Ford Tough: Center Celebrates 50th

Veteran film actor Harrison Ford landed at Santa Barbara Airport to help the New Beginnings Counseling Center celebrate its half-century at a sun-drenched celebration at the 76-year-old Ovington Terminal, I can exclusively report.

Ford, 76, globally known as Hans Solo in Star Wars and the title character of the Indiana Jones film series, flew in on one of his private planes from Santa Monica the 100 miles to our Eden by the Beach to be the main guest at a brunch for 36 VIP donors, those who’ve given $5,000 or more to the nonprofit, which served 2,174 people across five programs last year, including 694 under its Safe Parking Program.

Volunteers and staffers, dressed in airline attendant attire, added to the colorful Rincon-catered fete, produced by Judi Weisbart and Judy Hawkins, which replaced the charity’s annual gala.

Montecito’s Cheri Steinkellner, who wrote and produced the long-running TV show Cheers, emceed an entertaining 15-minute question-and-answer session with Ford, a friend of a charity board member, who also starred in Witness, Patriot Games, and The Fugitive.

Five of his films are in the top 30 top-grossing movies at the U.S. box office and, as of 2016, Ford’s films have grossed more than $4.7 billion in U.S. box-office domestic gross.

Two Ford-signed posters from Air Force One and Six Days, Seven Nights were sold in a silent auction. The airline company, Signature, also gave their services free for the occasion.

Among the high flyers, all of whom got a keepsake photo with Ford, were Dan and Emily Engel, Julianna Friedman and Tom Dain, Kathryn LePage, Diane Pannkuk, Sasha Ablitts, Kristine Schwarz, Bill Steinkellner, and David Jackson.