Shelter to Soldier raised $448,000 at its 14th annual "Be the Light" gala on Friday, Aug. 14. The nonprofit rescues shelter dogs and trains them as psychiatric service dogs for post-9/11 veterans.
The gala moved this year from L'Auberge Del Mar, which hosted the 13th annual event, to the USS Midway Museum's Flight Deck in San Diego. The larger venue drew veterans, community leaders, supporters and service dog teams, according to a news release reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Guests sat down to a three-course dinner, bid in silent and live auctions emceed by Clint Bell, and heard live music from the Tom Solis Band. Veterans shared firsthand accounts of how being paired with a service dog changed their lives, according to the news release.
The evening's proceeds will fund Shelter to Soldier's training program for veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), military sexual trauma and other service-related challenges.
"The support we received this year will directly help us continue our mission of 'Saving Lives, Two at a Time,'" Graham Bloem, co-founder and president of Shelter to Soldier, said in the release.
Bloem co-founded the organization in 2012 with his wife, Kyrié Bloem, the group's vice president, and Krystyna Holc, its treasurer. The nonprofit operates entirely on private funding and runs a training facility in Oceanside that can work with more than 30 dogs at a time, according to Ranch & Coast Magazine.
Training is not cheap. Each service dog costs between $18,000 and $22,000 to prepare over an average of 18 months, Ranch & Coast reported in a September 2025 profile. In that profile, Bloem acknowledged the program cannot yet meet all the demand: "We know we aren't able to serve everyone who could benefit from the program."
More information is available at sheltertosoldier.org.
Upcoming community events
- Saturday, Oct. 3: Solana Beach Library hosts a free Clean Air Day event.
- Thursday, Sept. 10: Rancho Santa Fe school board meets to consider ending Zoom meetings.
