Newsletter Header

March 2011
In This Issue
Hillside House to Host Its First Sunset Soirée
Welcome Patty, Our Newest Resident!
Celebrating Valerie
Bedroom Makeover Project Nears Completion
Quick Links

Join us for the Sunset Soir�e!

http://bit.ly/sunsetsoiree2011

See How We're Doing With the 2011 Annual Fund

Click here!

Greetings!

 

The state legislature has just voted in what they are calling a permanent 10% cut in Medi-Cal provider rates. This means a 10% cut in the funding we receive that provides 85% of our operating income. This is devastating news. The cut is supposed to go into effect June 1, causing a $212,402 reduction in income for Hillside House this year, and meaning over $400,000 less income next year unless there is a reversal of the decision at some point.

 

There is a case at the Supreme Court, arguing that states do not have the right to make such cuts to Medi-Cal provider rates. However, this case will not be decided until early in 2012 at the soonest. 

 

In anticipation of this impending cut our Board had directed us to make cuts to our proposed budget to keep us in the black this year. This has been a very difficult process. We have trimmed costs from a number of programs, and we have eliminated one of our Skills Development Specialist positions.    

 

We have increased our fund raising goals for the year to raise an additional $25,000, or 6% more than we raised last year. Our current budget will just manage to keep us in the black this year.  Next year we face a much larger shortfall. We appreciate any support you can give. You can make a donation to our annual fund by clicking here.  

 

Many thanks for your support,

 

Pam Flynt Tambo

Executive Director 

 


Hillside House to Host Its First Sunset Soir�e

Sunset SoireeThis year we are re-imagining our annual fundraising event, and we are excited to share with you this very special gathering we've been dreaming up.

 

On Saturday, June 4 from 4:30 to 7 pm, Hillside House will host a Sunset Soir�e in Montecito, open to all in the community.   

The Sunset Soir�e, set in the exquisite beauty of El Mirador Estate's renowned gardens, will feature wonderful local wines, delectable dinner and dessert, plus a live auction with fabulous offerings. And that's not all: we are pleased to present an amazing young woman, Jessica Cox, as our speaker this year, and we will grant the 2011 Person of Purpose Award to Gayle Slate, who has done so much for families with children with disabilities.     

2Jessica Cox011 Inspirational Speaker: Born with no arms, Jessica Cox is unstoppable. She not only drives a car with her feet, she puts in her contact lenses, plays the piano, surfs and scuba dives and much more. She was the first person without arms to get a black-belt in the American Tae Kwon-Do Association and, despite a fear of flying, is the first pilot in aviation history to fly with her feet. She's been featured on Inside Edition, Ellen, and numerous other news outlets. In her inspiring talks, she redefines the concept of possibility with delightful humor, wisdom and enthusiasm.

2011 Person of Purpose Award recipient Gayle Slate has been involved for more than 39 years as a parent and professional serving families of children with disabilities. A pioneer in the field, she has counseled hundreds of families, created support groups, and became an advocate for parental rights, and founded Kids Included Together (KIT), a national, non-profit organization. Her book, Dana's Legacy: From Heartbreak to Healing chronicles her remarkable journey. 

The Sunset Soir�e is open to the public - men and women - and we encourage all to attend and help make a difference for Hillside House.  We would be delighted to share this special occasion with you.  

 

Reserve your seat now!  

http://hillside-house.givezooks.com/events/spring-soir-e-2011 

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Welcome Patty, Our Newest Resident!

Patty joined the Hillside House community on January 18, and we are delighted to welcome her.  A lively 29-year-old woman, she had lived in Santa Barbara with her family until she moved to a group home in Santa Maria, but she missed her family there.  Patty

 

Although it was hard to relocate once again, she is really glad she decided to move to Hillside House. She now sees her family daily and says that there is so much to do here!  She loves arts & crafts, playing games on the computer, shopping, and beautifying herself with makeup. She is eager to start attending Pathpoint and UCP day programs, and we look forward to helping her reach for her goals and dreams.  


Hillside House has openings for four new residents! If you know of anyone who might benefit from living at Hillside House, please ask them to contact Gail Metzger, Director of Client Services (805) 687-0788 ext 17. We would love to talk to them. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Celebrating Valerie

 

ValerieWe celebrate the life of Valerie, who passed away on February 11. She was 67 years old. Valerie was an incredibly sweet and gentle soul who was much loved at Hillside House since she came here in the spring of 2007. She had led a full, active life and was close to her family.  

 

Valerie had a lovely sense of humor, and she also had a special gift with numbers. You could tell her your birthday and she could tell you what day it would land on in any year. When Valerie would sign her name, she would always write "my very own" after her name. Her sister tells the story that on the first page of her bible, she signed her name "Valerie Hutchison, my very own." The second page read "Bless people who are reading this book." The third page read, "Put my damn bible down." But despite her lively humor, she was an angel to everyone. We will miss her.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Bedroom Makeover Project Nears Completion
 

After nearly two full years of fund raising and renovation work, the resident bedroom makeover project is entering its final stage.  We recently heard from the federal OSHPD agency, which reviews and licenses changes to healthcare facilities, that we could in fact use wall mounted brackets to secure our residents' televisions.  The agency had previously ruled that structural changes would need to be made to our building in order to employ these kinds of mounts, which will provide far easier TV viewing for the residents.

Finished room
New TV's will be wall mounted to make space
  
So, the final stage of the project, the installation and mounting of new flatscreen TV's, will be completed this spring. The project has included patching the walls, replacing the baseboards, re-painting every bedroom, replacing overhead shelving with new shelves with more space for residents' belongings between the beds, and replacing old, worn-out nightstands with attractive new models. 

These changes have given the rooms a clean, fresh and more organized look. Now we are planning to install curtains in all of the rooms and purchase new televisions to replace the old models that are taking up valuable space on the nightstands.

The cost of this project has been about $72,000, and we have been able to secure nearly $52,000 in donations from four local foundations and our wonderful friends at Assistance League to allow it all to happen!
  
Residents and staff alike love the improvements!

 

1235 Veronica Springs Rd.
Santa Barbara, California 93105
(805) 687-0788
www.hillsidehousesb.org