Jelinda DeVorzon likes to think of herself as both a philanthropist and volunteer.
From an early age, DeVorzon, a Mississippi native and one of six children, watched her mother actively volunteer in the community.
Her mother didn’t much discuss her volunteer activities, but rather taught DeVorzon by her example. It was an introduction that helped establish volunteering as a regular part of DeVorzon’s life.
“I learned from my mother about being a volunteer and being generous,” DeVorzon said. “Anytime in our community, if someone needed help, they always went to my momma — No matter what, she found a way to help people.”
DeVorzon has worked with organizations that have enhanced the quality of life for families in their time of need, and nonprofits that ensure everyone has access to emergency, trauma and critical-care medicine.
The Montecito resident is known for her involvement in education and arts organizations, plus her service has been the driving force behind several significant community improvements.
She has set an example by contributing her talents, time and support to a varied group of organizations in the Santa Barbara area.
For her dedication to the community, DeVorzon was named the 76th Woman of the Year by the Santa Barbara Foundation.
She will be honored on Sept. 4 at an awards reception at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore’s Coral Casino club, alongside 2019 Man of the Year David Boyd.
The event is co-sponsored by the foundation, Montecito Bank & Trust, Noozhawk, TV Santa Barbara and Bryant & Sons, Ltd.
DeVorzon moved from the South to Los Angeles, where she became a teacher and taught second and third grades. She also met her husband, Barry, in the big city.
She became a model, appearing in print advertisements and television commercials, before moving to the Santa Barbara area more than 40 years ago.
DeVorzon began volunteering shortly after she arrived in the coastal community, assisting several organizations, including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Unity Shoppe and Cottage Health.
For DeVorzon, volunteering is a natural notion to help and contribute to her community, and the experience has always been gratifying and positive for her.
“You know what’s so great about being a volunteer?” DeVorzon said. “I have wonderful friends I worked with.”
As a longtime advocate of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, DeVorzon has been involved with the festival since its inception in the 1980s. She has been a member of its board, previously serving as its president and vice president, chairwoman and events chair.
She currently is the film festival board president emeritus, and said she is happy to see how well the organization is doing and how far it has come. It is now recognized as a leading film festival in the United States.
DeVorzon has volunteered with the Unity Shoppe since 1989. When the nonprofit lost its first building, she found a major donor to cover the down payments for the current family services building, allowing the organization’s crucial work to continue.
She served as associate producer of the annual Unity Telethon to support the the Unity Shoppe’s programs that serve low-income community members, and continues to assist the organization.
DeVorzon is devoted to increasing community access to health care, holding several roles with Cottage Health, including raising money for rebuilding the hospital as chair of the philanthropists and individuals of the wealth task force from 2004 to 2008, and chair of the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation’s Tiara Ball committee for three years.
She currently co-chairs Cottage’s new fundraising campaign to raise $125 million, serving on the task force for Reaching Higher Together, the Cottage Health Campaign for Excellence.
With a mother’s passion, DeVorzon naturally gravitated toward education organizations aiding teachers and young students.
She has served on the Montecito Union School Foundation board, and she was instrumental in the creation of the Montecito Union School carnival, as well as chairing and producing the MUS yearbook for three years.
In addition, her volunteer work includes the Santa Barbara City College Foundation board, development director on the board of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and other roles with more than a dozen other area organizations.
Committees and boards she has been involved with included Child Abuse Listening & Mediation (CALM); the Amethyst Ball, which is CADA’s premier fundraising event; chairing the Santa Barbara Humane Society’s annual fundraisers; Girl’s Inc.; the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; the Lobero Theatre Associates; the Cancer Foundation; the American Lung Association; and the Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital.
“If you want to be an effective volunteer, good intentions are not enough,” DeVorzon said. “You have to be willing to do the work.”
Asked how she felt about being selected as 2019 Woman of the Year, DeVorzon said, “I’m so honored and very touched.”
DeVorzon’s husband and her three sons, Michael, Matthew and Daniel, complete her and give her life meaning.
She feels lucky to live in a beautiful and cherished community, and encourages people to volunteer. She says it’s a life-changing experience that will nourish your soul.
“Every time I have volunteered my time,” DeVorzon said. “I have been blessed in more ways than I can count.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
