When the pied piper of wounded animals called and said it was time for Savannah Wildlife Rescue’s Wild Night Out on October 20, I rearranged my plans to show up at Ships of the Sea to support animal whisperer Jeanne Paddison!
On the lookout for the petite blonde, I find her with event committee volunteers Emily Dover, Courtney West, Catherine Lovett and Neilie Dunn. A long time fan of all of these ladies, I gravitate to Neilie because I know she will have all the details for tonight’s fundraiser.
“We have the talented Chef Kirk Blaine catering, entertainment by Jackson and Maggie Evans with Ricardo Ochoa, and silent auction items that are related to nature. From a swing bed, dog ramp, artwork from local artists and multiple retreats to high end locations across the Southeast, this has to be one of the best auctions I have seen,” shares the event chair.
Saving wounded or orphaned foxes, fawn, vultures and raccoons is a costly venture, and I’m always stunned with the amount of support Jeanne gets from generous people like Canada native Bob Faircloth. The professional volunteer takes a seat to give me a little background on life after retirement.
“I am involved with eight charities. From cancer research to anything related to music, I have been involved with the Savannah Children’s Choir and the Jepson Center where I held the role of the oldest museum director,” shares the former Chief Operating Officer. Never one to shy away from asking an age, I ask when he took over the Jepson gig. “During COVID, I was 84,” is his surprising answer.
After a pic of Bob with his neighbors Kat and Shawn Feingold, I trot over to talk with the vivacious Kim Bockius Suwyn and the tall, glorious Christiana Turner. While chatting about Christiana’s recent tumble at a social event, Paul Mazo overhears us and tells us his mom’s experience and encourages us to be careful on platform stages.
Not the conversation I thought I would have, but so glad that Christiana only has bruises to show, I leave the ladies to track down Lowell Kronowitz because his ravishing wife Hilary is on his arm. With a quick hug and chat, I hear my name being called by the fabulous Lisa Wilkes who is attending with pediatric radiologist Dr. Deb Conway.
Lisa is looking stylish in a leopard print and is amped to tell me about her newest adventure. “With the kids out of the house, I am re-inventing myself and am now a real estate appraiser.” Congratulating my longtime friend on her new adventure, I head over to give Trip Tollison a little grief.
The Savannah Economic Development Authority president has such a dry sense of humor delivered with deadpan calmness that it sometimes sneaks by you. What does not sneak by me is seeing how happy he and Oliver Maner attorney Paul Threlkeld are to pose for my photographer Kaitlin Sells!
Teasing him because I know how much he hates photos, I see another person who dislikes photos walking up. Hey Matt West! Proclaiming the famous “Sam McCachern rule” of only allowing one photo, Matt agrees to take a pic with Paul and Trip then chats with me about the importance of the upcoming AGC - Associated General Contractors Skills Challenge in Statesboro next week.
Next up is a flurry of Savannah’s Who’s Who, like social butterfly Gaye Reese, golf event queen Cheyenne Overby and Jamie and Kendall McCurry, who I somehow like even more because of my love of their patriarch Cliff McCurry.
Smiling when real estate mogul Staci Donnegan calls out to her husband Chris to come over for what turns out to be a perfect pic, I head back into the crowd of over 200 and see world traveler Cari Clark Phelps chatting with music aficionado Jamie Smith Arkin. After years of knowing Jamie, I am proud to say that she is as outspoken as ever!
With a final lap around to say goodbye to Jeanne, I recall something Neilie said earlier. “Jeanne is a voice for the animals that are quite often unseen or heard.” Indeed. Dedicated to rehabilitating wildlife and educating us about the important balance between humans and animals, I can’t think of anyone more passionate about saving the life of our wildlife than Jeanne Paddison. We see you, we support you and we love you Jeanne!
