Tag archives: nonprofit

Uber party planner Merryl Brown hosted a garden party at her East Valley Road antebellum-style home for former international event producer John Daly’s 12-year-old Key Class, which mentors at-risk and other students in learning important life skills, including social etiquette. With a $120,000 annual budget, it has taught more than 10,000 students, mostly from the […]

November is special for many in the home healthcare field as the month is recognized as National Home Care Month, National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, and National Family Caregiver Month. But there’s an extra emphasis for Santa Barbara’s Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), which celebrates its 115th anniversary of caring for the community.  Founded as […]

The nonprofit New Beginnings has turned its focus toward ending veteran homelessness in the county by the close of 2025 through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program that works to transition currently unhoused veterans back into stable housing and assist those whose housing situation is threatened. But in addition to putting its money where […]

As recently as the early 20th century, a diagnosis of diabetes meant the certainty of a shortened life plagued with complications that would ultimately prove fatal. But thanks in large part to Santa Barbara’s Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (SDRI), the outlook has brightened considerably over the decades.  SDRI’s founder was Dr. William Sansum, a pioneer […]

by Leslie Rugg and Erica Brege The saying goes, “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Leslie Rugg, Board of Directors President of The Plumery, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to creating a haven for parrots, would add, “and if you go ahead and do, it just means someone else has to act responsibly!”  […]

Local Nonprofit Lion Moves to the Heart of Service Geoff Green smiles a lot in conversation, and he’s smiling now. This is not the tactical smile produced through gnashed teeth (you know the one), but a genuine show of pleasure in the moment. This can be disorienting to the part-time social cynic. Or so I’ve […]

It was back in 2011 that UCSB environmental studies professor Dr. David Cleveland published his white paper indicating that 99 percent of the produce grown in Santa Barbara County was being exported elsewhere. That statistic alone wouldn’t be so startling given that agriculture and food is the number one industry in Santa Barbara County. The […]

Kathryn Westland is the new executive director for the Friendship Center Adult Day Services (FC) in Montecito. This is the first appointment to the position since Heidi Holly, who held the position for 38 years and retired earlier this year. Westland worked at the FC as program manager from fall 2017 through January 2021, and […]

Having books in the home has been proven to positively benefit children in many different ways. One 20-year study found that the mere presence of a home library, no matter how small, not only increases children’s vocabulary development and literacy, but also leads to increases in attention, academic success, and, eventually, job attainment.  The Santa […]

Santa Barbara Humane, founded in 1887 and the fourth-oldest animal welfare organization in the United States, went to the doge when it held its first-ever gala An Evening in Venice at the Hilton, attracting 267 guests and raising more than $250,000. The beastly bash, designed by local party planner Rebecca Gigandet and chaired by Susan […]

Hearts Aligned, a new charity which supports low-income families with critically ill children, held a fundraiser hosted by the Red Piano on State Street, attracting nearly 100 guests and raising around $10,000. Vivian Solodkin, founder and executive director, acted as emcee for the Rock Your Heart Out bash with the Tearaways, a group combining the […]

Savie Health opened its doors in June of 2022 as Santa Barbara County’s first and only free health clinic for the uninsured. The goal was to serve the needs for those who aren’t eligible or can’t afford health insurance, might fall through the cracks of government programs, and find even the sliding fee scale of […]

Cue the fanfare! LotusFest is coming back to Lotusland, the spectacular public gardens nestled in the Cold Spring neighborhood of Montecito. The Saturday, September 16, afternoon affair represents the post-pandemic return of the event, which provides an opportunity to enjoy a treasured wine-and-beer affair ensconced in the lush green lawns surrounded by a wonderland of […]

An art show at a downtown Santa Barbara gallery might seem to have little to do with a nonprofit working with systems of regenerative agriculture. As it turns out, though, one of the series in Holli Harmon’s To Feast on Clouds exhibit on display at Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery through September 25 is […]

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) has awarded the Montecito Community Trails Partnership – a partnership between the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department and the nonprofit Bucket Brigade – with a 2022 Challenge Award in the Suburban Disaster and Emergency Response category. CSAC’s Annual Challenge Awards recognize the innovative and creative spirit […]

There’s no doubt that the Granada Theatre is one of the crown jewels in Santa Barbara’s enviable and outsized arts scene, one that after undergoing a mega-millions upgrade has become home to nearly all of the South County’s major presenting arts organizations. What’s more, the nonprofit continues to upgrade on a regular basis, most recently […]

Musette Profant is the new Women’s Board president for Community Arts Music Association (CAMA), succeeding Deborah Bertling after four years, who is now chair of the organization’s board. Profant continues a proud family tradition as her grandmother Mabel Profant was a founding member of the CAMA Women’s Board and served on the board of directors […]

Jennifer Macdonald is CommUnify’s new director of Children’s Services following the retirement of Lorraine Neenan, who served the organization for more than 20 years. Effective immediately, she will oversee 23 head-start and early head-start campuses, and the 200-plus staff who work at the locations throughout Santa Barbara County. Macdonald has worked in the field of […]

You may not have noticed, but Unity Shoppe, one of Santa Barbara’s oldest nonprofits, had a significant change in its leadership just last summer. That’s when Executive Director Tom Reed, who had led the organization best known for its storefront shop providing locals in need with groceries, clothing, and other essentials, as well as toys […]