Dear Friend,
Welcome to our 2nd monthly "issue" of Hillside House Happenings. There is so much going on at Hillside House all the time, that it's hard to decide what to include. Over time, we hope you can get a feel for our residents' lives and for the major issues facing us as an organization. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have comments or questions about this e-newsletter or any of the topics it presents.
Sincerely,
Pam Flynt Tambo
Executive Director
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Hillside House Becomes Home to Evacuees During the Gap Fire
 On Tuesday, July 1, a fire broke out in the Los Padres National Forest north of Goleta, about 10 miles from Hillside House. The fire spread quickly causing evacuations of numerous residents and burning 2,400 acres. Among the evacuees were six residents of Salisbury House in Goleta, who, along with their staff, sought shelter at Hillside House for five nights from Wednesday, July 2 until Monday, July 7. Beds were set up in the Resident Lounge, which was curtained off for privacy, and the guests were self-sufficient, continuing to attend their day programs.
Ron Dodgen, owner of Genesis Development Services, which runs Salisbury House, was very grateful for the help: "All the staff at Hillside House were absolutely fantastic. I do not have enough adjectives to express our appreciation for all they did. . . .The evacuation and sojourn went rather flawless. The individuals we serve saw it as a great adventure."
At the same time, we were anticipating our own possible evacuation, if the fire were to move towards Hillside House. Arrangements were made with facilities in Lompoc and Fillmore, that agreed to house our residents if needed. Fortunately, the firefighters did their usual fantastic job, and we were able to stay comfortably at home.
Photo: Rama C. Hoetzlein (c) 2008
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| Fire Safety on the Home Front
In California, wildfires are one of our biggest environmental hazards, burning thousands of acres each year and threatening homes, but accidental fires can happen inside too, so fire safety is a major concern. We conduct more staff training sessions on this subject than any other, and it is critical to have up-to-date fire safety equipment.
This past month, with the money we received last fall during the Facilities Campaign, we replaced 480 sprinkler heads in the attic. Most of them were the original hardware, dating back to 1955! Installation of the new sprinklers and the 5-year fire safety certification cost $13,500. We are profoundly grateful to all those who donated so generously last fall, so that our residents can be safe and secure!
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Plan to Reopen Hydrotherapy Pool
 In designing the budget for 2008, the Hillside House management team considered reopening the hydrotherapy pool, which has been closed since 2003. Staffing and maintenance expenses for the pool are not included in the fees-for-service we receive from Medi-Cal, so the operation of the pool has always been "donation dependent."
Historically, Assistance League generously supported hydrotherapy, but in 2003 we asked ALSB to switch their support to physical therapy, on the reasoning that more residents benefit from those activities. PT is another program that is not funded by Medi-Cal. Now that we are able to keep our heads above water (pun not intended) financially, we are hoping to raise the money necessary to operate the hydrotherapy pool for a year.
This expense is anticipated to be around $36,000 per year, or $3,000 per month for staff salaries and pool operation costs. We hope to receive gift support for this therapy from both foundations and individuals. The reason we have not asked for donations for hydrotherapy during the past 5 years is that our annual operating losses have required us to direct a large percentage of donated dollars to reduce our annual shortfall.
If you would like to help us restart the hydrotherapy program by making a gift, you can either call Curt Lauber (805.687.0788 x15) or go to our website www.hillsidehousesb.org and donate online!
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Shop @ Escrip.com and Support Our Residents
 Of all the non-profit-rewards-for-shopping programs around these days, eScrip may have most potential for financial benefit to Hillside House. Just click on this link to go to the www.escrip.com website; it will explain clearly how to register your credit card(s) and name Hillside House as the beneficiary of your shopping. And it costs you nothing!
They even have an especially generous "kickback" rate for next month and a half as part of their back-to-school shopping promotion. Here are the names of some of the many retail stores and businesses they are partnered with:
American Airlines Eddie Bauer
Barnes and Nobles Pavilions
Carrows Restaurant Coco's Bakery
Club Cruise Wild Thyme's Cafe & Bakery
Dell Online Orvis
Ebay PriceRite
Expedia Vons
Los Angeles Times Staples
Macy's Spencer's
Nordstrom Safeway
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