Santa Barbara Foundation Hosts Toast to the Nonprofit Community

In gratitude for all the nonprofit community does to improve life throughout Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) hosted “Toast to the Nonprofit Community” on Sept. 5 at Vega Vineyard and Farm in Buellton.

More than 200 guests – staff, board members and volunteers from nonprofits countywide, local elected officials and their representatives, and SBF trustees and staff – enjoyed Vega Vineyards wines and hearty appetizers, as well as live music performed by guitarist Chas Clouse and the Lompoc Pops Orchestra brass quintet.

Jackie Carrera, SBF president and CEO, thanked attendees from over 100 nonprofits for their service in the areas of health care, mental wellness, environmental conservation, the arts, services for older adults, veterans, students, incarcerated youth, foster youth, and education.

“Thank you all for your ongoing partnership with the Santa Barbara Foundation to improve life in our county so all may thrive,” Carrera said. “We are grateful to celebrate nonprofits we have had the honor to partner with through our grants and [Collaboration for Social Impact] CSI programs over the last two years.”

SBF Board Chair Matt Rowe led the toast.

“Your tireless efforts transform lives, protect our environment, enrich our culture and strengthen the very fabric of our society,” Rowe shared. “Here’s to you – the changemakers, the dreamers, the doers. Santa Barbara County is immeasurably richer because of you.”

Organizations who attended the event included the following, among many others:

Future Leaders of America, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast, Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) and Orcutt Area Seniors in Service (OASIS) from the Santa Maria Valley;

Solvang’s PCPA Theatre and Elverhøj Museum of History and Art;

The Santa Ynez Valley Botanic Garden and Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding Program;

Buellton’s Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach and Muffin Music;

Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization, the Lompoc Theatre Project and the California Rangeland Trust;

Quail Springs from the Cuyama Valley;

Cottage Health, Music Academy of the West, Danza Folklorica Quetzalcoatl, Freedom 4 Youth, Apples to Zucchini Cooking School, Explore Ecology, Friendship Center Adult Day Services, New Beginnings Counseling Center, Ganna Walska Lotusland and Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation from Santa Barbara; and

Girls Inc of Carpinteria.

County Supervisors Joan Hartmann and Bob Nelson, and Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, along with representatives from the offices of Solvang Mayor Mark Infanti, State Assemblymember Gregg Hart, State Senator Monique Limón, and County CEO Mona Miyasato attended to add their thanks to the nonprofit community.

Toast to the Nonprofit Community was sponsored by Montecito Bank & Trust. In-kind sponsors included Vega Vineyard, Chas Clouse, Santa Barbara Airbus, Por La Mar Nursery and the Lompoc Pops Brass Quintet.

About Santa Barbara Foundation

The Santa Barbara Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life throughout Santa Barbara County for all who live, work, play and visit here. Working in partnership with individuals, community organizations, nonprofits and government, the Foundation strives to address local communities’ most challenging needs. Recognizing that its work depends on the strength of the social sector, the Foundation is committed to the health and vitality of local nonprofits. Nearly every Santa Barbara County nonprofit organization and essential community project has been supported by the Foundation during its 95-year history. The Foundation connects philanthropists, experts in areas of challenge, and our community members facing challenges – and all who dream of stronger communities. To learn more, please visit SBFoundation.org.