The Santa Barbara Triathlon not only brings a world-class event right to our own backyard, but it also includes a vitally important fundraising component for a local charity. Since 2002, this special fundraising effort has raised over $480,000 for local nonprofit organizations.
As the Presenting Sponsor of the Santa Barbara Triathlon, Montecito Bank & Trust has the honor of selecting the yearly nonprofit beneficiary, but for the last five years, the public has been given the opportunity to choose the winning organization.
Ten deserving nonprofit organizations campaigned for votes this year, and after a month of voting, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County emerged at the top of the voting leaderboard, making it the official beneficiary of the 2015 Santa Barbara Triathlon.
After finishing in second place four of the five years, this voting competition has taken place, CASA finally was able to break through and come out on top. It captured just over 20 percent of the more than 7,500 votes that were cast total, in a close, friendly competition that truly came down to the final days.
The 10 nonprofit organizations eligible were:
» Breast Cancer Resource Center
» Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families
» Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM)
» Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County
» Isla Vista Youth Project
» Page Youth Center
» Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
» Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics
» Sarah House
» Special Olympics Santa Barbara
“We are thrilled to see CASA win the voting competition this year,” Montecito Bank & Trust President/CEO Janet Garufis said. “CASA’s dedicated supporters certainly did their part to spread the word and make this opportunity possible. CASA plays such an important role in our community and their work with neglected and abused children has done so much to improve countless young lives. The ever growing numbers of community supporters who take the time to vote demonstrates how much our community values the work of these extraordinary nonprofit organizations. We are excited and eager to start working with CASA and Santa Barbara Triathlon Race Director Joe Coito to make next year’s Triathlon better than ever.”
“With the selection of CASA as our beneficiary, the Santa Barbara community has made it clear how important it is to nurture and protect our greatest resource: our children,” Coito said. “We are privileged to be partnering with both CASA and Montecito Bank & Trust and look forward to making a profound impact on CASA in 2015.”
“We are honored to have won the community’s vote to become the beneficiary of the 2015 Santa Barbara Triathlon,” said Kim Colby Davis, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County. “For over 20 years, CASA volunteers have provided advocacy services for foster youth and our most vulnerable citizens, abused and neglected children. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary of service than highlighting the important work of our volunteers who give their time to benefit children in our community. We appreciate Montecito Bank & Trust’s continued support of our mission.”
Click here to learn more about the Santa Barbara Triathlon and CASA.
Montecito Bank & Trust received a 2013 designation of a Premier Performing Bank by The Findley Reports, an independent service which rates the annual financial performance of California banks. The Findley Reports has designated Montecito Bank & Trust as a Premier Performing or Super Premier Performing bank 28 times in its 39-year history.
Montecito Bank & Trust, an S Corporation, is the oldest and largest locally owned community bank in the tri-counties. Founded in 1975, with branch offices located in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Solvang, Montecito, Carpinteria, Ventura and Westlake Village, the bank offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and consumers, including business loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate finance; SBA loans; consumer loans; credit cards; merchant services; and online services, including mobile banking and cash management. Its Wealth Management Division provides full investment management as well as trust services for all branch office markets.
— Andy Silverman is a marketing coordinator for Montecito Bank & Trust.