Tag archives: nonprofit
Heidi Holly, executive director of the Friendship Center in Montecito and Goleta, has retired after 38 years, and 120 friends and supporters gathered at a fun-filled farewell bash at Brass Bear Brewing Uptown to give her a rousing sendoff. Kathryn Cherkas, Heidi’s successor who worked as a program director of the organization as well as […]
Adam’s Angels founder Adam McKaig and fellow realtor Melissa Borders have been sole searching! The dynamic duo have just received 200 pairs of new shoes from Deckers, the fashion, lifestyle, and performance brand in Goleta. Adam tells me the footwear will be distributed to homeless recipients, along with young adults transitioning out of foster care. […]
Valerie Banks, the dynamic force behind the Dream Foundation’s Flower Empower program, is retiring after nearly 15 years. Since assuming leadership in 2008, Valerie has grown the popular program from humble beginnings at Santa Barbara’s Saturday Farmers Market, forging partnerships with local growers and flower wholesalers, while rallying dozens of volunteers. Today the enthusiastic helpers […]
The Fund for Santa Barbara’s Development and Communications Manager – Alina Rey Keswani – is understandably proud that Bread & Roses, the organization’s major annual fundraiser, is marking its 30th anniversary this fall. The benefit event that has long been a staple on the social calendar of many in the community has survived massive growth, […]
A bountiful bevy of parasol-carrying anthophiles and phytologists turned out for Lotusland’s sun-soaked sold-out annual fundraiser gala with 500 guests raising a hefty $800,000 towards sustainability and plant conservation programming. The fun fête at the 37-acre botanical paradise dubbed Lotusland Celebrates: Where the Wild Things Grow, organized by Merryl Brown Events and designed by Mary […]
One of Santa Barbara’s newest nonprofits, Hearts Aligned, founded in May 2021 to support critically-ill children, hosted a sunset soirée appreciation party at the Goleta home of founder Vivian Solodkin and her husband Peter, whose two-year-old son, Carlos, died during heart surgery in 2007. The charity provides rental assistance, gas cards, food vouchers, and even […]
One805Live!, which is throwing its annual gala at Kevin Costner’s oceanside Carpinteria property in September, gave a taste of what is to come with a boffo bash at the Montecito Club that auctioned off a guitar signed by Katy Perry for $5,000 and a package trip for four people to see Maroon Five – stars […]
The NatureTrack Film Festival was created as an extension of the NatureTrack Foundation, the nonprofit that combats “Nature-Deficit Disorder” by transporting county students outside via a variety of no-charge field trips from the seashore to the inland oak woodlands to engage curiosity and instill appreciation and awe of nature. The festival had a fine first […]
You might wonder how a chowder festival has anything to do with providing free, high-quality legal services to low-income and other vulnerable residents in order to ensure equal access to justice. The answer is, not much, except that prior to the pandemic, the decade-old Santa Barbara Chowder Fest had become the single largest fundraiser for […]
Casa del Herrero has formally announced, by way of this news report, its first annual Estate Treasures Sale, to assist in funding the notable nonprofit organization. The event committee Chair Beth Esrey with Board of Trustees President Heather Biles and a team of volunteers are planning out all the details as we speak. Items for […]
Big plans are in store for Hillside, the residential facility for 59 people with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism, and epilepsy. Hillside’s Community Project will transform its model of care by creating a new, integrated, mixed-abilities neighborhood on its 24-acre property in Hidden Valley featuring homes, townhomes, and apartments for seniors and […]
If you’ve read anything about the State Street Advisory Committee meeting on May 24, it was probably about how tense the meeting was, how many committee members disagreed, and how public comment was a bit heated. Nick Welsh of the Independent called it a “bumpy start.” Councilman Oscar Gutierrez was a bit less delicate, stating […]
From DakhaBrakha and The Linda Lindas to Lang Lang and Ballet Preljocaj, UCSB Arts & Lectures’ 2022-2023 season included a luminous lineup of both world-renowned and up-and-coming musicians in a variety of genres, dance companies of far-reaching dimensions, and a full slate of forward-thinking and timely speakers and spoken word artists. The season was a […]
Santa Barbara’s New Beginnings Counseling Center (SBNBCC) held its grand opening with a ribbon cutting reception on Friday, June 9, at its new location, 530 East Montecito Street, Suite 101. The event was well attended, with noted state and local politicians – Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA24), Senator Monique Limón, First District Supervisor Das Williams, District […]
When New Beginnings began serving Santa Barbara as a nonprofit half a century ago, providing confidential, therapeutic psychological testing, assessment, and counseling to low-income individuals and families in the greater Santa Barbara area was its core mission. Experienced masters-and-doctoral-level counselors support clients exploring life transitions, relationship issues, and any number of other concerns – including […]
Santa Barbara nonprofit Community Environmental Council has long been on the forefront of the environmental movement ever since its founding more than 50 years ago. Among its groundbreaking accomplishments in those early decades, CEC founded one of the nation’s first ecology centers, as well as the first learning and research community gardens. CEC was instrumental […]
Rona Barrett is most famous for her long career as a pioneering journalist, columnist, broadcaster, and producer who covered the entertainment industry for decades. The trailblazer interviewed a huge swath of superstars, including Raquel Welch and Tom Cruise, broke countless stories from the world of Hollywood, and became the public’s trusted insider – documenting the […]
Kimberly Ray, the founder and CEO of Marine Conservation Network, remembers what it was like to grow up in and on the water. As the daughter of a fisherman, she spent countless hours swimming, diving, snorkeling – “Whatever I could do to get in the water,” she recalled. Wanting to continue that path, Ray earned […]
As might be expected with an organization that has been around for 100 years, there have been a lot of changes at United Way of Santa Barbara County (UWSBC) over the course of a century of service that began in 1923. Originally known as the Santa Barbara Community Chest, the nonprofit’s model focused almost exclusively […]
Homelessness has been growing in Santa Barbara, where last year nearly 2,000 people were living without shelter, a situation that has been very visible as evidenced by the number of encampments encroaching along railroad paths, roadsides, and waterfronts throughout the county. The same story exists in virtually every corner of California in what increasingly seems […]
