22nd Annual St. Vincent’s Golf Classic Fundraiser at the Montecito Country Club

By Joanne A Calitri | October 31, 2023

First Place Gross Winners: Bhavik Patel, Chad Brock, Colby Lewis, and Mike Valpredo (photo by Joanne A Calitri)

Monday, October 16, saw the 22nd Annual St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara Golf Classic at the Montecito Club, a charity tournament supporting single mothers and young children in the Family Strengthening Program. There were 20 teams with 80 players who competed for grand prizes in over five categories. The event commenced at 10 am with breakfast, a prayer led by Sister Maria Hoa Nguyen, and a touching share by one of the single mothers who graduated from the program at St. Vincent’s and is now giving back. Next was the putting contest, the reading of the playing rules, and the shotgun start to the 18-Hole Texas Scramble competition at the club’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

At 4:30 pm, the teams were returning from a long day in the sun on the challenging course. They were welcomed back with refreshments and full-on Mexican buffet. The Silent Auction table included a desert golf getaway, VIP concert tickets at the Santa Barbara Bowl, a personal barber at Montecito Barbers, dinner at Caruso’s, and a VIP package to the Dodgers vs. Reds game in 2024. In addition to the silent auction, there was a raffle with gift cards from local restaurants and businesses. The funding goal was $150,000, which the event net is still be calculated.

Event Chair for the past 12 years and one of its founders is Bill Cordero Sr. His dedication to St. Vincent’s began with his mother and father, both orphans, who met at the organization’s home for children. Cordero was honored at the event with a book of all the news stories available about his mom, researched from the Santa Barbara Historical Society.

Longtime event supporters are emcee Drew Wakefield, Connor Limont with the Sarah Lee Pascoe Foundation, and Michael Valpredo. Overseeing the entire event were St. Vincent’s President/CEO Rosa Paredes; Sr. Maria, Sr. Arthur Gordon,D.C.; Chief Development Officer Dr. Regina Ruiz, and Sergey Salushchev with their staff and student volunteers from Bishop Diego High School.