Hillside residential care facility is hoping to raise $100,000 at its 16th Annual Sunset Soirée, 4-7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at a new venue, Rockwood Women’s Club, 670 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara.
Proceeds will benefit the 59 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who make their home at Hillside on Veronica Springs Road in Santa Barbara.
The event will feature a four-course gourmet dinner prepared by Omni Catering, paired with premium wines from Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles; silent and live auctions; and jazz music played by La Musique Unique.
With French winemaking experience and training as a French chef, Englishman Neil Collins, executive winemaker and vineyard manager for Tablas Creek Vineyard, will introduce the wines, explain each pairing and share his insights.
At the reception, the silent auction will offer guests the chance to bid on artwork by Hillside residents, a scenic Santa Barbara plane ride, health and beauty gift certificates, and a vintage English rocking horse.
For the live auction guests can bid on such items as:
Dinner for six guests with wines selected by wine expert John Tilson; the Tablas Creek wine experience for six people (vineyard tour, wine tasting, lunch plus three magnums); Santa Barbara dining including Sunday brunch at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, dinner at Belmond El Encanto, and dinner at Malibu Farm at Rosewood Miramar Beach.
Also on offer are two concert tickets with VIP pre-show passes to meet music legends Michael McDonald and Chaka Khan at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 31.
In addition, there will be a paddle-raise to support Hillside residents and help fund their therapeutic care, skills development and life-enrichment activities.
During the event, Hillside will honor Jim Wolfe with its Person of Purpose award. Wolfe is a supporter and member of the Board of Directors for 16 years including board chair, 2010-18.
Active in the Santa Barbara nonprofit community, Wolfe has served on a number of boards and continues to mentor youth.
“I am very happy Jim is willing to help with the Community Plan to create an integrated, mixed abilities neighborhood on our property with state-of-the-art, adaptive homes for our residents,” said Craig Olson, Hillside president/CEO.
Mary VanderVeen, whose daughter moved into Hillside in 2016, said she is an advocate of creating an environment that stimulates her daughter through physical activity using the premise of the Mobility Opportunities Via Education/Experience Program (MOVE), and therapeutic swim.
Hillside thanks its sponsors Mary Jane and Gunther Baumgartner, Henry Bowis and Maureen Doherty Bowis, Susan and Brett Caine, Raymond and Susan Dingman, EasyLift Transportation, Norris and Barry Goss, Jim and Chana Jackson.
Also, David M. and Judy Jones, Montecito Bank & Trust, Mullen & Henzell, LLP, Romo & Associates, Tablas Creek Vineyard, John and Laurie Tilson, Jon and Mary Anne Valois, Nancy and Russell Werner, and Jim and Marcia Wolfe.
Tickets to the event are $250 per person; a table of eight is $1,800. For information, visit www.hillsidesb.org or contact Michael Padden-Rubin, director of development, at mpaddenrubin@hillsidehousesb.org or 805-687-0788 ext. 115.
— Michael Padden-Rubin for Hillside House.