Tag archives: fundraiser

Montecito über philanthropist Sara Miller McCune was honored when the State Street Ballet hosted its 25th anniversary gala for 150 guests in the Biltmore’s Loggia Ballroom, raising around $125,000 for the popular local dance company, which has 20 dancers representing six countries. The room was decorated in myriad shades of blue, Sara’s favorite color, while […]

Montecito Trails Foundation will hold its 55th Annual BBQ and fundraiser this Saturday, September 28. The event, which is themed Moving Trails Forward, will be at Crane Country Day School. The BBQ will be a community celebration of how far we have come since the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow. “We’re looking forward to […]

Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) gave its 7th annual Heroes of Santa Barbara fundraiser at the Biltmore’s Coral Casino titled “Jewels by the Sea.” Even the dolphins came out to play during wine time, putting on their own show. The silent auction was ecstatically beautiful – the long tables afloat with burlap for earth, driftwood […]

Santa Barbara’s Breast Cancer Resource Center hosted The Pink Lounge gala for 300 guests at the Rosewood Miramar, which raised more than $230,000 for programs, which are provided at no cost to recipients. The 21st annual bustling bash in the chandeliered ballroom, co-chaired by Douglas Mackenzie and Joanne Funari, had Hayley Wise, 32, a breast […]

It seemed appropriate that this year’s tenth annual sell-out Green Gala thrown by the 49-year-old Community Environmental Council, raising around $300,000 for the cause, coincided with Global Climate Week. The boffo bash at Sherry Villanueva‘s Funk Zone eatery, The Lark, lavishly decorated in green hues, was co-chaired by Elizabeth Wagner, Carolyn Fitzgerald, and Leanne Schlinger, […]

ShelterBox, the Santa Barbara-based charity, has had its hands full of late with a whole slew of global disasters, most recently in the Bahamas from Hurricane Dorian. More than 250 guests turned out at the Summerland estate of John McGovern for a sunset fundraiser, which garnered around $250,000 for the 19-year-old nonprofit, which has responded […]

Hospice of Santa Barbara hosted its 7th annual Jewels by the Sea lunch at the Coral Casino when more than 340 guests helped raise a record $165,000 for the nonprofit. The sun suffused bash, co-chaired by Robin Himovitz, Melinda Goodman-Kemp, and Jill Kitnick, was emceed by KEYT-TV husband and wife anchors CJ Ward and Beth […]

Santa Barbara’s New House, a 64-year-old nonprofit to help men suffering from alcohol and drug dependency, held its fourth annual lunch with a sold-out record 270 guests at the Hilton emceed by KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri, which raised around $35,000. The charity’s three residences in our Eden by the Beach provide 98 beds for those […]

It was up, up and stay at Elings Park when it hosted its first hot air balloon and wine festival featuring tethered balloons hovering 75ft. above the ground. For a nominal fee 500 guests were offered the chance to rise to new heights in the four colorful balloons that were anchored to the turf. “It’s […]

Veteran Montecito comedienne Carol Burnett, 86, was front and center at the fifth annual Legends gala on the stage of the venerable Granada Theatre. Carol, whose eponymous award-winning show ran on CBS from 1967 to 1978, was introduced by her good friend, fellow Montecito author and film writer Fannie Flagg, as video showed some of […]

A record 190 guests turned out at the Biltmore for the 73-year-old Mental Wellness Center’s 9th annual Merryl Brown-designed lunch, which was expected to raise $175,000 for general funds to help families, adults, and teens. The keynote speaker was Sonali Beaven, an author and mental health advocate, who lost her father, Todd, on United Boeing […]

The rotunda at the Hilton was jammed when the 38th Taste of the Town threw its 10th annual Connoisseurs’ Circle gala, co-chaired by Lori Farnsworth and John O’Neill, for 213 foodies and wine lovers 48 hours before its popular Riviera epicurean festival with a tidal wave of restaurateurs, caterers, winemakers, and breweries serving samples of […]

A tidal wave of generosity swept over the 147-year-old Santa Barbara Yacht Club for the 15th annual Yachts of Love regatta, which was expected to raise more than $120,000 for the 111-year-old Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care from the more than 400 guests. The nautical jolly, which since its inception has raised more than $1.4 […]

While it promises to be a good time, the 5th annual Fun with the Force event is also expected to save lives. “It is a fun event, but it’s not your typical fundraiser,” said the event chair, Jim Nigro. The party, including dozens of top named local restaurants and vineyards, and a performance by Kenny […]

Actor Dennis Quaid (whose most recent gig is as spokesman in the clever Esurance ads that have been all over TV of late) is also a musician and he and his band The Sharks are set to perform at the Topa Mountain Winery in Ojai this weekend (Saturday, September 7). “Girls With Guitars” opens the […]

I got a decidedly chilli reception when I attended a fundraiser for the Santa Barbara Navy League at the Carriage and Western Art Museum. But that was only to be expected given I was asked to be a judge along with Bill Pintard, manager of the Santa Barbara Foresters baseball team, and insurance executive Peter […]

“Lotusland was created by Polish opera singer Madame Ganna Walska, and visitors should prepare themselves for the ultimate theatrical garden experience. Perhaps only in the climate and culture of Southern California could such a creation have been conceived and accepted, a fantasy of remarkable set-pieces of design and planting quite unlike any other garden.” The […]

The Santa Barbara Historical Museum (SBHM) gives one of the best Fiesta parties in town. The venue makes a perfect backdrop – it looks like a movie set and all we have to do is don our costumes and we’re ready for action! We entered through the front door and trekked through the galleries, one […]

Polo patron Justin Klentner and his interior designer wife Amanda Masters opened the doors of Klentner Ranch, their sprawling Carpinteria estate, for a 160-guest Summer Social fundraiser for the Polo Training Center of Santa Barbara, which was expected to raise around $100,000 to support activities and upgrade the facility’s training arena, including lighting for nighttime […]

Lotusland, the 37-acre botanical nirvana created by the late opera singer Ganna Walska and dubbed one of the ten most beautiful gardens in the world, took on a decidedly oriental flavor when it celebrated Memoirs of a Garden for its popular sold-out annual 500-guest gala, which was expected to raise around $500,000. The floral fest, […]