Zoofari Ball is Back and Better Than Ever!

The Santa Barbara Zoo is thrilled to announce Zoofari Ball XXXV on Saturday, August 28, from 5:30 – 11:00 p.m. Zoofari Ball is one of Santa Barbara’s quintessential benefit events that invites guests to a one-of-a-kind experience after dark at the park, while supporting the preservation, conservation, and enhancement of the natural world and its living treasures including all the animals at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

The theme of Zoofari Ball XXXV is “Return to Basecamp” – a fitting theme to reunite guests once again to support the Zoo. Guests are encouraged to don their safari gear and join the party on the hilltop. Rincon Events is back to serve up a spread back at camp that will be the envy of the entire pride. Sunset cocktails, music under the stars and a wildly good time have never sounded so good. All guests must be 21+ to attend this event.

“If there’s one thing for sure we can say about this past year, it’s been wild,” shared Rich Block, CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo. “We’re looking forward to celebrating together in person finally, and also shining a light on the continued need for support to make up for what was lost due to the pandemic. We can’t wait to welcome you back to the hilltop for Santa Barbara’s biggest “fun-raiser” of the year!”

Despite being closed to the public twice for four months due to the pandemic, the Zoo remained dedicated to the health and welfare of the animals, the safety of its employees that continued working on-site, and continued efforts to save local endangered and threatened wildlife. The Zoo’s closure due to the pandemic created an abrupt and devastating interruption to normal admissions-driven revenues. The unrealized revenues that the Zoo experienced from the absence of attendance, no food and beverage or retail sales, no on-site education program fees, and no attraction or private and public event revenue, was greater than any revenue loss the Zoo has experienced in its 57-year history. Zoofari Ball XXXV is not only an opportunity for the Zoo to welcome supporters back for its signature event, but it will help raise much needed funds to help the Zoo recover financially.

The Zoofari Ball XXXV Honorary Chairs are Nancy and Ted McToldridge, and supported by a dynamic committee of local leaders including Marcy Bazzani, Ross Beardsley, Elaine Mah Best, Alexandra Bongiovanni, Christy Borneman, Deanna Buley, Vince Caballero, Wendy Campbell, Ashleigh Davis, Colleen Dennis, Mindy Denson, Jessica Fisher, Karen Gray, Patricia Griffin, Michael Hurst, Kim Kirkhart, Tracy Krainer, Marjorie Large, Desirea Lekhraj-Loftus, Katharine Mallin, Kirk A. Martin, Randee Martin, Sue McCue, Kevin Nuss, Robyn Parker, Jenna Perez, Pam Polan, Pam Powers, Elissa Rubin, Shelley Schulte, Heather Schuyler Gray, Amy Sloan, Betsy Turner, and Shannon Vernon.

There are many opportunities to support the Zoo by sponsoring Zoofari Ball. For more information on sponsoring the event, please contact Sam Franz at sfranz@sbzoo.org or (805) 679-8442. This year’s Zoofari Ball XXXV sponsors include:

Diamond Sponsors
Thomas & Nancy Crawford
The Dreier Family
Hutton Parker Foundation
Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree
Union Bank

Platinum
Anonymous
Bella Vista Designs, Inc.
Mimi Michaelis
Robert K. & Barbara J. Straus Family Foundation
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
Ventura Toyota
John Woodward

Gold
Action Roofing and Action Energy
Arlington Financial Advisors
Jeffrey & Margo Baker Barbakow
City National Bank
The Dill Family
HUB International of California Insurance Services, Inc.
The Hurst Family
The Krainer Family
Ted & Nancy McToldridge
Montecito Bank & Trust
Mosher Foundation
Robert & Deborah Myman
Northern Trust
Rudi Schulte Family Foundation
Schipper Construction
U.S. Bank

Silver
American Riviera Bank
In Loving Memory of Polly Blackburn
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
CopperPoint Insurance Companies
Cottage Children’s Medical Center
CSU Channel Islands
Damitz, Brooks, Nightingale, Turner & Morrisset
Gary Frolenko Engineering & Elissa Rubin
Giffin & Crane General Contractors, LLC
Patricia & Alan Griffin
Peter & Gerd Jordano
Stina Hans & Joel Kreiner
Jensen Audio & Visual
Wendy & Philip Kistler
La Cumbre Animal Hospital
Katharine Mallin
Robert & Elizabeth Manger
David & Maureen Morehouse
Nye, Stirling, Hale & Miller, LLP
Will & Pam Powers
Sol Wave Water
Tolman & Wiker Insurance
Shannon & Bradley Vernon
Sue & Bill Wagner
White Hat Innovation
The Wyatt Family

Rock Sponsors
Anonymous
President Erika Beck and California State University, Northridge
Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management
The Angelo Mozilo Family
Alison Overseth & Ken deRegt

Full details and tickets to Zoofari Ball XXXV can be found here: https://www.sbzoo.org/zoofari-2021/ The Zoo will adhere to all COVID-19 guidelines for the event.