In the July issue:

• Grantee of the Month: Mission Scholars
• Membership Corner: Calling all New Members … and Other Interested Women!
• Applause for Our Top 2026 Sponsor: Sunseri Construction
• SEE what SEE INTERNATIONAL, Inc., Is Doing!
• Member Volunteer Profile: Jennifer d’Offay
• DignityMoves Family Village: Progress Update

Our nation’s 250^th anniversary is behind us and for many local parents, it’s time to start thinking about "back to school." But too many students in our county are getting left behind in their pursuit of higher education. More than half the students in our local public schools live below the poverty level. And first-generation college students are twice as likely to drop out of college.

That’s where Mission Scholars steps in. Since 2019, Mission Scholars has empowered high-achieving, low-income students to earn college degrees and gain professional employment. A two-year Women’s Fund grant of $150,000 will help launch the NextGen Leaders Initiative, providing 100 local students with 2,500 hours of one-on-one mentorship and career coaching, 15 to 20 high-impact workshops, targeted internship placements, and staff to manage the program. 

With a seven-year commitment starting in tenth grade, Mission Scholars guides their students through high school, and the college prep, admissions, and financial aid process. During the challenging years of college, they provide intensive mentorship, as well as internship opportunities to ensure that students graduate and embark on productive careers.

About 90 percent of the Mission Scholars kids are low-income and Hispanic/Latino. And 95 percent are the first in their family to graduate from college. Today, Mission Scholars has 100 students in outstanding four-year colleges like Stanford, Brown, NYU, and most of the University of California campuses. 

As Cassie Lancaster, Executive Director, says, “Thanks to the Women’s Fund for this investment. Seven years ago, we launched Mission Scholars for one simple reason: there is so much talent in our community—and far too often, that talent goes unseen. We find extraordinary young people who dream of being the first in their families to go to college, and we walk beside them every step of the way.”

Experience demonstrates that the program works. From the 2025 class of college graduates, more than 80% graduated in four years and 90% were employed or enrolled in further education within six months of graduation. And, 75% of these under-privileged students are graduating from college debt-free. 

Our grant will help close the education gap for 100 kids from Goleta, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria. It will give them the tools and support to succeed academically and professionally, even perhaps to return home for a life-time of contributing to our community. 

Like Alondra is doing. She is now pursuing a business degree at USC, and last summer worked as an Investment Management intern at Montecito Bank and Trust. Or like Valeria, a sophomore at U. C. Irvine, who said, “This program is tailored to my every need as a first-generation student and I am so grateful!” 

Please plan to join us on Wednesday, August 26th, when the Women’s Fund will hold a New and Prospective Member event at Alpha Resource Center. New, prospective, and existing members are invited to enjoy refreshments and hear from past grantees. 

Why attend? The New and Prospective Member event is a great way to meet other members over a cookie or glass of wine. And you’ll learn more about how we make an impact in our community.

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting a prospective member who had been invited by a friend, and she ended up joining the Women’s Fund after the event. We both listened as past grant recipients shared information about their mission and how the organizations have grown since receiving the grant. Board Chair Carolyn Jabs also shared insights into our operations and plans for the future.

I loved hearing how our grant has served as a catalyst for change for many of these organizations. Due to many factors, including our research committee’s extensive vetting of each organization, a grant from the Women’s Fund indicates to other funding sources that these nonprofits are worthy of receiving sizable grants.

Invite a friend and join us for a warm end-of-summer evening of mingling, refreshments, and grantee testimonies.

Please let us know who’s coming (and thanks for helping us keep the info straight)!

If you’re a member, RSVP here.
Members, register your guest here.
Sponsors, please use this link.
Not yet a member? Not a problem. Just sign up here.

