CADA’s 13th Annual Gratitude Luncheon

The Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction held its 13th Annual Gratitude Luncheon Honoring its Mentorship Program, Wednesday, March 8 at the El Encanto Santa Barbara. The luncheon was founded by Anne Smith Towbes to celebrate the mentor program, which is 28 years strong.

This year, the CADA honoree mentor is Kenny Slaught. He was born in Los Angeles, attended UCSB and was a founding board member for the Storyteller Children’s Center. A father of six children with wife Elizabeth, he volunteered seven years ago to be a mentor at CADA after his kids went off to college. He has been a mentor to two students for that time, one of whom was recently accepted into Loyola Marymount University to study law. Slaught is a member of the Santa Barbara Dream Foundation Board and the UCSB Board of Trustees.

The luncheon program commenced with CADA Director of Major Gifts Catherine Remak as emcee. She introduced the program highlights and the 2023 Teen Star winner, Andrew Diffenderfer, a Dos Pueblos High School student. He sang, “You Lift Me Up” while a slide show of the mentees played.

The CADA Executive Director Scott Whiteley spoke next. He quipped, “Five years at CADA… not bad for a temp job!” He thanked CADA’s first President and CEO Penny Jenkins, and the community treasures who attended the luncheon, including Rona Barrett and therecently retired SB Zoo President & CEO Rich Block; President of the James S. Bower Foundation Jon Clark; President & CEO of CALM SB Alana Walczak; Executive Director of New House SB Adam Burridge; City of SB Councilmember Eric Friedman; Erin Graffy;Chairman & CEO Montecito Bank & Trust Janet Garufis; and Remak for her years of service with CADA. Whiteley remarked that CADA has matched over 1,000 kids with mentors in its 28 years, and many are the first in their families to attend college. 

Next, Towbes introduced the keynote speaker, Joe Lambert. She said, “I am grateful to once again celebrate CADA’s mentor program. I know the room is filled with friends and mentors who have affected each of us. Let’s take a moment to thank them for their importance in our lives. Joe and I met 15 years ago over coffee. We share a love of music and the arts. We know how important the arts are in raising self-esteem, teaching camaraderie, learning how to focus and being willing to do the hard repetitive work to get it right. Joe has deep roots in SB and has lived here for 60 years – looking good Joe, just sayin’! [with a laugh] His true passion is bringing out the best in young people through music, and he founded Teen Star 14 years ago. Thank you, Joe, for giving our young people a way to share their talent.”

Lambert began by saying, “Anne I disagree with you, you look better than me!” He then shared his personal journey, where at eight years old he lost his mother to cancer, and his dad became an alcoholic. A track coach encouraged him to join and another to be the Student Body President. He had a scholarship for college, built a successful business, invested in his church, and rebuilt a childhood he never had. Lambert encouraged his kids to go for their passion, and he did the same for himself when he founded Teen Star. He showed a video of students in the Teen Star program. He provided his grateful thanks to Virgil Elings of the renowned Elings Family, Remak who is a celebrity judge for Teen Star, Michelle Apodaca, Bob Bryant, and Earl Minnis.

Garufis and Remakled the ask, drawing in approximately $23,000. 

Noted attendees were Rinaldo and Lalla Brutoco, Jon Clark, Carol-Anne Lonson, John and Marti Daly, Andria Kahmann and John Raymont, Melody Taft, Perri Harcourt, Gordon Auchincloss, Cynder Sinclair, and Jill Nida.

411: https://cadasb.org