Some of you might remember our Feathers Flippers and Fur Picnic at King Gilette Ranch back in 2019. It was our second year and a success—bringing together like-minded animal-loving folks and raising money for California Wildlife Center. We were planning to make that an annual event as 2020 took a different turn and like many other groups, we had to cancel our outdoor gathering during the pandemic. Throughout 2020 we were looking forward to a return to normalcy and our event in 2021. However, in Spring, California still had many restrictions that precluded a group of non-family members to come together.

Instead we opted to hold our first ever digital fundraiser on April 17th. During the preceding week we had an online silent auction with donated items. And what a wonderful assortment! Our volunteers and supporters were able to gather some truly amazing items. We had an Epiphone guitar signed by Slash (of Guns and Roses), earrings from Kendall Conrad, a painting by Incubus singer Brandon Boyd, a weekend in Mammoth, VIP tickets to his comedy club and meet and greet with Brad Garrett, packages from Patagonia, gorgeous diamond jewelry, fabulous original art, and access to YogaWorks and Box ‘n’ Burn. We auctioned gift cards to Neptune’s Net, Nobu, V’s Restaurant, Gelson’s, ALC, Alexis Smart Flowers, Heather Taylor Home, and Pizzana among others. All of the auction items were donated so that 100% of the proceeds from the auction are dedicated to helping our wild patients.

We had three amazing sponsors to underwrite our event—John Paul Mitchell Systems, makers of fine haircare that has been cruelty-free for 40+ years. JPMS sources sustainable plants and natural ingredients for their tremendous range of human and pet products. Quigley-Simpson is a local advertising and marketing company that has become a powerhouse in the industry and supported California Wildlife Center throughout. In fact, they designed the current logo for CWC pro bono. Common Good Advisors is a nonprofit advisory group who walk the walk and talk the talk—authenticity is in their DNA and we benefit greatly from their help.

At the end of the day, the event was a success and we earned more than our initial goal. All of this would not have been possible without the amazing volunteers who assisted our staff— Angela Heine, Board member Dr Lisa Newell, Gail Hagopian, Corby Sandberg and Apryl Boyle.

But most of all, we have to thank every single person who tuned into the show (still visible on our YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram) and who bid on our auction throughout! Thank you for supporting wildlife!