Our Mother’s Day question is: What are the only two things necessary to be a “real” mom?
Answer: Your love and your time.
And it is precisely this kind of mothering that Angels Foster Care brings to young children who have been placed in foster care because of abuse, abandonment or neglect.
This extraordinary nonprofit organization cares for such infants or toddlers by placing them in loving “angels” foster homes in Santa Barbara.
To support the program the “Al Fresco Afternoon” 11th annual luncheon took place in the gardens of a beautiful Hope Ranch estate overlooking the Pacific.
I first need to point out why this program is so important — ingenious, really.
About 20 years ago, Angels Foster Care founder Meichelle Arntz noted that babies who are placed in foster care and then moved around from home to home every few months would later suffer from severe attachment disorder.
This is because bonding is learned behavior and must be imprinted within the first two years of age.
She responded by starting Angels Foster Care specifically to handle babies and toddlers during this critical developmental stage.
Angels Foster Care identifies and trains foster families who will make a long-term commitment (typically 18 months) to provide a loving stable home for nurturing an infant or toddler.
Our full day in this beautiful location included a silent auction of goodies, “Angel Artisans on the Buff” selling their paintings, the honoring of the Volunteer and Organization of the Year, and a special Angels family story.
The Angels story this year was unique. A young man was turning his life around and was in rehab to get clean and back on his feet.
His baby daughter had been put into the foster system, but in this case, was lovingly cared for by an Angels Foster family. The little girl is now happily reunited with the father, who looked so proud and happy as he carried his daughter like a precious treasure around at the luncheon.
The Angels foster family worked closely with the father for a most successful outcome.
A California Rangeland Trust Birthday
Have you noticed that the Next Big Thing that is happening is people making fundraisers out of their birthdays.
You see this on Facebook: “For my birthday please consider making a donation to Gophers-R-Us Charitable Foundation.”
Lynn Kirst did something a lot classier for her anniversary. Coolest thing. She invited about 60 friends to a birthday dinner at a historic club to learn about and support the California Rangeland Trust.
The evening started out with a short documentary on the trust. The Sacramento-based nonprofit organization works with California ranching families to preserve our state’s rangeland, air and water quality, wildlife habitat, and local food supplies — basically safeguarding the stewardship of both the natural resources and open spaces of California’s ranches.
Founded in 1998, the trust has helped permanently protect 395,633 acres of privately owned rangeland so we will not “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.”
So a cowboy theme was appropriate and the birthday buckaroos were all treated to a fine beef dinner — which was also appropriate.
And for dessert, Kirst provided a bit of wit, with a hat tip to pastry chef Chris Melton.
Transition House
Alrighty then, and now over to the Hilton (AKA Red Lion, DoubleTree, “Fess Parker’s”) for the annually awaited “Mad Hatter’s Luncheon” to benefit Transition House.
Actually this was Transition House’s silver anniversary — 25th annual luncheon — Woo! Woo!
This madcap meal with magnolious millinery benefits Transition House’s programs for children and is presented by the indefatigable Transition House Auxiliary. Among whom I saw fearless leader and luncheon chairwoman Diana White and other members: Jane Macedo de Veer, Deborah Geremia, Lori Hoffman, Lana Marme, Marlee King and Florence Michel.
The San Marcos High School Jazz Band filled the room with music as all the cats in their hats sauntered in.
Executive director Kathleen Baushke greeted the crowd — and it was a big one — and explained that Transition House serves 300 people annually, with two-thirds of those being children.
Parents at Transition House participate in intensive case management to get them back on their feet, into jobs and, ultimately, into housing.
Meanwhile, the youngest children are in quality licensed day care, while school-aged kids receive tutoring, homework help and just good, solid enrichment programs.
Bauschke praised the Transition House Auxiliary.
“Since their founding, they have drastically changed the lives of more than 5,000 of the youngest people experiencing homelessness in our community,” she exclaimed.
And adding to the auxiliary’s fundraising efforts, our effervescent emcee, Andrew Firestone, led a spirited paddle-raise to bring in thousands of dollars in additional funds.
So now let’s appreciate some of those hats!
