The Gala began with a festive cocktail reception and samplings of delicious cuisine from some 20 of San Diego’s finest Restaurants. An array of truly fine opportunities were showcased for bid at the silent auction, which was followed by a sit-down dinner, live entertainment by the group, Haute Chili, and a live auction to help raise necessary funds for the many programs and care of animals year-round by the Center. 

Helen Woodward Animal Center, established in 1972, is an organization where “people help animals and animals help people.” This unique nonprofit organization benefits the community by providing educational and therapeutic programs for people, as well as humane care and adoption for homeless animals.Helen Woodward Animal Center’s passionate belief that animals help people and people help animals, through trust, unconditional love, and respect, creates a legacy of caring. Sharing this philosophy with others, the Center inspires and teaches, locally and globally, the importance of the animal-human bond.

Helen Woodward Animal Center is a unique, private non-profit organization in San Diego County that has been committed to the philosophy of people helping animals and animals helping people for over 45 years. Located on 12 acres in Rancho Santa Fe, California, their nationally recognized Center provides a variety of services that benefit the community through educational and therapeutic programs for people, and humane care and adoption for animals. They are a no-kill facility that receives no government funding and relies heavily on tax-deductible contributions from private donors to continue our life-saving mission.

Photography by Bryan Dahl