The Educational Events committee has brought cameras into the field to bring Women’s Fund grantees' work into your living room. Here are recaps of recent Grants in Action events you won’t want to miss, plus a preview of more to come.
Seeing our impact at SEE International
On September 29, more than 100 Women’s Fund members virtually toured SEE International’s Santa Barbara Vision Care Clinic to meet the doctors and view the optometric equipment the Women’s Fund provided through our $60,000 grant awarded in May. The clinic provides the local community with free comprehensive eye exams and assists with glasses, medicine, and essential eye surgeries for eye conditions such as cataracts, pterygium and retina problems. Temporarily closed due to the pandemic, the clinic reopened in early October fully equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment funded by our grant.
Rachel Tennant, Vice President of Development noted, “It [the equipment] helps us provide accessible eye care and sight-restoring surgeries to underserved people right here at home.” If you missed it, here’s your chance to see the replay.
Experiencing Showers of Blessing and Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine
Then, on October 20, we had powerful site visits with Showers of Blessing and Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine (DWW-SBSM). More than 180 people attended the broadcast premiere, which included live conversations with Maureen Ellenberger of the Women’s Fund and Executive Directors John Tamiazzo and Maggie Sanchez, and two short films that showcased the work of each agency.
John said, “Thank you to the Women’s Fund for the $65,000 grant that has transformed our Showers of Blessing program. This generous grant allowed us to replace our original two-stall trailer with a brand new three bathroom/shower trailer. With this trailer we are now able to provide 50% more showers at all of our sites.”
Maggie added, “If there ever was a psychic moment, it would be DWW receiving a Women’s Fund grant of $60,000 for a daytime outreach specialist when there was an immediate urgent need. I am grateful the Women’s Fund realized the importance of having a trained, compassionate person to do this job and provided the funding for us to hire such a person.”
Next, on December 8, we'll present the latest in our Grants in Action series: Aging in Place in Santa Barbara – Obstacles and Opportunities. At this Educational Forum, you'll hear about the critical issues facing seniors who want to age in place with security and dignity. What policies, funding or model programs show the most promise? We’ll highlight the work of Women’s Fund grantees — 2nd Story Associates and Easy Lift. Dr. Caroline Cicero, PhD, MSW, MPL and an Associate Professor at USC Davis School of Gerontology will give the keynote and participate in the panel discussion with Chris Parker and Ernesto Paredes. Rona Barrett, founder of the groundbreaking Golden Inn & Village will give the closing remarks. This forum will be open to the public.
There’s a saying that goes, “By the time a woman realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she’s wrong.” It aptly describes the complex relationships between mothers and daughter – but it doesn’t necessarily capture the mother/daughter teams in the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara. These teams showcase all the ways that mothers and daughters connect to make a difference in our community.
In the Spreading Sunshine group, Susan Torrey and her daughter Fia, and Jill Bender and her daughter Natasha are two examples. A third mother daughter pair, Theresa Dolotta and her daughter Summer, joined about the same time.
For Jill, the family connection with the Women’s Fund actually started more than 10 years ago.
Jill recalls, “I was very close to my aunt, Judy McKee, and she began bringing me to the Celebration of Grants events. It inspired me to join.” Jill, in turn, introduced Susan to the group. The families have been friends since before their daughters were in kindergarten, and so it was natural for Fia and Natasha to join with their moms.
Jill says, “Having Natasha involved in the voting this year meant I paid closer attention to the information in the ballot package. It was important so Natasha and I could have good conversations about the various agencies. It really renewed my appreciation for what the Women’s Fund does.”
Fia and Natasha (Fia is on the left and Natasha the right) joined while they were still in eighth grade, so in their first year as members their moms helped subsidize their membership. This year, as high school freshmen, the two girls are starting a business to give back and earn money to make their own donations. You can learn more about the new business here.
It’s “All in the Family”
There’s a slightly different story from the aptly named “All in the Family” group, which includes three mother-daughter pairs, including relatively new members Barbara Rack and her daughter Hilary Chapman.
Barbara heard about the Women’s Fund from lunches with golfing buddies. “I always thought it was a small club within a club. I didn’t realize how inclusive the group was for all ages,” says Barbara.
Hilary, raised in Santa Barbara, moved back here a few years ago from northern Virginia. Group Captain Melissa Gough contacted her and invited the two women to a Celebration of Grants. That was enough. They both joined the “All in the Family” group with Melissa, whose mom and sister are both part of the group.
Hilary says, “I love learning about all the nonprofits in Santa Barbara. I knew I wanted to get involved when I came back but had no idea how many agencies there were here. It’s great that we can be part of a larger group and make a difference. Adds Barbara, “I’m amazed at the power of the Women’s Fund. It’s impressive that projects get funded and completed in the same year.”
Both women say they also enjoyed their first ballot process this year, although because of Covid-19, they couldn’t attend an in-person group meeting. They did, however, get together and discuss all the possibilities.
It’s clear. No matter what your age, the Women’s Fund is a great choice for mothers and daughters – and sisters and granddaughters and other family members - who want to make an impact in their local community.
When most of us hear Isla Vista, we think about UCSB students, their academic achievements, and their parties. There is another less well-known population in Isla Vista, residents who are poor and underserved. Isla Vista Youth Projects (IVYP) was started to support those less visible families in Isla Vista who did not have access to social supports.
Over the years, IVYP has expanded to serve children and families across the Goleta Valley and beyond with high-quality childcare and comprehensive family support. They have been able to expand their work because of program support from the Woman’s Fund including a 2019 grant of $55,000 for a full-time family advocate. (IVYP is one of only two local agencies which have been four-time Women’s Fund grant recipients since 2004.)
