Starry Starry Night Gala

The signature event of Voices for Children (VFC) since 2002, Starry Starry Night is an elegant and fun evening under the stars, benefiting the 5,100 foster children of San Diego County. This year’s event was held Sept. 28 at the Rancho Valencia Resort.

This year’s gala raised more than $1.25 million, with the net being more than $1 million. With these funds, Voices for Children will be able to provide more than 400 additional foster children with CASAs-Court Appointed Special Advocates-volunteers, who work directly with foster children and speak on their behalf in the courtroom, classroom, and community. A substantial amount of the funds raised will be matched by a generous donor who has pledged to match $1 for $1 — all gifts from new donors and increased gifts from current donors, up to $1 million. This challenge goes through June 2014.

This year’s event began with an elegant cocktail hour, followed by a gourmet dinner served al fresco — the menu created by Eric Bauer, the award-winning chef at Rancho Valencia. An exciting live auction was followed by musical entertainment and dancing under the canopy of stars, surrounded by the Mediterranean landscape of the resort. Visit www.ssn2013.org. Photos by McKenzie Images, Tim Hardy and Jesse Dhein. For photos online, visit www.rsfreview.com.