Ten local nonprofits found a joint cause to celebrate Thursday — themselves, along with the 41st anniversary of Montecito Bank & Trust.
During its annual Anniversary Grants awards, Montecito Bank & Trust highlighted 10 organizations by donating $1,500 to each in pursuit of their missions, for $15,000 total.
The evening event continued a time-honored tradition that began on the bank’s anniversary in 1993, when its associates nominated and then voted for nonprofits to be awarded.
“I’m going to brag about my employees,” Montecito Bank & Trust President and CEO Janet Garufis said, noting 220 employees donated more than 2,000 service hours to nonprofits last year.
Per usual, attendees watched short videos produced by Cox Communications, each describing the individual missions of the nonprofits, which get to keep the videos for their own promotional and fundraising use.
The Anniversary Grants class of 2016 included Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara, Atterdag Village of Solvang Auxiliary, C.A.R.E4Paws, Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM), Dons Net Café, Easy Lift Transportation, Inc., Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Central Coast Council, Old Yeller Ranch Rescue, Return to Freedom and the Santa Barbara Choral Society.
Manuela Geiger-Kolbitsch, the bank’s portfolio manager of commercial lending, said she nominated the Santa Barbara Choral Society for its first-ever grant after joining the organization a year ago.
“I think it’s a really good cause,” she said.
CALM was receiving the award a second time. Chief Development Officer Lori Lander Goodman said she was excited to be nominated in a community with so many worthy nonprofits.
“CALM is honored to be recognized by the employees of Montecito Bank & Trust,” she said.
Many of the honorees have been banking with Montecito Bank & Trust for years, but Garufis joked that it wasn’t a requirement — just a bonus.
Atterdag Village CEO Chris Parker said the retirement home, which has had its accounts at the bank more than two decades, was beyond appreciative of the grant.
Here’s to another 20 years, he said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
