Festival of Hearts 2024 

The Friendship Center lives true to its name. It’s a special place somewhere between Heaven and Earth – where loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia go to find compassion, dignity, and connection while their caregivers can find relief, care, maybe even hope. It’s like time traveling where, if only for a couple hours, everything is okay again.

I believe the decision to care for my father Glen Motter in-home – and attending Friendship Center’s adult day-care services – extended my dad’s quality of life… and laughter. For whatever brief time that was, the Friendship Center gave us both the relief and dignity we needed to carry on with our daily lives together. Alzheimer’s is not just something that happens to old people. It is not normal aging. What modern medicine cannot answer it seems to dismiss all together. 

I was 24 when I became power of attorney for my father, Glen. Both my dad and I moved back in with my mom – it was as chaotic as it sounds. The Friendship Center was there, holding a torch through what was a very dark and vulnerable time for all of us. 

There’s something about being surrounded by the natural beauty of Montecito, and the kind hearts of the staff and volunteers, that always left a smile on Glen’s face and a laugh from his belly. After my experience advocating for my father through his dementia – there is truly no place like Friendship Center. The impact of this adult day care reaches far beyond its walls into the fabric of the Santa Barbara community. 

My father was my rock, the calm in the storm. He was incredibly smart, witty, and worldly. He taught me about the ocean, the universe, the stars. When he passed, time froze, and my world stopped spinning. 

There are more stars in the sky than every grain of sand on every beach, he would always remind me. After he spent time on sea, land, and air – fishing boats, free-diving for abalone, racing and working on Hondas in Honolulu, inventing the flying squirrel suit – he moved onto aerospace engineering in Goleta, California. He helped build the solar panels that were used on NASA’s rovers on Mars. Opportunity, or Oppy as it was nicknamed by NASA scientists, was only expected to live 90 days, but instead explored the surface of Mars for 15 years – successfully completing its mission of finding evidence of potential life-sustaining waters.  

Now, the Friendship Center’s 2024 Festival of Hearts is right around the corner! Here are the pertinent details:

When: Saturday, February 3rd 2024 at 12pm
Where: Rosewood Miramar Beach

Get your tickets and learn about sponsorship opportunities here! And don’t delay because ticket sales close this Friday, January 26! See you there!