In 1969, Claire Miles, a local nurse, learned that an overworked and emotionally stressed father had, in a moment of desperation, shaken his infant son to death. Miles took immediate action, put a phone in her living room, then took out classified ads in the Santa Barbara News-Press urging parents in need to call for help.
The phone rang almost 40 times that first month. Miles and her friends took turns answering the calls, with the hope of helping stressed parents before they hurt their children.
From that, CALM was founded and its evidence-based programs have grown to represent a continuum of care that addresses the safety and wellbeing of children and families across Santa Barbara County.
The Claire Miles Award recognizes the qualities embodied by CALM’s founder — bravery, persistence, compassion, and a spirit of community volunteerism. The award is announced annually by the CALM Auxiliary to honor a volunteer for the agency, appreciating both their longevity of service and impact on the organization.
This year’s recipient of the Claire Miles Award is Roberta Collier.
As president of the CALM Auxiliary, Collier not only held the group together over the last two challenging years, she served a rare third term as president in 2021-22.
Collier and her executive committee have worked over the past three years to encourage fundraising and friend-raising for CALM. During Collier’s time as president, the CALM Auxiliary has increased its annual giving and established a new event, CALM on the Course.
Collier and her husband Matt moved to Santa Barbara seven years ago and immediately became involved community volunteers. With a background in education, and years of experience as an elementary school principal, Roberta Collier brings organization, innovation, and determination to every volunteer opportunity.
In addition to her activities outside of the CALM Auxiliary, she is also a member of CALM’s Board of Trustees.
CALM thanks Collier for her tireless effort to move forward CALM’s mission of preventing childhood trauma, healing children and families, and building resilient communities through Santa Barbara County.
For more about all of CALM’s services, call 805-965-2376, or visit http://calm4kids.org.