Helene Grimaud and Richard Gere Highlight Wolf Conservation Gala at the Bedford Post

More than 100 supporters from as far away as Croatia, the Southwest, Boston, and Canada braved the snow and ice to attend the Wolf Conservation Center’s “Year of the Pups” Gala at Richard Gere’s Bedford Post restaurant in Bedford. Festivities included a cocktail party, piano recital of Mozart, Liszt, and Bartok by WCC co-founder Helene Grimaud, followed by an elegant dinner.

But perhaps the star guest was Atka, the WCC’s traveling ambassador wolf, who entered the recital room and promptly struck a pose at the piano prior to Grimaud’s performance. As an ambassador for his species, Atka makes public appearances at schools and community events to help with the center’s education mission. WCC raised more than $50,000, much of which is earmarked for the two new pups scheduled to arrive at the WCC in the spring—the first new ambassador pups to join the pack in eight years, which was when Atka came on board. For more information, visit www.nywolf.org.