Yes, there was rain off and on. Yes, the microphone stopped working, then it came back on. The electrical power went on the fritz until we found the problem. The outdoor heaters didn't light, so we climbed up and got them going. But overcoming obstacles is the theme of our annual fundraiser held in El Mirador Estate, and we overcame them with a little help from our friends.

Despite the intermittent rain, our first ever Sunset Soirée was a beautiful and moving day. 175 purchased tickets and many more sent in donations. Together we raised over $60,000 (after costs) for Hillside House--the most ever!--a wonderful boost for us in this time of hefty Medi-Cal funding cuts. Thank you to all who gave!    

Held on Saturday, June 4 and featuring a delectable dinner by Omni Fresco Catering (voted Santa Barbara's best), an amazing cake donated by Wayne Kjar Cakes, a selection of local wines, plus both a live and silent auction, the Sunset Soirée took place in the beauty and magic of the gardens of El Mirador Estate in Montecito, generously donated by Tita Lanning. The sunshine came from our guests, who not only braved the unseasonable weather, but fought good-naturedly over the the auction items, and created a palpable atmosphere of warmth and caring, and from our extraordinary speaker, Jessica Cox.

At 28-years-old the vivacious Ms. Cox, who was born without arms, has done more with her feet than many people do with their hands. In fact, there's very little she cannot do with her feet, often balancing expertly on one leg to do such things as put in her contact lenses or change into her swimsuit at the gym or adjust the microphone at the Soirée. She's the first person in aviation history to fly a plane without arms, and she used to be terrified of flying. Local jet pilot Kelly Rinehart was wowed. "I've read a lot about her and to me the story didn't even seem possible." She also earned a black belt from the American Tae Kwon Do Association, a pursuit that led to meeting her fiance, her former instructor.

Quoting Eleanor Roosevelt in her talk at the Soirée ("Do one thing every day that scares you"), Jessica Cox encouraged us with the story of how she decided to stop wearing her prosthetic arms. They were heavy and awkward, more of a hindrance than a help. Seeing her dexterity with her feet and her overall confidence and ease, it's obvious she made the right decision. She invited the audience to find our own metaphoric prosthetic arms, the things we need to give up that are holding us back, weighing us down.  

Jessica visited Hillside House the day before the Soirée and sat down and talked with our residents, signing autographs with her feet. Jessica said of the experience, "They taught me what was important in life, just to be happy. They were just so excited to meet me. It was really humbling and really special." And this from a young woman who just last year was honored at the White House and also met the Pope.

Thank you to Jessica, to all of our guests and supporters, to our event sponsors, to Tita Lanning, and to our Soirée committee who worked tirelessly to make it all happen.  We are blessed to have such friends.  

To read more about the Soirée, see the wonderful article that the Noozhawk wrote about the day:

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/060811_hillside_house_sunset_soiree 

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Hillside House Artists Share Their Gifts

Tom, Moselle, Chris and Pilar were among 45 artists with special needs featured in the Art Walk for Kids/Adults First Thursday Art Show on  May 5 at Jodi House in Santa Barbara. Art Walk for Kids/Adults provides weekly instruction in art-making at Hillside House, and many of our residents love to partake in these classes. Kerrie Kilpatrick Weinberg, the founder of Art Walk for Kids/Adults, affirms: "Creative potential lies at the heart of every human being."    

This was the first time Art Walk participated in the First Thursday Art Show in Santa Barbara, and it was a great success. Over 80 beautiful framed works were on display at the inspiring reception which also featured live music and wine. About 100 visitors, including many new to Art Walk, came to appreciate the art, and they raved about how uplifting and colorful it was. Six paintings were sold, including one to Santa Barbara Bank & Trust. Sales from the works are divided with 50% going to the artist and 50% going to fund supplies for more classes. Jodi House loved having the art there, and Art Walk has been invited to make this an annual event.

Art Walk's annual fundraiser and art show will take place on Saturday, October 22 at Caron Miller's Studio on West Micheltorena. Meanwhile, the non-profit is always looking for more venues in which to display the art from their programs. Please contact them if you have an idea.

For more info, please visit www.artwalkforkids.org.

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Neighbor Day Wine Tasting a Bucolic Success!

