ROANOKE – Night Owl on the Town
Hotel Roanoke
An Eastern box turtle named Rio; Elv-hiss, an Eastern rat snake, and Zombie, an Eastern screech owl, were just some of the special guests at Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center’s Night Owl on the Town gala on Sept. 28, 2024.
The event at Hotel Roanoke raised $60,000 for wildlife conservation and rehabilitation that directly benefits the wildlife center. It fundraised through ticket sales, sponsorships, auctions, and more, including selling the naming rights to its newest wildlife education ambassador—a broad-winged hawk named Alby.
“Our Night Owl on the Town gala is our most important fundraiser of the year, and it just warms my heart to see such incredible support for our cause,” says Sabrina Garvin, the center’s president and co-founder. “I never could have imagined that the small wildlife rescue that my husband and I started in our home more than 20 years ago would blossom into one of the largest wildlife veterinary hospitals in the state, now admitting more than 2,700 animals each year.”
Art in the auction.
Board President Ceci Leonard with Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment’s Communications Director Max Esterhuizen and wife Anne.
Executive Director
Chester Leonard.
President and co-founder Sabrina Garvin.
Wildlife Ambassador Eastern box turtle, Rio.
Wildlife Ambassador Eastern screech owl, Zombie (RIP).
This article originally appeared in the April 2025 issue.
