Tag archives: philanthropy
The La Pacifica Ballroom at the Coral Casino was socially gridlocked when the Santa Barbara Foundation honored its 76th Man and Woman of the Year in front of 280 guests. Between them, Montecito philanthropist Jelinda DeVorzon and David Boyd, a member of All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, have a combined half century of service to the […]
Social gridlock reigned in the courtyard at the Lobero Theatre when the two-year-old Santa Barbara Council of Charitable Gift Planners, which helps increase community philanthropy through charitable gift giving, hosted its annual reception. Chapter president and Noozhawk columnist Rochelle Rose welcomed more than 50 guests, including Greg Gorga, Ellen Goodstein, Anais Pellegrini, Charles Caldwell, Karl […]
Uber philanthropist Sara Miller McCune opened the doors of her Montecito home, just a tiara’s toss or two from the San Ysidro Ranch, to host a dinner, along with her publishing company, SAGE Publications, for a 60th anniversary benefit for UCSB’s Arts & Lectures program featuring CNN host and Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria. The […]
Despite a last-minute change of venue because of heavy rain, the Dream Foundation’s 25th anniversary Flower Empower lunch at the Page Youth Center was a blooming success raising around $160,000 for the popular charity, which has fulfilled 32,000 dreams for terminally-ill adults since its launch. The 230-guest 9th annual bash was originally scheduled in the […]
The Cecilia Fund is the oldest philanthropic organization in Santa Barbara having been chartered in 1892. It was then called the St. Cecilia Club because she is the patron saint of music and the ladies had a small orchestra. They used their music to give concerts to raise money to assist patients at the new […]
The Rape Crisis Center, now renamed Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA), threw its 11th annual Chocolate de Vine event at the Greek Orthodox Church, attracting more than 250 oenophiles and chocaholics, raising around $50,000 for the worthy charity that has an annual budget of almost $1 million. Fifteen chocolatiers, wineries, and breweries participated. […]
Paul and Jane Orfalea recently had the honor to meet one-on-one with President Barack Obama to discuss possible future philanthropic partnerships. “He’s my favorite of all the Presidents,” says Paul. “He’s a real gentleman.” “We were both very impressed by his candor and commitment,” says Jane. “Everything we asked, he answered, and very frankly.” Obama […]
The Council on Alcoholism and Drugs Abuse’s 33rd annual Amethyst Ball at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara was a real gem! The bold-faced name-filled bash attracted nearly 360 glamorously garbed guests, many in Western outfits, and raised around $650,000 for 70-year-old CADA, which has an annual budget of $5.6 million serving more than 8,600 people with 23 […]
The literati and the glitterati were out in force when the CALM – Child Abuse Listening Mediation – Auxiliary hosted its 33rd annual celebrity authors lunch at the Hilton. More than 450 guests attended the fancy fête, chaired for the eighth and final year by dynamic duo Carolyn Gillio and Becky Cohn, which raised around […]
The CALM – Child Abuse Listening Mediation – Auxiliary’s first-ever Crab Fest at the Carriage and Western Art Museum was all it was cracked up to be with a sellout crowd of 200 guests raising more than $20,000 for general funds. The fun Harbor Restaurant-sponsored bash, co-chaired by Sharon Curry and Jane Metiu, was emceed […]
And, we did it! CEO Rolf Geyling and Rebecca Weber were at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission hosting a walkthrough of the newly finished women’s part of the $11 million renovation of the whole facility. It’s incredible. Last time I was there, the walls were gone and only studs left. The chapel, a new bathroom, […]
The festive spirit was palpable when the Rescue Mission hosted its annual Christmas Feast, an event I have volunteered at for a decade. The 300 guests were welcomed in the chapel, which is serving as a temporary dining room during multi-million dollar renovations, with plates heaped high by kitchen manager Wesley Jones and his colleagues […]
Gourmands were out en-masse when Italian culinary wizard Massimo Falsini cooked a host of delights at the home of software entrepreneur Frank and Allison Paolini for Epicurean Santa Barbara to raise funds for his charity, the Refettorio Program, which helps the homeless. Massimo, who hails from Rome and was executive chef at Solage, a five-star […]
Q. I read the previous column about Jonathan Gartner and his excitement about impact investing. Isn’t philanthropy the best way to help people? I have heard that impact investing yields a low financial return. Why should I be interested in it? – Sam in Montecito Certainly, philanthropy is vitally important to our welfare at the […]
Montecito Bank & Trust celebrated the 16th anniversary of its Community Dividends Awards, with 188 non-profits sharing $1 million, at the Coral Casino. The program, started by the bank’s founder and philanthropist Michael Towbes, has donated $16 million since its inception. Mike, who died two years ago, used to describe it as “my favorite day […]
The Coral Casino suffered major social gridlock when the Montecito Firefighter’s Charitable Foundation threw its 101st anniversary Thanksgiving celebration with the 250 guests raising more than $150,000. Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner, who owns the oceanside venue, was honored with a community hero award, as were Abe Powell of the Bucket Brigade, Taiana Giefer of […]
The ballroom at the Hilton was packed when Human Rights Watch held its 12th annual Voices for Justice dinner, which raised around $600,000 for the 40-year-old nonprofit, which is a leading defender of fundamental freedoms, the activists who uphold them, and vulnerable people worldwide in 90 countries globally. The bustling bash for 460 guests, co-chaired […]
The 21st annual Empty Bowls fundraiser at the Ben Page Youth Center was so oversubscribed, there had to be three seatings for the simple soup and bread meals, which allowed the 1,000 participants paying just $30 to choose a hand-crafted bowl and, after dining, take the colorful ceramic home. The bustling event, founded by the […]
It couldn’t have been a more perfect day when the popular charity, CALM – Child Abuse Listening Mediation – hosted its 7th annual CALM at Heart lunch “Building Community” at the Coral Casino. More than 210 guests helped raise around $100,000 for the nonprofit, founded in 1969, with the ubiquitous Geoff Green emceeing the fun […]
It really was a Coral (Casino) Sunset when United Way gave its 22nd annual Red Feather Ball. The late Katherine Abercrombie is the honorary chair in perpetuity. She created the Red Feather Ball in 1997 after hearing the story of the Red Feather and how it came to symbolize giving during the Depression Era Community […]
