Hillside

The halcyon days of Hollywood moviemaking have been showing up in unusual places recently, including as the setting for the Music Academy of the West’s grand opera production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. This iteration of Don Giovanni  – a morality tale centered on the legendary libertine whose unbridled desire and hypocrisy eventually led to his downfall – is set in the century old mecca of Golden Age Hollywood. This is an understandable reframing of the story, as the Santa Barbara connection to Tinseltown isn’t just about proximity or the frequent presence of movie stars as residents or visitors – our little seaside berg was the hub of filmdom early in the 20th century, after all. That was when Santa Barbara’s Flying A Studios was the largest movie production house in the country, cranking out an estimated 1,200 silent films in Santa Barbara through 1921; at which point the business moved about 90 miles south. In any case, MAW’s Don Giovanni explored classic Hollywood’s moral darkness to thrilling effect.  

On October 18 the Movieland theme will receive a more joyful treatment when Hillside – a residential service facility for people with moderate to severe intellectual and developmental disabilities – holds its annual gala at the Santa Barbara Club downtown with a theme of (yes) The Golden Age of Hollywood. This is not a random thematic choice. The groundwork for Hillside began with the help of famed Hollywood director George Cukor, renowned for such classics as Little Women (1933), Dinner at Eight (1933), David Copperfield (1935), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Adam’s Rib (1949), A Star Is Born (1954) and My Fair Lady (1964) – which earned the Best Picture Oscar and handed Cukor the Best Director statuette. 

Now Hillside is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The nonprofit’s origin story not only aligns with Hollywood’s mid-1940s heyday, legendary Golden Age director George Cukor actually had a hand in launching the nonprofit. 

“He was a founding visionary of Hillside,” explained Angela De Bruyn, Hillside’s director of marketing and events. “He had a niece with cerebral palsy who he brought over from England. He became frustrated with the lack of resources available for her support and care in the area, and realized how valuable it would be to have a dedicated facility to provide care for children with cerebral palsy.” 

Hillside opened its doors in 1945 with a small 15-bed facility on North Ontare Road, and relocated to its present location on Veronica Springs in the unfortunately named Hidden Valley neighborhood. The nonprofit made the transition to serving adults with cerebral palsy and other intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities (IDD) about 30 years later.

The majority of the 59 current residents, whose ages range from early 20s to 70s, are non-ambulatory with additional medical challenges. Providing intensive medical support and empathetic caregiving is paramount to extending and enriching their lives. Despite the hurdles the residents experience every day, Hillside’s programs focus on what they can accomplish and various ways to eliminate obstacles that prevent residents from fully engaging. 

Much more than a care facility, Hillside is also a leading advocate for people living with IDD, its mission to make sure its residents’ abilities are fostered and that every member of its staff is dedicated to supporting residents in living a life of purpose, connection and dignity in an environment where they can thrive, and every person is seen, heard and valued.

“We focus not only on care but also enriching opportunities for our residents,” De Bruyn said. “We believe that every person deserves to live fully and freely with support that meets their personal needs. We’re one of the only places like this on the Central Coast.” 

The funds raised at the October gala, Hillside’s largest such event of the year, are essential to supporting its residents on living their fullest possible lives, as the nonprofit needs to raise more than $800,000 each year to cover therapies, programs and services beyond what Medicare and Medi-Cal cover, De Bruyn said.

“The gala is the community’s invitation to learn more about Hillside and be a part of a future built on dignity,” she said. 

But the Gala also promises to be a lot of fun. Dinner and dancing to a live band, both with a nod to the Hollywood theme, are part of the evening, with the promise of a high glitz and glamour quotient. Among the items up in the live and silent auctions is the coveted prize of two Platinum Passes to the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. These Platinum Passes provide priority access to all films, celebrity tributes and industry panels, as well as admission to the Festival Pavilion, which hosts daily happy hours and evening parties. (SBIFF is also screening the Cukor-directed classic Gaslight at its Riviera Theatre the week before the gala.) 

Also, in connection to the movieland theme, the gala will feature a screening of Hillside’s new anthem video, a three-minute piece used for promotion, PR and grant applications.

“It’s the world premiere!” De Bruyn said.  

To learn more about Hillside or buy tickets to the October 18 Hillside Gala, visit https://hillsidesb.org