Tag archives: nonprofits

It took a little while to reach Sharon Allen of the World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) to arrange an interview last week. That’s because the cofounder and executive director of the barely 5-year-old nonprofit was over in Ukraine, in the midst of a week-long visit to the war-torn country as part of a special expansion of […]

While the world enters its new “normal,” the need to break bread with one another, both metaphorically and literally, is more welcome than ever. The sharing of conversation over food is a bonding act between people as old as civilization itself and with State Street now a bustling pedestrian thoroughfare, it is the ideal time […]

Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara, aka CAMA, is deservedly well-known and cherished for its commitment and ability to bring the finest classical musicians from around the world to Santa Barbara, a cultural coup of musical riches that would normally be beyond the means for such a small community.  It helps that it all […]

Just about everything Hillside does is for its residents, the 59 people who live at the facility that have developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism, and epilepsy. That includes everything from the intensive medical support and empathetic caregiving to things like its annual Shining Light on Abilities event, a festive display of holiday […]

Richie’s Barber Shop on Coast Village Road is having its 11th Annual Holiday Donation Drive, this year for St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara and Adam’s Angels. The Shop’s event chair and lead barber Jessica Jay is coordinating with Regina Ruiz, Chief Development Officer of St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara, and with Adam McKaig, who formed Adam’s Angels […]

The holiday season, as the Andy Williams song goes, is the most wonderful time of the year. But for some of the more disadvantaged people in the South County, it can also be the most stressful. And for the Unity Shoppe – the 105-year-old nonprofit that serves as a unique lifeline for thousands of families […]

Gourmands and oenophiles were out in force when the Fund for Santa Barbara hosted its 29th annual Bread & Roses event for 500 guests at Elings Park, its second year at the locale after many years at the QAD headquarters in Summerland. The bountiful bash, co-hosted by Chelsea Lancaster and Wendy Sims-Moten, raised around $200,000 […]

To get a clear picture of what the World Business Academy does, it’s a good idea to zoom out far above the Santa Barbara nonprofit’s home base – maybe to around 30,000 feet, suggests founder and president Rinaldo Brutoco.  “With the exception of Direct Relief International, which is a massive charity that’s based here, we […]

One805’s original Kick Ash Bash was a legendary gathering that will forever be etched in the community’s consciousness. This huge star-studded event and concert in early 2018 was held at Bella Vista Ranch and Polo Club in Summerland to celebrate our community’s first responders after the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flows. But the event’s […]

The Santa Barbara-based Fish Reef Project is establishing a blue carbon bank to draw down carbon through kelp restoration and create carbon offsets in the process. Founded in 2012 by Chris Goldblatt, the Fish Reef Project is a nonprofit working to restore kelp and coral reef ecosystems around the world. Their invention, the Sea Cave, […]

The Santa Barbara School of Squash (SBSOS) recently gave its annual gala fundraiser in a unique venue – the courtyard at La Arcada Plaza around the turtle pond at Eleven14 restaurant. It was a beautiful setting for 100 folks seated at the round dinner tables and a fun place to mix and mingle. The theme […]

CommUnify (formerly CAC/Community Action Commission) just held its 55th Anniversary dinner at Alisal Ranch & Resort on the River Grill patio. CEO Pat Keelean welcomed the group and asked them to celebrate the local champions who do so much to improve the quality of life for all of Santa Barbara County’s residents. As Pat said, […]

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Shakespeare employed that now famous line in his play Romeo and Juliet to imply that the naming of things is irrelevant. The Riviera Ridge School might beg to differ.  The highly-esteemed independent educational institution that serves […]

The Fund for Santa Barbara handed out checks totaling $330,000 at a Spring Community Awards celebration at the Cabrillo Pavilion. Since its founding 42 years ago, the organization has given away more than $8.5 million to worthy recipients, says Marcos Vargas, executive director. The fund’s major annual money raising event, held since 1994, is its […]

Just what is a “Windfall” or “Excess Profits Tax”? The words “windfall profits” is your first clue. Wikipedia defines an excess profits tax as “a tax on any profit above a certain amount.” The definition clarifies that this fiscal instrument is typically used in a wartime setting, and is designed to capture the upside profits […]

On May 30, Senator Monique Limòn nominated Mothers’ Helpers as the 2022 California Nonprofit of the Year. California Nonprofits Day allows legislators from across California to highlight a Nonprofit of the Year in their district and have the organization recognized at a celebratory luncheon in June.  Mothers’ Helpers was established in 2009 and strives to […]

Clay Studio Founder and Executive Director Patrick Hall credits working with clay for a dramatic shift in his life from an ADHD-addled kid who couldn’t focus, to one who runs a studio that serves as an artistic home and more to many members of our community.  “I couldn’t concentrate to even read a paragraph or […]

Relinquishing an exotic pet bird is rarely ideal, but an owner admitting they have run out of options to handle the full-time needs of a mature parrot is honest and very real. Most people are unprepared for the possessive commitment a parrot exhibits toward its owner or other beloved family member. When that commitment can’t […]