The Marine Mammal Center’s 12th Annual Gala and Live Auction took place on October 14, 2008 at 6:00 pm at San Francisco’s Ritz Carlton. Thanks to our incredible supporters, donors, and sponsors, the event was a great success!

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a selection of photos from the event.

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The Ritz Carlton Hotel	The Ritz Carlton Hotel	Cinnie Magowan, Merrill Magowan
Frances Gulland and Jeff Boehm	Jeff Boehm, Sandor Straus, Peter Yianilos, Merrill Magowan	Mecca Nelson and Alexandra Sangmeister
Peggy Burks, Jeff Boehm	Rick Norkin, Mary Cantini Norkin, Sunny and Mark McKee	Jeff Boehm, Keith Rosenthal, Stephanie Hinds, Deb Wickham
Eric Joe, Jim Oswald, Cynthia Schramm, Glen Mathison	Mary Russi, Denise Greig, Ginny Quick	Kristin Culp, Molly Russell, Lincoln Shaw, Jody Gibney, Yvette Smith
Alexandra Gordon, Jim Oswald, Beth Inadomi, Marty Courson	Cinnie Magowan, Beverly Spector	David Reynolds
Ginny and Chuck Quick	Val and Jerry Gibbons	Stacy Bezyack, Dana Bialashewski

We raised around $160,000 and there were close to 300 guests in attendance. This year’s theme was “interdependence”. The gala helped raise money for equipment and operating expenses, among other things. In June 2009, we will be opening our new, state-of-the-art facility to the public, and gala guests were treated to a video highlighting our work and the new center, which will place us on a world stage as a leader in marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education. The evening commenced with a red-carpet arrival and a cocktail reception at 6:00 P.M., followed by an elegant four-course meal paired with wines from Heitz Cellars and Spring Winery. Guests were entertained by solo guitarist Freddy Clarke. Rounding out the evening was a lively auction featuring several trips, including:

“Rwanda: Gorillas in the Mist”
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for 8 people to view Mountain Gorillas on a 10-day trip to Rwanda.

“Ocean’s Two”
Escape to Sin City on a roundtrip flight for two and enjoy a three night stay at the fabulous Mandalay Bay Resort, a private behind-the-scenes tour of the resort’s Shark Reef Aquarium, and dinner at Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood Restaurant.

“Your Own Private Napa Valley”
Your oenophile chauffeur from Larkspur Limousines will take you and one guest on a half-day tour of boutique wineries off the beaten path in Napa Valley.

We proudly recognize our gala corporate sponsors:

California Sea Lion Susan Grau Mrs. Joan Latno and Ambassador Arthur Latno Beverly Spector and Ken Lipson Faye and Sandor Straus / Firedoll Foundation   Harbor Seal Catherine Kruttschnitt Cinnie and Merrill Magowan Sunny and Mark McKee   Northern Elephant Seal Ginn Family Foundation Betty and William Hasler Beth Inadomi and Tim Newell Karen Johnson-McKewan and Tom McKewan Michael Kleeman Ellena Ochoa and Ted Ridgway Janecke and Peter Stauffer   Northern Fur Seal Janis and Ed Cherry The Edward E. Hills Fund Virginia Ingham and Elizabeth Greenberg Stan Jensen Run100s.com Jeanie and Murray Kilgour William and Gretchen Kimball Fund Donna L. Mollenhauer Lee and Bill Webber Kate and Richard Vance Pat Zuch and Bill Werner