On June 15th, 2011, National Wildlife Federation hosted the Voices for Wildlife gala, celebrating 75 years of protecting wildlife and honoring five Wildlife Heroes at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA.  The event, made possible through a generous donation from the Grace C. Harrison Trust, raised significant awareness and funds for NWF’s California conservation and education programs.

The night was hosted by comedian and TV personality Annabelle Gurwitch.   Wildlife Heroes honorees were Academy Award-winning producer Lawrence Bender, CNN host Anderson Cooper, renowned animal expert Jack Hanna, actress Alyssa Milano and photographer and business leader Howard Ruby.  NWF presented two scholarships to outstanding teens Alec Loorz and Jordan Howard for their accomplishments in educating and empowering others to take action for addressing the climate crisis and greening America’s schools.

"It was truly an awesome experience, and I will not forget it any time soon. As a college student I'm constantly questioning what it is I want to do with my education, and meeting the wonderful people of NWF and seeing what it is that actually goes into the great work that you guys do has given me fantastic insight, and a lot of hope for the future and my ability to do some meaningful work in wildlife conservation."

                                                     Adam Yaney-Keller

A Special Thank You to the Grace C. Harrison Trust for its Generous Support