Tag archives: philanthropy
Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) gave its Gold Ribbon Luncheon on the Monte Vista Lawn at the Biltmore Four Seasons Resort in spite of the rain. It was a tad muddy, but with a tent roof hung with beautiful turquoise and gold balloons over our heads, we were all dry and cozy. The luncheon was […]
Jim and Stephanie Sokolove opened their beautiful Montecito estate, just a tiara’s toss from TV talk show titan Oprah Winfrey, for the fourth consecutive year to host the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s seventh annual Table of Life beano, chaired by Montecito Bank & Trust head honcho Janet Garufis, with more than 260 colorfully garbed […]
A large tent had been erected to protect the 420 guests at the sold-out 16th Gold Ribbon lunch for the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation at the Biltmore from the blazing sun, but it served an entirely different purpose when the heavens opened, deluging the tony beachside hostelry in a rare rainstorm. Silent auction items had […]
Santa Barbara’s New House, a 63-year-old nonprofit to help men suffering from alcohol and drug dependency, held its third annual lunch with a sold-out record 220 guests at the Hilton emceed by KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri, raising around $45,000. The charity’s three residences in our Eden by the Beach provide 98 beds for those needing […]
Veteran film actor Harrison Ford landed at Santa Barbara Airport to help the New Beginnings Counseling Center celebrate its half-century at a sun-drenched celebration at the 76-year-old Ovington Terminal, I can exclusively report. Ford, 76, globally known as Hans Solo in Star Wars and the title character of the Indiana Jones film series, flew in […]
There were decidedly shady things going on at the Biltmore when Angels Foster Care held its annual al fresco lunch on the impeccably manicured lawn with 200 guests, raising around $100,000 for the 12-year-old charity founded by Michelle Arntz. Despite taking place five months later than usual because of the New Year disasters, the sun […]
Santa Barbara’s philanthropic dynamic duo Roger and Sarah Chrisman have joined a heavenly pantheon of donors who are featured on bronze plaques in the lobby of the venerable Granada Theatre. The tony twosome, who have given more than $6.2 million to the State Street institution over the years, join an esteemed list of $5-million-plus gift […]
The Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) gave its 75th Man & Woman of the Year awards, honoring extraordinary service and volunteerism in Santa Barbara, to Ernesto Paredes and Joni Meisel during lunch at the Coral Casino. The room was packed with friends and relatives of the honorees. Board vice chair Pamela Gann welcomed the crowd and […]
The tangible results of One805’s Kick Ash bash at Bella Vista in Summerland in February, starring Katy Perry, Kenny Loggins, Wilson Phillips, and David Foster, among others, were on show when the first of three $200,000 mobile command units was presented to the city fire department chief, Lee Waldron, in a ceremony at the C.L. […]
Montecito über philanthropist Leslie Ridley-Tree celebrated the 44th anniversary of her 50th birthday with a pizza party hosted by her good friend, Christopher Toomey. The 50 guests noshed on pies from Christopher’s pizza oven before wishing her a rousing Happy Birthday. An amazing lady.
It was only a matter of time before publisher-philanthropist Sara Miller McCune received the honor of being named a Granada Legend. The only question was how long it would take. After all, Miller McCune is not only one of the best-known and enduring of the Performing Arts Center’s patrons, she was also one of the […]
Earlier this month, The Gallery Montecito closed its doors after three years in business. Managed for the last year by director and curator Bobbi Bennett, the gallery, owned by Marjorie Layden, lived up to its mission of merging artistic works with philanthropic endeavors by creating non-profit events to benefit local charities. Most recently, the gallery […]
The Montecito Motor Classic is by all accounts a tremendous success. The California Central Coast has long had a love affair with classic cars. The show’s home is on Coast Village Road, drawing fans from up and down the coast to ogle the fabulous array of assiduously maintained classic autos. The Motor Classic also raises […]
Ever since I have been doing these columns about interesting people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, friends have been saying, “You have to meet Natalie Myerson.” A mutual friend finally set us up for a lunch at Louie’s at the Upham Hotel in Santa Barbara, and Natalie was there waiting for us when we […]
The Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation (PCVF) held its 22nd annual Military Ball honoring excellence in service and to remember Armistice Day at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. Philanthropist Pierre Claeyssens initiated the Ball in 1996 as a way of paying tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces, past and present, in Santa Barbara and Ventura […]
Montecito uber-philanthropist Sara Miller McCune has received a rare accolade. Sara, founder of Sage Publications in 1965 at the age of just 24, has been awarded the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award for 2018. The peripatetic charity supporter, whose company employs more than 1,500 people in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington, and […]
Dr. Ronald G. Latimer and Sansum Clinic established the Visiting Professor of Surgery Endowment Fund. For one week every year for the past seven years, an outstanding surgeon has been invited to Santa Barbara to further educate our local surgeons about his or her specialty. The premier sponsor has been Cottage Health System and various […]
Santa Barbara was hardly given a chance to breathe following the Thomas Fire – the largest fire in recorded California history – when the Thomas Flood struck a far more damaging blow to the Montecito, California community. After the fire, a committee of appreciative community members quickly assembled to say “thank you” to the first […]
