front and center or working quietly behind the scenes, please know that your contribution mattered.
To everyone who attended, we hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we enjoyed having you with us.
To everyone who supported us from afar, donated, encouraged us, or helped spread the word, we thank you, too.
And to everyone who continues to believe in what Rooted In Love Rescue & Sanctuary stands for, thank you for giving us the encouragement to keep going.
The animals cannot thank you themselves, but we will continue to show them what your kindness means through the care, safety, and love we provide every single day.
This gala was one evening, but the mission continues long after the decorations come down and the music stops.
The work continues. The love continues. And so does our commitment to the animals who need us. 🐾❤️
From all of us at Rooted In Love Rescue & Sanctuary, thank you for being part of our story, for believing in our mission, and for helping us build a future rooted in compassion.
With love and heartfelt gratitude,
❤️ Rooted In Love Rescue & Sanctuary ❤️
Rescue. Compassion. A lifetime of love.
