San Diego Sanctuary With 170 Animals Plans Fundraiser To Expand

ALPINE, CA — Children’s Nature Retreat, a nonprofit sanctuary in the mountains of San Diego County, is planning a fundraiser Sept. 18 to generate money that would help upgrade structures and accommodate more animals, the retreat's founder said Thursday.

The retreat will host its ninth annual fundraiser as a a cocktail reception and three-course dinner. Event ticket sales plus live and silent auctions will help raise money that would add or upgrade enclosures for a growing group of 170 domesticated and less commonly seen animals, sanctuary founder Agnes Barrelet told Patch.

She hopes to raise $100,000, consistent with the total from a previous event.

"I really hope we can raise this number," Barrelet said. "It costs a lot to run and maintain (the retreat). We never know when we're going to get a new animal and what animals."

Rescued animals arrive from throughout the country, for example a camel in North Carolina and a pair of potbellied pigs recently found along a roadside in rural San Diego County. The sow is pregnant, meaning a boom in the swine population and a need for more enclosures.

Auction prizes include a weeklong stay in Ireland, an overnight stay at the 6-year-old Retreat and handmade goods from Africa. World music band Sharon Katz & The Peace Train will perform at the event. Guests may attend the event in safari-themed attire and participate in a safari-themed costume contest.

The 20-acre retreat is a 25-minute drive from central San Diego.

Children’s Nature Retreat separately helps 200 children attend school in Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African country and one of the world's poorest places. The retreat operates a small pre-school and scholarship program.

The event on Sept. 18 will begin at 4 p.m. and ticket prices start at $150. An admission of $250 includes a private tour of the retreat that day at 3 p.m. Tickets are being sold online.