When: August 26th, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Tours of grantee Alpha Resource begin at 5:00
Reception begins at 5:30

Where: Alpha Resource Center (outdoor patio),
4501 Cathedral Oaks Rd, Santa Barbara, CA

• Contributed by Hannah Robinson

The couple behind the Women’s Fund most generous 2026 sponsorship have a legacy of giving back to their communities. Our heartfelt thanks go to Kim and Donny Lieberman, owners of Sunseri Construction, who, for the last three years, have been our top $20,000 sponsor. Their generosity – and that of our other business sponsors – underwrites our expenses, enabling more member donations to fund our annual grants pool. 

Founded in the early 1970s, Sunseri primarily serves organizations providing affordable housing for seniors, low-income families, homeless individuals, and people needing assistance in many California and Nevada communities. Past Santa Barbara projects for seniors include work on Vista Del Monte, Valle Verde, and Casa Dorinda retirement communities.

Working with the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County (HASBARCO) and Rona Barrett, Sunseri completed Harry’s House for very low-income seniors in Solvang. More recently, the company completed Polo Village, the first multifamily affordable housing in Buellton. Today, Sunseri is general contractor for HASBARCO’s Hollister Lofts, a permanent supportive housing complex in Goleta for formerly homeless individuals. 

Donny Lieberman, President and CEO, has been active in housing advocacy since the early 1980s. He is a President Emeritus and Advisory Board Member of Brilliant Corners, a statewide nonprofit that serves thousands of Californians facing barriers to independent living. 

After retiring from teaching in Chico and moving to Santa Barbara, Kim Lieberman learned about the Women’s Fund through contacts in the Santa Barbara Newcomers Club. She joined in 2014 and served on the Communications Committee for two years. In addition, Kim has been a long-time volunteer with Therapy Dogs of Santa Barbara, currently serving as board chair. Trained and certified therapy dog teams support children’s literacy and education, and mental health and wellness for children, young adults, and seniors all over Santa Barbara County. Therapy Dog Rogue is now a well-loved member of the Lieberman family.

Donny and Kim Lieberman with Rogue

Kim said the Women’s Fund “very much resonated with my desire to help serve others after a long career teaching in an underserved community. I was an easy sell! What sold me on the Women’s Fund from the beginning is still what I appreciate the most: connecting with other philanthropic women to give back and collectively affect powerful change in our community.”

Being the top 2026 sponsor aligns well with Sunseri’s commitment to philanthropy. Serving many nonprofits throughout California has given them a front-row seat on the power of doing work that promotes social justice. The Liebermans have found supporting the Women’s Fund rewarding and hope to inspire other firms with the resources and opportunity to do the same. They are proud to have sponsored the Women’s Fund for seven years.

The generosity of our sponsors allows us to maximize the grants we make each year in our local community. If you would like to join our list of supporters or know of a business that we might approach, please contact us: info@womensfundsb.org.

• Contributed by Vicki Collins and Sarah de Tagyos

The Women’s Fund Educational Events Committee and SEE International, Inc. pulled out all the stops for their Grants in Action showcase last month.

Board Chair Carolyn Jabs and Don Bell, President and CEO of SEE International, Inc., welcomed the crowd of more than 90 people and extolled the work of both organizations.

Participants visited three stations of learning and activity set up in the parking area and in SEE’s vast warehouse. The event included a tour of the Central Coast Free Vision Clinic (Mobile Unit) and a hands-on demonstration of their specialized equipment.

Attendees created goodie bags with handwritten “well-wishing” notes for SEE’s “Children’s Sight Month” event in August. In the SEE warehouse, participants learned about the complexities of transporting equipment to perform medical procedures around the world.

Two parts to SEE

The first part is SEE International, Inc., which Dr. Harry Brown began in 1974 to provide sight-saving surgeries worldwide.

Under SEE International is the SEE Vision Care (SVC) program, launched in 1989 in response to the need for free, local eye care and vision services for underserved individuals and families in Santa Barbara County, with offices in Goleta and Lompoc. Forty-nine percent of SVC patients are children, and 88% come from extremely low-income households.

In our 2024-25 grant cycle, we awarded a grant of $110,000 to help expand the clinic and mobile-unit services.

