Off to the Tiara Ball — the annual gala supporting Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and in particular its critical care services. This is a Big Event.
The hard-working party-planning committee consisted of Gina Andrews, Katy Bazylewicz, Mari McAlister, Sue Neuman, Alex Nourse, Cathy Quijano, Magda Stayton, Esther Takacs, Betsy Turner, Mary Werft and Margaret Wilkinson.
The Tiara committee was crowned by the co-chairwomen, Heather Hambleton and Lisa Iscovich, who greeted the crowd of some 400 people filling up The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Ballroom.
The evening was all about the contributions of the community — people who donate funds or time to make it all happen.
And in fact, this is a classic Santa Barbara story of the hospital’s origins.
You see, to make it happen, Cottage Hospital wasn’t started by a medical group launching a bed facility, or a professional hospital chain establishing a new branch.
It came about by people — from the ground up. In the late 19th century — 1888, to be exact — women in the community saw the need for a community hospital.
They started the organization, the fund raising … and all the myriad details needed to create our own medical facility.
They worked to recruit and hire the finest physicians and the best equipment.
So in 1891, the town of just 5,800 residents opened its own community hospital.
(Trivia for the day: One of the very first X-ray machines in the nation was installed in Santa Barbara in 1896.)
OK — so now let’s move up to present time.
All of this community support is still happening because of the volunteers and the generous donors who help attract the best doctors and fund important programs.
To underscore what we have:
- Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center with many specialties ranging from rehabilitation, orthopedic to heart and vascular and more.
- Its Neuroscience Institute received Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers from The Joint Commission.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded it a five-star rating for Overall Quality & Safety.
- It is accredited as an Echocardiography facility for Adult Transthoracic and Adult Transesophageal services by Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.
- It is designated on the Stroke Elite Honor Roll by the American Heart Association.
- And Cottage Hospital was named as one of the World’s Best Hospitals in 2024 by Newsweek.
And who all makes this happen? The staff, the medical staff, community partners … oh, let’s take a look:
The community has greatly benefitted from the longtime and incredibly generous support of Naomi and Ben Bollag. They have been attentive and attuned to the critical care services, and the new Ben and Naomi Bollag Emergency Trauma Center was recently named in their honor.
Likewise we see Tiara Sponsor Christine and Reece Duca, and also Kat and Peter Halper, Deborah and Tom Loeb, Anna and David Grotenhuis, Alexandra and Robert Nourse, and Heather and Rob Hambleton, to name a few.
Then, there are businesses that assist Cottage by going the extra mile in service, and contribute as well: Montecito Bank & Trust, Northern Trust, Chivaroli Insurance, Griffith & Thornburg, and 19Six Architects & Engineers.
Jordano’s and the Orfalea Foundation sponsored tables for 34 nurses to attend as part of the extensive medical family of Cottage.
Then there are the “careers and volunteers” of Cottage who make it a great medical institution.
Linda Seltzer Yawitz has been a longtime volunteer for Cottage Hospital’s Surgical Trauma floor, and then she stepped forward to sponsor a table for surgical residents that evening.
And finally, it is the expertise of the staff. And on this night, it is always a pleasure to see the critical care staff shun their scrubs and uniforms of the OR and ER and and step out in OMG style.
CADA Gratitude Luncheon Honors Mentors
So … was there ever a special person in your life who really encouraged you? Was there a special relative, teacher, older adult who really helped you along in your school, life or career.
Did you ever have a MENTOR?
The idea behind the Gratitude Luncheon at CADA — Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse — was to acknowledge and express appreciation for those people who helped us along the way.
And this was a fitting benefit for the CADA’s Mentor Program that matches volunteer mentors to young people in grades third through eighth grades.
So the fans, friends and philanthropists involved with CADA gathered in the ballroom at the El Encanto to celebrate Mentors.
The crowd, greeted by CADA CEO Scott Whitely, consisted of all kinds of supporters, including philanthropist Loretta Redd; artist Mara Abboud; Santa Barbara City Councilman Eric Friedman; Rich Block, CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo; Janet Garufis, chairwoman and CEO of Montecito Bank & Trust; Stacy Anthes; Father Larry Goselin and Father Dan Lackie from the Santa Barbara Mission; retired teacher Nancy Painter (who brought her “mentee,” a Franklin School fifth-grader, as a special guest!); and Anne Towbes, who launched the Gratitude Luncheon 13 years ago.
CADA’s popular Catherine Remak served as our emcee to efficiently guide us through the full program.
We started off with Joe Lambert as our keynote speaker. Perfect. He was the founder of Teen Star, which has been a fantastic mentoring program for students (grade seven through 12) who enter the singing competition. Click here for a previous Talk of the Town column on Teen Star.
Joe gave us the background on his own life and the people who encouraged him. This allowed him to rise above a sad and difficult family situation, and then to excel in high school as a student leader and to continue on in a very successful financial career.
And also, of course, to become the founder of Teen Star and, in turn, to provide arts mentorships.
And to that end, 2023 Teen Star winner Andrew Diffenderfer sang “You Lift Me Up” (what a voice! — keep him on your Watch List!), which was the perfect note to usher in our next honoree … The Penny Jenkins 2024 Mentor Champion presented to CADA Mentor Kenny Slaught.
Question: Does Kenny Slaught even have time to be a mentor??
He has a big business— he’s the real estate executive who founded Investec.
He has a big family — Kenny and his wife, Elizabeth, have raised six adult children.
He has a big nonbusiness practice — sitting on, helping with or giving to plenty of nonprofit boards such as Storyteller Children’s Center and Dream Foundation.
But Kenny Slaught also has a big heart, and he has been a mentor with CADA for eight years, working with brother-sister siblings. So the whole room gave him a rousing and appreciative ovation.
Now think about this for a bit: if you love the idea of helping a child and making a difference in their life by providing stability, support and just a listening heart, consider becoming a mentor. Contact Mentor Program director Lisa Gosdschan at lgosdschan@cadasb.org for the details.
To end on one more sweet note: kudos to the committee for selecting chocolate cake for dessert.
Literary Lunch Lauds Lady Litterateur
The Literary Society is going strong up at the El Encanto.
Host and literary podcaster Mandy Jackson-Beverly interviews authors over lunch and then opens it up to Q&A for the audience to delve into the process and particulars of each writer.
It is interesting, entertaining and you go home with a book by the author.
Last month, the featured writer was Kerri Maher, whose recent novel is All You Have to Do Is Call, a historical fiction loosely based on the story of a Chicago abortion clinic.
Maher is the author of the wonderful The Paris Bookseller as well as The Kennedy Debutante, a historical fiction based on the forbidden romance between Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy and Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire.
And then there is her captivating The Girl in White Gloves, a novel on Grace Kelly.
So there was lots to talk about.
As we find every month, each author has a unique story to relate. Mandy draws out the authors to discuss each one’s approach to their writing, the topics that interest them and why, their process and research, and all about how to write a book while simultaneously managing a household.
In May, Emily Franklin will discuss her new novel, The Lioness of Boston. Come June, Mandy will be interviewing the quietly elusive T.C. Boyle, on his new book, True Blue, which should make for a fascinating conversation.
Call 805.845.5800 for a reservation.
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From left: Tammy Montgomery, Director of Surgery; Tanya Sakoda, RN; Clinical Manager Michele Ogawa; Amanda Montgomery, RN Photo Erin Graffy for Noozhawk