Calif. Wildlife Center to host Wing Ding

California Wildlife Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of Los Angeles area's native wildlife, will host the seventh annual celebration, Wing Ding 2007, on Sun., Aug. 19 from noon to 4 p.m. at Gull's Way Estate in Malibu, a 12-acre private home on the bluffs atop Latigo Shore Drive.

"By supporting Wing Ding, the community is giving wildlife a second chance," said Aaron Frank, the center's president and co-founder. The event will feature dance and musical performances, buffets, a Kauai vacation raffle drawing, silent auction, and children's interactive activities designed to promote awareness and conservation of local wildlife. Attendees may also witness a wildlife release, the return of a rehabilitated animal back to the wild.

More than 300 guests are expected to attend including business and community leaders, civic officials, educators and volunteers.

Select honorary committee members, including Mira Sorvino, Chris Backus, Amy Madigan, Calabasas Mayor James Bozajian, Malibu Mayor Jeff Jennings, Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Woodland Hills) and Elizabeth Gabler, are expected to attend.

Tickets must be pre-purchased and will not be available at the door. Attendees must RSVP by 2 p.m. Fri., Aug. 17. The cost is $100 per person and $40 for children ages 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at www.californiawildlifecenter.org.

CWC has cared for more than 13,000 animals since it opened in 1998. Many wildlife injuries were caused by the impacts of their urbanized environments. CWC offers direct services at no charge to the public in cooperation with local agencies.