The impact of this grant is personified by Dr. Elise Swanson, who was hired as a part-time staff member in the Goleta clinic. The clinic increased its office days from three to five days a week and reduced the wait time for appointments from three to six months to a week. On average, Dr. Swanson sees 60-72 patients each week.

During the grant period (May 2025-May 2026), SVC served a total of 8,280 patients in South Santa Barbara County – surpassing its projected goal of 7,126 patients.

CEO Don Bell said in a thank you note: "Partnerships like yours change the lives of individuals and families. The ‘compound interest’ that results from your support is far-reaching, extending beyond the patient interaction and well into the future!”

These Grants in Action events provide an invaluable opportunity for our members to better understand what our grantee organizations are doing and the tangible impact of our grantmaking in the community.

To learn more, visit: SEE Vision Care at Casa de la Raza  and “De Campo a Campo” Brings Vision Services to Farmworkers, and read “Rocio’s” story here.

• Contributed by Tish Lynn

The Women’s Fund is stronger for the many talents, diverse interests, and generous volunteerism of our members. Jennifer d’Offay, who joined in late 2024, is a perfect example. She quickly gravitated toward the Resource Development Committee (RDC) and stepped into a vital role as the committee's liaison to the Communications Committee.

Jennifer’s passion for community support is deeply rooted in her own life's work as a healer, an educator, and a communicator. She has dedicated decades of her life to education and wellness, including 15 years as an elementary school teacher and 25 years as a yoga instructor.

“Living with the effects of early childhood trauma and neurodivergence, I learned firsthand how steadying yoga and meditation could be,” she shares.

Over the years, she developed her own unique approach to body and mind harmony through a blend of educational expertise and holistic wellness practices. Her teaching journey has been wide-ranging—from large public classes to private clubs, homes, and corporate offices. She has even developed comprehensive wellness programs for major companies including Google, Pinterest, Levi’s, and Bank of America.

Following a life-threatening battle with complications from breast cancer surgery, Jennifer discovered sound healing—first to soothe her own nervous system, and then as something to share with others.

Today she guides sound baths using an octave of eight crystal singing bowls, which she hopes to offer to those working in high-stress professions (police, EMTs, and firefighters). “It’s a small way to give back to those who spend their days in service to others.”

Fortunately for the Women's Fund, Jennifer finds deep joy in teaching for charity events, volunteering, and fundraising. We are incredibly grateful to have her unique energy, resilience, and talent on our team!

Get Involved!

The Resource Development Committee is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help with our outreach efforts. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can support our mission, please send an email to sponsorships@womensfundsb.org.

• Contributed by Tish Lynn

The Women’s Fund’s 2023–24 grant of $125,000 is helping bring a new Child Care Center to life at the DignityMoves Family Village on the County’s Calle Real campus. The village is being constructed on County-owned land currently used as an overflow parking lot. The grant funded the modular components needed to build the child-care facility, a core feature of a new community designed for unsheltered south County families with children—including those currently living in cars, encampments, and other unstable situations.

The Family Village will provide 30 small, multi-room modular homes, a garden, playground, and the on-site Child Care Center. Families will also receive wraparound services—including case management, financial literacy, employment support, and medical and behavioral health services—to help them stabilize and move toward long-term housing.

At a July 8 community meeting, County leaders emphasized that Santa Barbara County has one of the highest child poverty rates in California, and that this project will offer children a safe, nurturing place to grow while parents pursue education and employment. Lucille Boss, Housing Programs Manager for the County of Santa Barbara, said that this is a targeted, permanent, service‑rich solution for a small but critical share of the 700 homeless families in the County, and a model for turning underused public land into dignified housing for children and their parents.

Construction plans are being finalized now, with project approvals expected later this summer. Groundbreaking is targeted for late 2026, with families beginning to move in around early 2028.

• Contributed by Kerry Parker

Thank you to our sponsors and underwriters whose generosity support our education programs and operations.
Learn more about them here.

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A tax-exempt nonprofit organization | Tax ID 82-5169678

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