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About us

Honoring animals with the safety, dignity, respect and love they deserve.

A Place Where Animals and Humans Heal

Our animal rescue in Orange County brings this mission into foster homes while we work toward a permanent sanctuary.

Visit our community voices page to see how stories from our community are shared.

Anita sitting on the grass and cuddling a rescue shepherd

Getting to know our founder

Anita St. Lewis, a native Californian and lifelong animal advocate, is the founder of Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal, a no kill nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming innocent animals.

Animals have been an integral part of Anita's life since childhood, teaching her compassion, trust, loyalty, and unconditional love. She often says that animals have saved her life — and now, her mission is to save theirs.

After spending many years in corporate America, Anita followed her heart and pursued formal training in animal welfare. She graduated from Southern Utah University and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where she studied how to operate a life-saving sanctuary. This experience, combined with her lifelong passion and deep empathy for animals, became the foundation for Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal.

Driven by compassion and the urgent need to reduce euthanasia caused by shelter overcrowding, Anita established the sanctuary as a safe environment where animals can heal and thrive — and where humans can experience the profound connection and healing that animals provide.

Join Anita in creating a world where Animals and Humans heal together.

Anita St Lewis with a rescued donkey

Her story

How a dark time became a new beginning

In her own words, Anita has been open about the moment everything changed. She had survived cancer twice and been married for over 40 years. It was a rough time in her marriage — she felt trapped, unsure and scared, so she packed up her dog and ran.

She ended up in Kanab, Utah, at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary — a place she'd first heard about from Sunny Hostin on "The View." Tucked into a canyon she calls breathtaking, she spent four days there in a small cottage surrounded by more natural beauty than she'd ever seen. After touring the sanctuary and meeting the animals, staff and volunteers, she realized the healing power animals and that canyon held. "It is magical," she says. "I had been transformed and I would never be the same."

She came home and told her husband, "I'm opening an animal sanctuary." Two weeks later she called her agent and quit her job to follow that dream. That was October 2024. In May 2025, she graduated from Southern Utah University and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary's Running a Life-Saving Sanctuary program. That dream became Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal — launched first as a foster-based rescue so it could start saving lives right away, while the sanctuary itself is built.

"What began as one of the most challenging periods of my life became the catalyst for discovering my true passion and purpose. Sometimes the biggest pivots come from the moments that break us open and show us who we're meant to become."— Anita St Lewis, Founder

Building it dollar by dollar

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, getting started meant fundraising — and Anita had some money, but nowhere near enough for a dream that would take millions of dollars and years to reach. Her first move was finding a supportive community to cheer her on; their encouragement reminded her that every big dream starts with a single step.

Then she got creative about raising and saving money: fixing and reselling things people throw away, saving on laundry and utilities, shopping sales, selling avocados from her own backyard, saving lottery winnings, investment interest and credit-card rewards, walking dogs and house-sitting — every dollar was another step toward saving a life. "You don't have to have everything figured out to get started," she says. "You simply have to start."

Anita St Lewis repainting a piece of furniture to resell
Repainting furniture
Anita St Lewis fixing up a bike
Fixing a bike
Anita St Lewis walking a dog
Walking dogs
Anita St Lewis picking avocados from her backyard tree
Picking avocados

Board of Directors

Anita St Lewis, a native Californian and lifelong animal advocate, is the founder of Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal, a "no-kill" nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal sanctuary dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming innocent animals.

Animals have been an integral part of Anita's life since childhood, teaching her compassion, trust, loyalty and unconditional love. She often says that animals have saved her life — and now her mission is to save theirs.

After spending many years in corporate America, Anita followed her heart and pursued formal training in animal welfare. She graduated from Southern Utah University and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where she studied how to operate a life-saving sanctuary. This experience, combined with her lifelong passion and deep empathy for animals, became the foundation for Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal.

Driven by compassion and the urgent need to reduce euthanasia caused by shelter overcrowding, Anita established the sanctuary as a safe environment where animals can heal and thrive — where humans can experience the profound connection and healing that animals provide.

Join Anita in creating a world where animals and humans heal together.

For the past 4 years, Lou Palermo has served as Vice President of Expansion at American Veterinary Group, where he leads the development and construction of new UrgentVet clinics across the country. With deep expertise in project management, budgeting and cross-functional leadership, Lou has overseen the successful opening of over 100 veterinary facilities, ensuring each clinic is delivered on time, on budget and with a focus on operational excellence.

Lou brings to the Board a strong financial acumen, a results-driven mindset and a deep passion for animal welfare. His experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets and coordinating with diverse stakeholders — including veterinary professionals, contractors and regulatory agencies — makes him uniquely suited to serve as Treasurer. He is honored to support the sanctuary's mission, believing strongly in the importance of creating safe, nurturing spaces where animals can heal, thrive and live with dignity. His goal is to help steward the organization's financial health in support of that vision.

In his spare time, Lou loves spending time with his two dogs, watching sports, building furniture & cooking, but most of all loves to travel and see the world with his wife.

Amanda has always had a love, passion and deep respect for animals and their wellbeing. She has been practicing yoga for over 25 years and teaching yoga and meditation for the past 14 years. She teaches online yoga classes that focus on breath work, meditation and mindfulness. She is a certified grief coach through The Mindfulness and Grief Institute. She also is co-host of The Mindfulness and Grief Podcast. Her work centers on supporting individuals through loss using mindfulness meditation, yoga and compassionate presence.

Amanda believes in advancing the sanctuary's mission by educating the public about animal welfare, promoting humane treatment and advocating for policies that protect vulnerable animals.

She is a native Californian who currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband Lou Palermo and her two fur babies, Axl and Jersey.

Annaliese Train, JD, SEP, is an attorney, executive leader and entrepreneur with experience across Fortune 500 companies, startups and mission-driven organizations. She brings expertise in leadership, strategic growth and fundraising.

After beginning her career in business law, Annaliese moved into senior corporate roles, contributing to Kohl's West Coast expansion and leading market growth initiatives for Thomson Reuters. She is now Founder and CEO of Beyond Oxygen, LLC and Co-Founder of ClinAdvize Consulting, advising businesses on strategy and sustainable growth.

A dedicated nonprofit leader and lifelong animal advocate, Annaliese has served on the Board of Trustees for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and has been actively involved in fundraising and rescue efforts throughout Southern California. As a board member of Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal, Annaliese combines professional expertise with personal dedication to advance the sanctuary's mission of creating a place where animals and humans heal.

Mission

Saving the lives of innocent animals and providing a safe environment for them to thrive.

Vision

The sanctuary is more than a rescue, it's an environment that nurtures the special healing powers of animals creating an important animal/human bond that enriches both their lives.