Birds and Bees Bash

Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC) held their Birds and Bees Bash at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort with over 435 attendees. They hoped to raise $75,000. The three co-chairs: Cynthia Abulafia, Kristen Klingbeil–Weis, and Wendy Wheeler Smith and their committee worked to make that happen. Geoff Green added his humor to the evening and the live auction.

After a reception in the lobby, the group was seated in the ballroom at tables adorned with beautiful mixed colors of peonies. Before dinner, board chair Anne Schowe presented the guest of honor Dan Hone, PhD with the Jean K.  Schuyler award. The ideals and values of Planned Parenthood were present in Dan’s home in San Francisco. His father was president of the Social Hygiene Education Association. They promoted sex education before there were any family planning clinics in the city.

Dan joined the board of PPCCC in 1989 and served on it for 25 years in many leadership rolls. Dan also had an academic career in physics at UCSB recently retiring as deputy director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics. He has been married for over 60 years and has three daughters.

PPCCC president and CEO Jenna Tosh PhD spoke to the group telling us they serve five centers in the County which amounts to 58,000 visits a year. Dr. Virginia Siegfried also spoke. She has served as medical director for PPCCC for ten years. Before she was with Planned Parenthood in northern New England and three years as the affiliate’s staff physician for surgical services and family planning. She completed both her internship and residency in ObGyn from UCLA. She said, “Eighty-five percent of our work is ObGyn for women.”

The Bash really was a bash. There was partying after hours, from 9 to midnight. For information about PPCCC call 805.722.1522.