Tag archives: philanthropy
Laura Bridley comes by her affinity for Casa del Herrero honestly. A native of Montecito, Bridley has a lot of memories of connection with the land and structures in the community that channeled into a career in city planning that has included positions with the Architectural Board of Review, the Historic Landmarks Commission, the City […]
The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara was founded 73 years ago based on the simple concept that a city that is one of the most desirable places on Earth to live should also have state-of-the-art cancer care available locally. The name, locations, and internal structure has changed over the years, but the nonprofit’s goal has […]
The Santa Barbara coastal region has largely escaped any major disasters in the past year, save, of course, for the ongoing crisis with COVID-19. There haven’t been any major fires striking between Carpinteria and western Goleta, and no serious flooding despite the recent record-setting string of rainstorms. On the other hand, some folks out by […]
The statistics on Alzheimer’s Disease are staggering. Someone in the United States develops the devastating disease every 65 seconds. More than one in nine people (11.3%) age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s, and the percentage increases with age, with nearly 35% of those over age 84 suffering from the form of dementia. And Alzheimer’s disease […]
It might seem like bad timing to be writing about Unity Shoppe in the last week of the year, considering the nonprofit just held its 35th annual holiday telethon — the latest edition of the annual marathon fundraiser that airs on KEYT-TV — on December 12. After all, the event brings together all sorts of […]
One of our most renowned musical residents, Alan Parsons, held a star-studded fundraiser at the Alcazar Theatre Carpinteria on his birthday on December 20, to raise funds for the nonprofit venue in lieu of gifts. The event, produced by Mike Lazaro, of Lazaro Event Management and founding board member of the Alcazar Theatre, started with […]
ShelterBox’s reason for being is because human displacement is one of the biggest issues plaguing our planet, one that’s increasing as time goes on. Over the last year, the nonprofit reports, the number of people displaced due to conflicts, natural disasters, or the consequences of climate change has grown to 113 million people, a staggering […]
John Daly can remember when the rest of his life began. He was sitting inside a Soup Plantation, his treat for a 15-year-old he had befriended as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). It was the teen’s birthday and Daly wanted to treat him to a meal, something that not every foster child experienced while […]
Tea was served in copious amounts as CommUnify invited dozens to an outdoor event at the gorgeous Santa Barbara Club on December 2. Good thing, because one simple statement was quite sobering. Santa Barbara County is essentially tied for first in California for highest poverty rate. With the sale of countless multi-million-dollar homes in the […]
For nonprofits, there are many barometers of success. One is fundraising, obviously. The more a nonprofit can raise, the better its odds become of fulfilling its mission. Another is outcome. One advantage enjoyed by Mission Scholars, the program I run under the aegis of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation, is that its goals are clear-cut […]
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics operates eight clinics in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Isla Vista, largely located in neighborhoods where healthcare is most needed by an underserved population. The buildings themselves aren’t glamorous even though they’re located in a town with a gleaming new cancer center and a gorgeously re-designed front entrance to the main hospital. […]
It was a very in-tents occasion when Montecito Bank & Trust erected a giant marquee in the rotunda at the Hilton for its 17th annual Community Dividends lunch when $1 million was given to 179 worthy organizations from the local community. The late Mike Towbes, founder of the bank, always described the event as his […]
To many, the 2021 Music Academy of the West Summer School and Festival was nothing short of a miracle. Despite the need to plan well in advance of the state’s reopening in mid-June, MAW not only managed to pull off a spectacular hybrid season that brought more than 100 fellows from around the world to […]
Richie’s Barber Shop on Coast Village Road is having its 10th Annual Holiday Donation Drive, this year for Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) Santa Barbara, with the theme, “The Limit Does Not Exist.” Shop event lead and barber Jessica Jay is coordinating with DVS Executive Director Jan Campbell to ensure the donated items will work for […]
Montecito Firefighter Lucas Grant is too young to have personal memories of what it was like when local firefighters were an integral part of a community beyond responding to emergencies, but that Norman Rockwell image of the local firehouse as a friendly and helpful gathering place still pulls on his heart. “I hear stories about […]
NatureTrack is a nonprofit headquartered in Los Olivos aiming to champion access to the outdoors with field trips and new ways to engage with nature. Historically, NatureTrack has focused on introducing schoolchildren to outdoor spaces from the seashore to the inland oak woodlands of Santa Barbara County by providing cost-free outdoor field trips (more than […]
How would you feel if you lived with Multiple Sclerosis for more than half a century and, in an unrelated incident, suffered an organ failure that necessitated a new kidney donated by your son? If you were Bruce Corwin, you’d feel overwhelmingly grateful. Corwin was grateful to have survived everything life threw at him, grateful […]
Your faithful correspondent finds collaborations compelling, whether between artists in various genres or among cooperating venues. Both are in play with the current showcase series at Santa Barbara Center for Art, Science, and Technology (SBCAST), where three of its Artists in Residence are staging weekend exhibits of installation art, design, multimedia projects, and performances. The […]
We’re all familiar with major names in philanthropic giving like MacArthur, Rockefeller, or Ford, but there are hundreds of lesser-known foundations that are making innovative solutions a reality through small-scale funding programs. One of these is Invoking the Pause (ITP), an organization focused on implementing tangible trailblazing climate solutions in the 21st century. In their […]
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation’s 2020 Tiara Ball, one of the more popular annual black-tie galas in a town with no shortage of big bash benefits, was one of the last public events in the community before the COVID crisis closed everything down. The so-called “Party of the Year,” held on February 29, Leap Year […]
