Tag archives: support

How to Dig Yourself Up When Feeling Down
By Jude Bijou   |   July 18, 2023

When you feel depressed, you may despair that your situation will never get better. Rather than telling yourself how terrible you feel or how hopeless your life is and finding escapes such as food, internet surfing, television, or alcohol, remember that challenges are a normal part of life, and that there is something you can […]

STESA
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 18, 2022

The Winnie the Pooh characters Tigger and Eeyore normally wouldn’t come up in a conversation about sexual assault and consent. But at Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA), any method that helps the nonprofit reach youth to achieve its goal of eliminating all forms of sexual violence is worth trying, including referencing the beloved […]

Community Counseling and Education Center
By Steven Libowitz   |   February 17, 2022

“What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours,” Dinah Washington sang in 1959. “What a difference a day made, and the difference is you.”  Washington, of course, was singing about romantic love. But for Santa Barbara’s Community Counseling and Education Center (CCEC), one day can make a huge difference in others’ lives too.  One […]

RAINN: Connecting an Influx of Survivors With Needed Support
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 28, 2021

Peruse the list of RAINN supporters online or in the 2020-21 inaugural The Giving List book and you’ll find a whole lot of famous names. There are singer-songwriters Tori Amos and Kesha, entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and the actresses Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino, among many others. That’s because, unlike virtually all […]

‘Mainstream Topic’: Pandemic Puts Mental Wellness Center in Spotlight
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 7, 2021

It’s just a coincidence that World Mental Health Day falls right in the middle of the circulation for this week’s edition of the Montecito Journal. The annual campaign was created by the World Health Organization with a stated objective of raising awareness of mental health issues and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health and […]

YMCA Thanks Emergency Partners
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 17, 2018

Montecito Family YMCA has partnered with more than a dozen local organizations and leaders to provide assistance to the Montecito community in response to the Thomas Fire and mudslides. In collaboration with these local organizations, the YMCA was able to assist in providing childcare, mud removal, youth activities, clothes, and toys for affected Montecito residents. […]

Berna Desire: Road to Recovery
By Richard Mineards   |   March 8, 2018

Recovery Project is new community support group that was born out of the recent doubleheader disasters that have hit our rarefied enclave. Founder Berna Kieler, a Montecito resident since the 1980s, describes it as “grass-roots, neighbors helping neighbors” being carried along by people dedicated to seeing the community and its residents recover. “I was in […]

Saints Marching In
By Richard Mineards   |   February 8, 2018

All Saints by the Sea Episcopal Church played a critical role on the night of the deadly mudslides, I learn. The church was spared the worst of the damage, but became a triage center for those injured in the disaster, says parishioner Sheri Benninghoven. “Hundreds of people descended on the church during the heart of […]