Some 250 guests raised more than $250,000 for Dream Foundation at the nonprofit’s annual Flower Empower event that honors donors, volunteers, and flower professionals who have kept the program thriving for more than 20 years.

Dream Foundation’s Flower Empower program is a Santa Barbara-based, volunteer-driven program that delivers floral bouquets, fresh-baked cookies, fine chocolates, and cards to people in hospices, cancer centers, and their homes every week.

Since its inception in 1994, Dream Foundation’s Flower Empower program has made more than 146,000 of these special deliveries. A recipient can be anyone in the Santa Barbara area who needs a little extra cheer.

Honorees at the Flower Empower event were:

Volunteers of the Year Pat and Joe Boris have been delivering bouquets every Saturday for the past two and a half years and said they cherish the special connections they have with the recipients.

Volunteer of the Year Jennifer Davila, who has been volunteering since September 2022, said she has always loved the joy that flowers evoke. Recently, her husband and daughter also started volunteering for the program.
 
Treat Donors of the Year Jill and Jean-Michel Carré have been generous supporters of Dream Foundation since 2008, just one year after they opened Chocolats du CaliBressan.

In 2025 alone, they donated more than 3,500 pieces of chocolate to the Flower Empower program. After nearly 30 years, the Carrés are retiring, entrusting their legacy to Herb and Jennfier Weigel and their daughter Sarah, who will continue their tradition of chocolate craftsmanship and support of Dream Foundation and Flower Empower.

Youth Volunteers of the Year Stella Mast and Natasha Hurvitz are both seniors at San Marcos High School.

Over time, Mast said Flower Empower has shaped he understanding of service. In college, she hopes to create spaces like Flower Empower where people come together to make something beautiful and remind each other that they matter.

Hurvitz first began volunteering to spend quality time with her older sister. She said she never realized how much she would learn about the power of human connection and the joy a simple act can bring.

Program Sponsors Robin & Roger Himovitz have been supporting Flower Empower since its inception, baking chocolate chip cookies to accompany each bouquet. To date they have baked and donated almost 150,000 cookies.

Longtime proponents of Dream Foundation’s mission and its programs, the Himovitz’s hosted the first Flower Empower Luncheon and have been committee members ever since.

The Thornton Foundation began supporting Flower Empower in 2022. Their continued support has brought joy to thousands, the foundation said.
 
Program Growers Florabundance, Gallup & Stribling Orchids, Maximum Flowers, Myriad Flowers, Por La Mar Nursery, Trader Joe’s, Westerlay Orchids, and Westland Floral are vital to the program’s success.
 
The success of the event, held at the Rosewood Miramar, was due in large part to a raffle where three winners received either a Gorjana diamond Tatum necklace, a Westerlay Orchids arrangement, or a stay and taste courtesy of Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort and Talley Vineyards.

A silent auction featured more than 100 items, including an extravagant New York City adventure, beauty treatments, and a sunset kayak tour for two.

An animated live auction led by Andrew Firestone and guest Layla Khashoggi featured adventures in St. Barth’s, Maui, the California’s central and southern coasts, an excursion for 25 on the high seas, and a game experience with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The flower bouquets that adorned each table came courtesy of event florists, Blue Blossoms, ella & louie, EmmaRose Floral, Margaret Joan Florals, PacWest Blooms, The Well Gardens, The Twisted Twig, and Wild West Florals.

Special guest Flower Empower volunteer and recipient Jennifer Drury shared a heartfelt story about her experience with the program and the perspective she gleaned about giving and receiving.

The luncheon was made possible thanks to the work of the event committee and the generosity of event sponsors.

Event committee: Rebecca Borgioli, Shannon DiPadova, Sheri Dirksen, Lynette Hall, Robin Himovitz, Jenny Johansson, Tammy Kronen, Margaret Lloyd, Amy Love, Joanne Ohlman, Carolyn O’Mara, Crosby Slaught, David Sparer, and Serena Weddle.
 
Event sponsors – Magnolia: Apollo and Adara Alday, Robin & Roger Himovitz and Nancy Barasch, Elizabeth and Kenny Slaught, and Southwest Airlines. Peony: RevitaLash Cosmetics. Rose: Colleen Barnett-Taylor & Michael Tayor, Holly & Bob Murphy.

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and Sprigeo. Orchid: Liz & Andrew Butcher, Casa Dorinda, Nathan C. Rogers, Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell, LLP, and Scott St. Germain. Daisy: Jacob & Daniela Ahrens, Jeanne Anderson, Arlington Financial Advisors.

Bob’s Discount Furniture, Kate & Arthur Coppoloa, Fauver, Large, Archbald & Spray, LLP, Montecito Bank & Trust, Frederick Oshay & Teresa Kuskey, Claude Raffin, Lee & Vic Sher, Trudy Smith, and Sheryl Zimmerman & Philip Sloan. Media: Santa Barbara Independent.
 
Underwriters: Tim and Louise Casey, Elisabeth and Greg Fowler, Peggy Gaebe, Karen Heimberg, Robin and Roger Himovitz, Jennifer Liebeskind, Catherine Macaulay, CPA, Judd and Katherine Malkin, Missy and Chuck Sheldon, Lori Singleton, VNA Health, Beth & Lawrence Wagner, and Carlene Van Pelt and Steven Young.
 
Event in-kind sponsors: Amy Love, Blue Blossoms, Crosshatch Winery, ella & louie, EmmaRose Floral, Lena Britt Photography, Lynette Hall and Carpinteria Wine Company, Margaret Joan Florals, PacWest Blooms, Rincon Wine Group, Robin & Roger Himovitz, Rosewood Miramar Beach, TOAST Santa Barbara, The Twisted Twig, Wild West Florals, and Ysidro Sake Spritzer.
 
Live auction in-kind sponsors: Aloha, Maui! – Four Seasons Maui Resort at Wailea and Alaska Airlines. Bonjour, St. Barth’s! – Hotel Le Toiny, Janine Cifelli Representation Tradewinds Aviation, and Elizabeth & Kenny Slaught. Fair Winds and Following Sea – Christine Healy, Mystic Whaler/Mystic Ocean Adventures, and Cheese Shop Santa Barbara. It’s Time For Dodger Baseball! – Gregory and Rochelle Kushner. Love, California – Mattei’s Tavern, Whiskey & Rye, Stolpman Vineyard, Grimms Bluff, Highline Adventures, Serena Weddle, Jonata. Town & Country – Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, Ranch at Laguna Beach, and Niguel Botanical Preserver.

To learn more about the program, please visit http://www.dreamfoundation.org/flower-empower/To support the Dream Foundation’s mission, visit DreamFoundation.org/donate.