Happy Birthday

Who doesn’t like birthday parties? Girls Inc. had 220 guests at their 60^th one held in their Goleta facility. The decorations reminded me of the “olden days” when getting a new box of shiny colored Crayons was a big deal – never mind cell phones, since there weren’t any. There were balloons and brightly wrapped packages in all the primary colors; blue, red, yellow, and green. All the chairs were bright-orange. Happy colors for a happy occasion. It was all a great camouflage for the fact that we were really eating in a gym.

As CEO Barbara Ben–Horin told us, “This event was put on by the Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara One Hundred Committee with the theme “Imagining the Future for Girls.” It is a scholarship fundraising evening for after school and summer camp programming.  President of the One Hundred Committee Stina Hans reminded us, “Girls Inc. served 1,500 girls last year.” In 2017, Girls Inc. gave more than half a million in financial assistance. The One Hundred Committee has been working for the girls for 33 years.

The Girls Inc. speaker was the amazing Roz, who has been coming there since kindergarten. As she said, “My single mom needed a safe place for me to go after school, and she found Girls Inc.” Roz’s early dreams were to be a ballerina and have morphed into forensic science and creative writing. She is a 9^th grader at San Marcos High School and currently volunteers in Girls Inc.’s Boost! Tutoring Program, where she mentors 1^st and 2^nd graders at the Goleta Valley Center after school. Roz attributes her personal growth to Girls Inc. and her original mentors: her mom, Farfalla, and grandma E.J. She loves to imagine what the girls she tutors will become.

Geoff Green from SBCC Foundation brought his good humor to the live auction table with a dinner for 10 donated by Barbara & Yoav Ben–Horin and caterer Rincon Events, along with 12 different wines to pair. There was also a private helicopter tour for two and a pearl bracelet from Silverhorn Jewelers.

Some of the premier sponsors were R. Chad and Ginni Dreier, Stina Hans and Joel Kreiner, Nurture Cottage, Connie and John Pearcy, Claudette and Jim Roehrig, Margo and Jeff Barbakow, and the Zegar Family Foundation. The sponsor list goes on and is so necessary to Girls Inc.’s success. Behind this organization is the large board led by president Brian D. Lloyd.

This evening grossed about $275,000. A great start for the next year! If you’d like to help the girls be strong, smart, and bold, please call marketing and communications manager Kristen Weaver at (805) 963 4757.