On Sunday, May 22, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation presented the first annual Neighbor Day Wine Tasting to benefit Hillside House. Held outdoors in the pastoral beauty of Rideau Vineyards in Solvang, the afternoon featured tasting of Rideau's award-winning Rhone varietals, catered lunch from Big Tom's Backyard BBQ, live music & dancing, performances of traditional Native American dances, and commemorative wine glasses personally etched on the spot (a big hit!), as well as some bedazzling from magician Mark Barbarie. The weather was spectacular. The dance floor was packed. The traditional dances and the magic show were wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a better or more fun day. 

A new fundraising event for Hillside House and the brainchild of the Chumash Indians, the afternoon netted $25,000 for the residents of Hillside House, including an initial $15,000 grant from the Chumash Indians Foundation. Over 165 guests attended this festive day, and the majority of those were new friends for Hillside House. We look forward to doing this again next year. Many thanks to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for their generosity and support in making this happen and making a big difference in the lives of our residents.

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Riemers Step Up To Provide Lasting Support

Last year George and Marlene Riemer took a big step. While they give to a number of charities, they were looking for a way to make a bigger and more lasting difference. They wanted to give where the money would make a direct, immediate impact in the lives of people who need it, and they wanted to "give where they live." So George researched carefully and chose to make an endowment of $50,000 to be managed by the Santa Barbara Foundation and given to Hillside House at the rate of 5% per year. That way the residents receive help through the Riemer's generosity on an ongoing basis, and the value of the gift can grow over time as the investment grows.

This year they decided to increase their endowment by an additional $25,000. George writes of the initial decision: "After considering the mission of Hillside House, the quality of staff, support from the community, and what we consider an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves, we decided to make a gift to the Santa Barbara Foundation which will provide annual funding to Hillside House in perpetuity. We are pleased to be able to help and hope others will be similarly inclined."

The residents, staff and Board of Hillside House are enormously grateful to the Riemers for their generosity and compassion, which helps to ensure the financial stability of Hillside House, providing a lasting home and therapeutic learning community for people with developmental disabilities. If you would like to talk to us about making an endowment or bequest to Hillside House, please contact Curt Lauber in the Development Department clauber@hillsidehousesb.org or by calling (805) 687-0788 ext. 15.

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Introducing New Residents Virginia and Samantha! 

In May our Hillside House community was joined by two new residents, Samantha and Virginia. As always, we love the process of getting to know new residents, helping them to integrate into our Hillside House family, creating a plan for their well-being and development, and learning about their needs and desires.

Samantha is 20-years-old and came here from a much smaller facility. She is adapting to being in such a large community with so much going on and seems to be doing quite well. Fortunately her family lives close by and visit frequently. A very easy-going young woman, she was used to a daily physical therapy schedule at her former residence that we have learned and adopted for her here at Hillside House. We even acquired the equipment she likes to use, and we read to her while she is doing her stretching exercises. We have also met with her former case manager, which is helpful in developing a plan and goals that we believe are in keeping with what Samantha likes. Because she is non-verbal, we are learning how she communicates. We are helping her to engage with her peers here and held a party for her with music and dancing.

Virginia joined us just over a week ago. We are finding her a joy to be around. An expressive woman in her 60s, she likes writing notes to Client Services Director Gail Metzger to let Gail know what she likes and doesn't like. The stuffed animals she carries with her have distinct personalities that she's given them, and she uses them to express her feelings. She was already at Alpha Day Program and knew some of our residents from there, so the transition to joining our community is going quite smoothly. She gets along with her roommates and yesterday, she enjoyed taking part in our cooking class and learning how to use the juicer. She's also been enjoying working on beading projects here. Welcome Samantha and Virginia!

A Tribute to Board Member Jack Carlson

Jack Carlson served on the Board of Hillside House for 15 years, serving as Treasurer and head of the Finance Committee. Craig Olson, our Finance Director, says: "I consider Jack one of the really good, kind and decent people I have been privileged to meet in this life. He always had a smile when he greeted you. I felt like I could always talk with him honestly about Hillside House, and he would listen and hear what I had to say and give me his honest opinion. Whenever I called him he would respond, taking time to talk with me on the phone, come over to sign a check or sit down and meet to talk about Hillside House finances in depth. I know he often had other things planned for the day, but he always found time for Hillside House somehow by the end of the day. That kind of dedication from a board member is hard to duplicate and he will be missed."    

Pam Flynt Tambo, our Executive Director says, ""Jack was a faithful, supportive Board member who was always ready to do whatever was needed for our residents and for Hillside House.  I will always remember what a pleasure it was to work with him."

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