The Cecilia Fund

The oldest nonprofit in town, The Cecilia Fund (TCF) met in the oldest club in town, the Santa Barbara Club for a tea. That would be 126 years for both. The Cecilia Fund used to call themselves the Saint Cecilia Society but rebranded recently so it wouldn’t be confused with a religious group.

The reason it became Saint Cecilia originally was because she was the Patron Saint of music and the ladies played small recitals to raise money to help others in need – it was never meant to be religious. There is no office and no paid staff. It is all voluntary and run by a board, which oversees requests for healthcare aid for our community’s most vulnerable members. It could be dental, eyes, or anything medical. If approved (one time only) the funds are given directly to the provider, many times at a reduced rate.

As the co-presidents and tea co-chairs Marion Schoneberger and Susan Johnson said, “We are a Go Fund Me, before there was a Go Fund Me. We help all ages and sexes.” Last year, they paid out $90,000 and received a grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation. They also work with a consultant, Barbara Andersen, from that foundation. As she said, “Many are just one paycheck away from being poor if something goes wrong.”

Kari Weber told how much The Cecilia Fund helped when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. There are many stories such as the vet who couldn’t get a job because he didn’t have any teeth. TCF helped him.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Charles Fenzi, chief executive officer and chief medical officer of the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics. It is an organization that provides excellent health care at affordable prices to residents of Santa Barbara and surrounding areas. TCF has had a long-standing partnership with them. Dr. Fenzi is particularly proud of their pain management without opioids, mental health care, and helping with abuse issues. There are also clinics in schools. We think of Santa Barbara as totally prosperous, but 30 percent of our population is low-income and one out of five live in poverty.

That hard-working TCF board includes: Victoria Bessinger, Sallie Coughlin, Barbara Howell, Susan Johnson, La Shon Kelley, Sharon Kennedy, Stefanie Lopez, Mary Ellen McCammon, Nikki Rickard, Rochelle Rose, Bette Saks, Marion Schoneberger, Sigrid Toye, and Evie Vesper. They continually receive more requests than they can fund, so if you’d like to help in any way, log on to www.ceciliafund.org.