On Saturday July 13th we held our opening gala luncheon at the lovely Dancing Crow Winery in Hopland, CA. We pre-sold all of our 80 tickets! The luncheon was in honor of our donor Helen Barbara Johnson who gifted her property to us upon her passing in August 2022.
The luncheon also featured a Silent Auction with 94 packages to choose from! We exceeded our fundraising goal for the auction and for the event in total. Thank you to the donors that came and supported the Neigh Savers Foundation, now in its 18th year.
Neigh Savers was able to apply all revenue from ticket sales for the concrete pad and improvements we are making to the old barn as our very generous donors underwrote the costs of the event. Thank you again for making this a wonderful, fun & successful event and a glorious launch of our Sanctuary!
Our appetizer trays were created by Bliss Seifred, one of the Event Coordinators, from locally sourced products. Our desserts were a selection of pies baked entirely from scratch by Event Coordinators Bliss Seifred and Sarah O’Rourke with Sanctuary Volunteers Melissa Mead Howze and Julie Dauer. The blackberry pies included blackberries picked at the Sanctuary. Our catered lunch was provided by Ellery Clark Catering and each table received two bottles of local Dancing Crow wine. The centerpieces were created by Sierra Pinches and featured hand painted horseshoes, fairy lights and wildflowers picked at the Sanctuary.
Enjoy the photos of a joyous day and occasion. When we inherited the Sanctuary we doubted we could get it into serviceable shape in a span of less than two years, especially considering the first year was primarily dedicated to horse health and that the estate itself had no monetary assets.
There are great things ahead for the Sanctuary and we hope to share this beautiful place and its horses for many years to come.