IVYP assistance has expanded beyond Isla Vista elementary school families to all the Title 1 (low income) schools in the Goleta Elementary School District. This translated into 101 families to whom they provided both case management as well as referrals for housing, medical, employment and educational needs. The COVID-19 crisis has put increased stress on the organization and the clients they serve so they are especially grateful for the support of the Woman’s Fund.
Among the hundreds of families served, “Maria” is a great example. Maria is a single mom of three school-age children who also has custody of three young nieces and nephews. She came to IVYP to get help applying for low-income housing. During the process, Maria’s counselor learned more about her family situation – that Maria and her husband were going through a very difficult divorce and that her daughters were struggling emotionally because of their parents’ separation. In addition, her nieces and nephews were lacking adequate clothing and essentials. The family was referred for counseling services at CALM and for clothing at Unity Shoppe. Maria was surprised and grateful that IVYP had connections to so many resources to help her family. With help from IVYP and new housing, they are getting back on their feet. (Maria is not her real name; photo is a representation of the family.)
“Thanks to the most recent grant from the Women’s Fund, IVYP has built relationships and supported families across the Goleta Union School District (GUSD). Those relationships create a resilient and connected community. Thanks to those connections, IVYP has been able to work in partnership with GUSD to meet the needs of families who are in crisis due to the COVID pandemic. We would not be so well positioned to help without the Women’s Fund investment in our organization,” said Lori Goodman, IVYP Executive Director.
Please welcome the 10 new Women’s Fund members who joined us since late September: Julie Denny Clark, Kathy Dubock, Jann Greene, Mary Hallowes, Sandi Hirsch, Austin Lampson, Lisa Murphy Rivas, Anne Parsons, Shen Rajan, and Monica Ray.
We have welcomed 55 new members so far this year – and are hoping that with their help, we will be able to keep the grants pool at last year’s level of $685,000. And you can help! If you haven’t renewed yet for 2020, please consider making your Women’s Fund donation early this year. It will help our Research Committee build the best possible ballot for March 2021. So many agencies delivering critical community services will need our support more than ever next year.
Individual Member Meeting Highlights
The Santa Barbara Food Bank – one of our past grantees – has been at the forefront of meeting critical community needs this year. Executive Director Erik Talkin spoke at the Individual Member virtual event, Coffee and Conversation, and gave fascinating insights into how the Food Bank has had to pivot and adapt during the pandemic. In 2020, their food distribution will be double the 2019 level, and he expects the greater need to persist through 2021! Following Erik’s presentation, four Women’s Fund volunteers described how their roles have changed as the Women’s Fund has also had to adapt to the challenges of 2020.
There’s been a lot going on with the Women’s Fund this Fall. It has been fun to join Group Captains’ and Individual Members’ Zoom get-togethers as well as the Grants in Action events. Dedicated volunteers have made those events a success. If you want to be on a successful team, then consider donating your time.
Join in the fun; share the work!
In addition, here are new volunteers who are making a difference:
Linda Butterwick, Education Events Committee (in addition to current Research Committee)
Jan Creery, Finance Committee
Kathryn Dinkin, Membership Committee
Joanne Schoenfeld, Communications Committee
- Contributed by Jacki Belt
133 East De La Guerra Street, #15 Santa Barbara, CA93101
On September 29, more than 100 Women’s Fund members virtually toured SEE International’s Santa Barbara Vision Care Clinic to meet the doctors and view the optometric equipment the Women’s Fund provided through our $60,000 grant awarded in May. The clinic provides the local community with free comprehensive eye exams and assists with glasses, medicine, and essential eye surgeries for eye conditions such as cataracts, pterygium and retina problems. Temporarily closed due to the pandemic, the clinic reopened in early October fully equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment funded by our grant.
Then, on October 20, we had powerful site visits with Showers of Blessing and Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine (DWW-SBSM). More than 180 people attended the broadcast premiere, which included live conversations with Maureen Ellenberger of the Women’s Fund and Executive Directors John Tamiazzo and Maggie Sanchez, and two short films that showcased the work of each agency.
In the Spreading Sunshine group, Susan Torrey and her daughter Fia, and Jill Bender and her daughter Natasha are two examples. A third mother daughter pair, Theresa Dolotta and her daughter Summer, joined about the same time.
get involved when I came back but had no idea how many agencies there were here. It’s great that we can be part of a larger group and make a difference. Adds Barbara, “I’m amazed at the power of the Women’s Fund. It’s impressive that projects get funded and completed in the same year.”
Among the hundreds of families served, “Maria” is a great example. Maria is a single mom of three school-age children who also has custody of three young nieces and nephews. She came to IVYP to get help applying for low-income housing. During the process, Maria’s counselor learned more about her family situation – that Maria and her husband were going through a very difficult divorce and that her daughters were struggling emotionally because of their parents’ separation. In addition, her nieces and nephews were lacking adequate clothing and essentials. The family was referred for counseling services at CALM and for clothing at Unity Shoppe. Maria was surprised and grateful that IVYP had connections to so many resources to help her family. With help from IVYP and new housing, they are getting back on their feet. (Maria is not her real name; photo is a representation of the family.)
The Santa Barbara Food Bank – one of our past grantees – has been at the forefront of meeting critical community needs this year. Executive Director Erik Talkin spoke at the Individual Member virtual event, Coffee and Conversation, and gave fascinating insights into how the Food Bank has had to pivot and adapt during the pandemic. In 2020, their food distribution will be double the 2019 level, and he expects the greater need to persist through 2021! Following Erik’s presentation, four Women’s Fund volunteers described how their roles have changed as the Women’s Fund has also had to adapt to the challenges of 2020.
Captains’ and Individual Members’ Zoom get-togethers as well as the Grants in Action events. Dedicated volunteers have made those events a success. If you want to be on a successful team, then consider 
