Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families and the YMCA Noah’s Anchorage Youth Center each received $50,000 from Montecito Bank & Trust on Monday to support their work with mental wellness and transitional-age youth leaving the foster system.
The bank hosted the 22nd Community Dividends Awards, where it awarded $1 million to 195 nonprofit organizations from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and awarded the Michael Towbes Community Impact Dividend to Casa Pacifica and Noah’s Anchorage Youth Center.
“Each year, as we prepare to invite organizations to apply for this award, we think about the needs that we’re hearing about in our community,” said Janet Garufis, chairman and CEO of Montecito Bank & Trust. “This year, two issues rose to the top: the need for mental wellness services and the support for transitional-age youth as they begin to navigate their futures.”
The Michael Towbes Community Impact Dividend was founded in 2019 to honor Towbes, who helped found Montecito Bank & Trust in 1975. Each year, the award goes to one or more local nonprofit organizations to help fund a project or program.
This year, the first Michael Towbes Community Impact Dividend was given to Casa Pacifica for its advance care and outpatient therapy program.
Each year, Casa Pacifica serves 2,000 foster and at-risk youths and families through 15 campus- and community-based programs in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The dividend will provide the startup costs for the enhanced care management and outpatient therapy programs to get up and running.
In her acceptance speech, CEO Shawna Morris said that in its 30-year history, Casa Pacifica has served more than 52,000 kids and families. She also highlighted the growing need for mental health services.
“Recently, the Mental Health America 2024 report came out, and we’ve had more attempted suicides and completed suicides in the last three years than we’ve had in the history of our country,” Morris said. “So, we have a lot more work to do. Today’s grant will help us do that.”
Morris said the grant will help fund mental health clinicians to provide services for young people transitioning out of the foster system.
The second Michael Towbes Community Impact Dividend was given to the Noah’s Anchorage Youth Center for its housing program for transitional-age youth.
Early next year, the YMCA will be opening the first fully licensed transitional housing placement program for young adults, ages 18 to 21, who are exiting foster care in Santa Barbara County. The new program is possible through a partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation and Steve Lyons, who together donated a house in downtown Santa Barbara to the YMCA.
“Youth and Family Services YMCA is a special place, and they do some pretty powerful work,” said Margo Byrne, president and CEO of the Channel Islands YMCA. “The continuum of care that we’re able to provide youth that just need that lift, that hand out to them to reach their full potential. That’s what we’re here to do, and we’ve been doing it for a long time in Santa Barbara County, and we are really excited about this next step.”
The house will be home to nine transitional-age youths at a time, and there is space for two residential assistants and a clinical director.
“The transition from youth to adulthood is hard, even when you have the support of family, but when you’re on your own, it can feel impossible,” Garufis said. “It does take a village to help guide our youth, and the support that you are providing these young adults is life-changing.”
At the end of the program, Garufis thanked all of the nonprofit partners in attendance and noted how rare it is to see communities coming together and partnering to make their community better.
“Mike knew that our philanthropic mission would only get stronger if we were able to continue to embrace as a family the philanthropy, the philanthropic things that happen in this community, and to put our arms around the organizations who provide those services,” Garufis said. “I believe in my heart that we wouldn’t be the bank we are today if it weren’t for all of you.”
