We at Home For Life are very saddened to learn of the passing of #JaneGoodall, Home For Life Animal Sanctuary's 2018 gala guest.
When we were trying to figure out the 2018 event, I suggested Dr Goodall as our special guest but was told her team would turn us down-"they always are very nice but they always say no". I said: well it can't hurt to ask, so we did and to our surprise she said yes. Then it took a long time to come up with a date for the gala that would work for her and pin her down as she was in the jungles of Tanzania and could not be reached. When we finally got the date, we had less than 6 months to get everything ready to go
| I didn't fully realize her stature as an icon and how revered she was. When we announced that she would be the event special guest, people were thrilled and couldn't wait to RSVP. |  |
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When the big night finally arrived the many event sponsors were in the green room, waiting for the meet and greet. She and her team were a little delayed arriving, and people were impatient. I asked the event security lead what the ETA was, and he gestured to a small area off the green room, where Dr Goodall herself stood in the shadows. I had been looking at her photos so often, for months, that to see her there in person, standing in the shadows like a ghost was surreal. She then told me she didn't think a meet and greet in the traditional sense was the best idea because of how many people were in the green room; instead, she pulled a chair up to the front of the room and stood on it to give a short talk to the sponsors and their guests. Remember she was age 84 at the time! But she climbed up on the chair and stood on it holding the microphone for her talk, no problem. |
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She sat with my husband and some of our friends for dinner, and I got to sit and talk with her for a little while. She loved our dog Raha, and told me to go get him more water, as she thought he was thirsty with all the excitement. She also told me that dogs were her favorite animals, not chimpanzees as you would have imagined. She was incredibly focused before she went on stage for her address to the attendees, and after I introduced her, I passed her off stage where she was staring straight ahead, gathering her thoughts. She then spoke to the crowd of 600+ for over an hour, and held everyone enthralled. After her address, she stayed, to greet every guest who wanted to meet her, autograph her books for them and pose for photos. Again, at age 84, She didn't even seem tired at the end of the evening, but energized. She was very committed and driven to reaching as many as possible with her vision and message of hope. |
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We got these photos of her with our dog Raha, whose face was so terribly damaged from firecrackers which had been taped in his mouth and set off. It was after the speech, so she was more relaxed and sat down right on the floor with him backstage. |
It was a once in a lifetime experience and, since the event, so many of those who attended told me how meaningful it was to hear her words and to meet her in person. We are proud that Home for Life made that experience possible.