YOUNGSTOWN — The power of love was on full display at the Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Sock Hop Saturday evening at the Westside Bowl to benefit some of the community’s most vulnerable animals.
Suzi Hughes, the event’s organizer, said proceeds would benefit two nonprofits: the nationwide Handicapped Pets Foundation, which supplies wheelchairs to animals in need, and Cortland-based Empathy for Animals, which offers foster and veterinary care to neglected animals.
Hughes, president of the New Hampshire-based Handicapped Pets Foundation, proposed the idea of a “sock hop” fundraiser, citing the popularity of Mid-Century Modern fashion. Supporters showed up in clothing reflecting styles of the 1950s, and Hughes herself wore an elegant vintage outfit.
Reinforcing the event’s retro theme was musical entertainment featuring DJ Marco Torres and the Pittsburgh-based band, Built for Speed, who supplied a stream of rock ‘n’ roll classics that drew couples to the dance floor.
Assisting Hughes was Alyssa Szolis, founding president of Empathy for Animals, who showed up in a poodle skirt and cat-eyed glasses. While both enjoyed the fun-filled atmosphere, they took time to discuss the weighty issues that inspired the event.
Hughes, a former veterinary technician, became aware of challenges facing disabled animals when she adopted a pug with a rare form of scoliosis.
“I found out how much wheelchairs cost,” she explained. “I was determined to make a difference.”
Spurred to action, Hughes joined the board of Handicapped Pets Foundation, and in April 2024, she became the organization’s president.
“Last year alone, we dispensed more than 250 wheelchairs,” Hughes said.
Hughes’ current pet hinted at the group’s larger impact. Winnie, a French bulldog mix with spina bifida, delighted supporters by racing around the bowling alley in her wheelchair.
Like Hughes, Szolis became committed to helping animals because of a relationship with a previous pet. Five years ago, she spotted Sasha, a feral cat who was nursing six kittens in a remote area of her backyard.
“This was not an ideal location to raise a family,” Szolis recalled. “Once we realized how overcrowded our local cat shelters were, we knew that we needed to do something.”
Szolis eventually adopted Sasha and found homes for her six kittens. Over the past five years, Szolis and husband Jake have assisted dozens of stray cats with special needs, who are less likely to survive in a shelter setting.
“About 500 cats have come through our rescue program,” she said.
Some attendees at Saturday’s event had direct experience helping animals with special needs. Tabatha and Thomas Hartzell of Hubbard said they own four dogs with disabilities, including a doodle with three legs and a Yorkie with heart problems.
“We started off fostering, and we ended up adopting — twice,” Tabatha Hartzell said, laughing.
Tom Hartzell praised the spirited personality of the family’s three-legged Doodle, Mocha Belle, whom they rescued from a shelter in Memphis, Tennessee, where she would have been euthanized. “It took me 30 seconds to decide we were going to adopt,” he said. “She jumped up and licked my nose, and that was it.”
Similarly, local artist Jessi Blair, a vendor at the event, shared her memories of a former pet who lost the use of her hind legs later in life.
“Once we got her a wheelchair, this Boston Terrier was running around like nothing happened,” she noted. “She lived to be 15 years old and had a great life.”
Photographer Tony Nicholas, another vendor, cited a broader reason for lending support to the groups that will benefit from the event.
“These organizations are all about kindness,” he said. “That’s something we can use a lot more of these days.”
Despite icy weather conditions, Saturday’s event drew a sizable crowd. Attendees not only enjoyed music and dancing but had a chance to purchase the work of local artists, participate in a basket raffle and buy goods at a bake sale featuring pet treats.
Hughes said she was encouraged by the turnout and expressed hope that the sock hop would become an annual event.
