Saddleback College Foundation Raises Record Funds at 16th Annual Gala
Mission Viejo, CA – More than 450 prominent members of the community, business leaders,elected officials, and college leadership attended the 16th Annual Saddleback College Foundation Gala on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point. The annual event raised record funds of more than $160,000 for student scholarships and college programs and featured a live and silent auction, dinner, gaming, and magic by Jim Eggold. Live music was provided by the Saddleback College Jazz Band and Commercial Music Ensemble. During the cocktail hour, Rancho Capistrano Winery hosted a wine tasting, and Spa Girls Cocktails hosted martinis for the
guests.
Dr. Tod A. Burnett, president of Saddleback College, honored the 2016 Saddleback College Alumna of the Year, Michelle Desilets, who has been recognized around the globe for her work in the protection of endangered orangutans and their habitat. Michelle, who is the founder and executive director of Orangutan Land Trust, developed an interest in anthropology when she attended Saddleback College in the mid-eighties. Michelle and a fellow volunteer opened a rescue center in Central Borneo that is now the world’s largest primate rescue facility, and she later founded the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK and Orangutan Land Trust, which works to provide sustainable solutions for the long-term survival of the orangutan in the wild by ensuring safe areas of forest for its continued survival. Her organization was honored by the BBC Wildlife Trust as one of the top ten UK charities working to save wildlife globally.