About San Diego Joey:

This piece started with a trip to the San Diego Zoo and the conversations with Sarah Wagner of Development Programs at the San Diego Zoo. Sarah and the Zoo hosted a 4-day fundraiser to raise awareness for the plight of koalas in Australia called Koalapalooza. San Diego Joey was created for this event, however unfortunately the online auction was not terribly successful at the time and San Diego Joey has been "held over" for the next big event.

This event is the R*I*T*Z: Rendezvous In The Zoo® 2010

A Night in Paradise

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Zoo’s 2010 upscale, black-tie event is themed “A Night In Paradise.” This year’s gala will celebrate the 27th anniversary of R*I*T*Z and will take place under the stars at the San Diego Zoo on Saturday, June 19, 2010, from 7 p.m. to midnight. Highlights include lavish hors d’oeuvres, hosted cocktails, a silent auction, a gourmet dinner, conservation ambassador Joan Embery and animal friends, and dancing to the music of Wayne Foster Entertainment.

Since it began in 1984, R*I*T*Z has raised nearly $10 million for exhibits and facilities at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, as well as for conservation programs for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.

The event co-chairs—Joye Blount and Jessie Knight—along with their committee of more than 90 volunteers, are planning a magical party where guests can escape to a relaxing, elegant, and colorful tropical paradise for the evening. A Night In Paradise will create an affair that will be an unforgettable evening of dining and dancing.

Tickets are $450 per guest for general seating and $900 per guest for R*I*T*Z Paradise Circle preferred seating. Proceeds from A Night in Paradise will benefit the San Diego Zoo’s tropical conservation programs in Hawaii and the Caribbean.

Stuart Arnett
Wildlife Conservation Artist