ROYAL OAK — Tate’s Joy, a pet adoption and suicide awareness event, will return from noon to 4 p.m. July 18 at the First Congregational Church of Royal Oak, 1314 Northwood Blvd. in Royal Oak.
The event is in honor of Melissa Ambrose-Eidson’s daughter, Tatum Eidson, 23, who died in 2020 due to suicide. Ambrose-Eidson created the charity event dedicated to the things that her daughter loved.
During the event, attendees can meet dozens of homeless dogs and cats looking for a home, enjoy the petting zoo, pony rides, horse rides, face painting and crafts. There will also be performances by the Rock n Roll K9’s.
A young attendee holds a cat that was up for adoption.
Photo provided by Melissa Ambrose-Eidson
Resource tables bringing awareness to suicide will also be available, from groups including Kevin’s Song. Vendors and food trucks will also be on-site.
Donations will be collected during the event, and a silent auction will also take place. Donations and money raised will go toward the Oakland County Animal Shelter and local suicide support charities.
Ambrose-Eidson said that new to this year’s event will be the dog agility company, the Rock n Roll K9’s.
“They are going to be doing two shows, one at 1 p.m. and one at 2:30 p.m. They will be out on the front lawn of the church doing agility,” she said. “They will have tunnels and bridges and music and be doing other tricks.”
The event focuses on animal adoption because Tatum loved animals, according to Ambrose-Eidson.
“Tatum worked for the Oakland County Animal Shelter Pet Adoption Center. She also worked for Kent County when she was attending Kendall University to get her fine arts degree,” she said. “She worked both jobs to save pets; saving homeless dogs and cats was just very dear to her.”
Coworkers of Tatum from the Oakland County Animal Shelter play a huge role in the event’s organization, according to Ambrose-Eidson. They loved her so much that they wanted to be involved in the event.
Each year the event continues to grow, according to Kristi Keister, who helps to organize the event and works with Kevin’s Song.
A puppy gets petted by attendees of the the Tate’s Joy event in 2025.
Photo provided by Melissa Ambrose-Eidson
“It’s definitely been growing year by year, by a decent amount,” she said. “We haven’t really been taking count, but I would say probably somewhere around 250-300 (attendees) last year.”
Because the event is free to attend, people show up throughout the day and it’s hard to keep exact track of how many people come through.
Bringing people together and spreading awareness of suicide is a major aspect of the event.
“This event is primarily around community building, and that’s one of the cornerstones of suicide prevention,” she said. “When someone has a strong community, when someone has those connections and resources available to them, they are less likely to attempt suicide and less likely to die by suicide.”
The event also includes a kids section and a car show.
“When there is something like this event that can bring people together from all kinds of walks of life, it becomes something else entirely,” she said.
Continuing to spread awareness and bring to life for the community the things that Tatum loved is what keeps her memory alive, according to Ambrose-Eidson.
“It feels so good. It’s a good thing to be able to bring so many people together from all aspects of life and all. We are bringing in artists because she was an artist; we are bringing in musicians because she was a musician,” she said. “So, it’s just a lot of things going on and it’s kind of like an accumulation of her. It’s kind of like her life is extending.”
The event is free to attend, and Ambrose-Eidson said that they are still looking for more vendors and classic cars.
“The more people we can get here, the more awareness we can bring,” she said. “Also, if you have lost a loved one to suicide, bring a picture of them and place them in our memorial area so we can bring attention to that and bring people together.”
This is a pet-friendly event, but all pets need to be leashed.
For more information or to register a car or become a vendor, contact tatesjoyfccro@gmail.com or call (248) 881-6683.
