Tag archives: The Giving List SB

Thirty years ago this coming April, FEMA-Certified Canine Search Specialist Wilma Melville and her black lab Murphy spent a week rummaging through the rubble of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma. What stood out was just how few other rescue dogs were on site to search for survivors. When Melville realized only […]

When Amada Cruz took over as Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s new Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director and CEO about 13 months ago, she had a clear idea of how she viewed the museum’s evolving role in the community.  “I see a lot of value in the arts beyond the aesthetic,” she said in these […]

Last month, Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (SDRI) reached a major milestone with its year-long $20 million capital campaign to facilitate the renovation of the nonprofit’s current building, breaking ground on the 18,000-square-foot building renovation project. The work is to transform the building, located near Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, into a state-of-the-art diabetes research facility that […]

Crossing Encephalartos horridus with Encephalartos woodii might sound like the formula for developing the world’s next deadly disease. But horticulturalists will realize that it’s actually a unique cycad hybrid – one that results in super spiny and glossy green leaves. The Lotusland-created specimen will be among the hundreds of rare and specimen plants available at […]

There are 19 RiteCare Childhood Language Centers across California, a program of the California Scottish Rite Foundation that provides life-changing speech therapy, language skills, and literacy services to more than 2,300 children at no cost to the families. The highly effective centers in many ways more than fill the gaps between what the public schools […]

World Telehealth Initiative had a very lofty goal when the nonprofit began in 2017: use modern medical robotics and engage volunteer physicians to make an impact in healthcare disparity across the globe. With half of the world’s population lacking access to essential health services, statistics show that nearly nine million people die every year from […]

A significant number of nonprofits and other organizations have been working to end homelessness in Santa Barbara and across California. PATH has had a jump on nearly all of them, as its mission is built right into its name – which is an acronym for People Assisting the Homeless. PATH started small and simply with […]

Are you wondering why there’s a whole lot of hoopla about the Granada Theatre 100th birthday beyond merely marking a major milestone? First, perhaps, pivot over to Hattie Beresford’s comprehensive column The Way It Was (page 22) in this issue. That piece traces the history of the grand old theater – from its vaudeville days […]

New Beginnings’ Safe Parking program turned 20 earlier this year, a milestone you need to celebrate. On the other hand, I wish it didn’t even exist in the first place. In an ideal world, there wouldn’t be homeless people living on the streets or in their cars. The latter is what the Safe Parking program […]

It was Geoff Green, the longtime CEO of SBCC Foundation, who created and spearheaded the organization’s SBCC Promise, the program that provides all recent local high school graduates with the opportunity to attend the community college full-time free of charge for up to two years. The Promise is comprehensive and robust, covering virtually everything a […]

The Montecito Journal’s 2024 Giving List book for Santa Barbara was just published last month in time for Giving Tuesday, but already the two-page spread about Sansum Clinic is out of date.  Not the part that takes note of the fact that Sansum’s breadth of services are so pervasive in the area that it’s likely […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Organic Soup Kitchen (OSK) provides nutrition and food security to cancer patients, chronically ill, and low-income individuals throughout Santa Barbara County. The nonprofit organization has served more than a million bowls of nutrient-dense SoupMeals since its founding in 2009.  It all sounds pretty straightforward and simple. After all, like Campbell’s claimed in a long-running ad […]

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 […]