|
|
|
|
|
|
Remembering Lorne  On September 19, Lorne passed away, and we are feeling the loss deeply. Lorne was 50 years old, and he had lived at Hillside House for 32 years, since 1980. He had a long and deep interest in science fiction books and movies and had an impressive collection of sci-fi figurines. More than once he traveled to Star Trek conventions in other states. Probably because he was so verbal and engaging, Lorne was for many people their introduction to Hillside House. He was a truly unique human being. Lorne had not been well this summer, and the doctors finally determined that he had lymphoma that had metastasized. He was in one of our vans on the way to the hospital for chemotherapy when his heart stopped. Both our staff and the Emergency Medical Technicians tried to revive him, but couldn't.
Lorne will be deeply missed by the staff and residents of Hillside House. He was a source of joy in our community. A memorial service was held for him at Hillside House on October 10. The service included some very moving tributes to Lorne that are a testament to the deep impression he made on those who knew him. Bernie, one of our Skills Development Specialists, wrote a beautiful letter to Lorne after his passing. Bernie begins the letter: "I wanted to write this message completely in Klingon, but realized you and I would be the only ones who would understand it." He writes of learning of Lorne's passing and "the devastation of losing a dear friend, and says, "I would give anything to spend one more day reading another chapter out of your Conan the Barbarian book to you, or to spend waaaayyyyy too much time adjusting your figurines and posters in your room. Your personality lit up the room--even to to people who weren't even present." He closes the letter by writing, "I miss you, Lorne. I know right now you are watching all this from the Captain's chair in that big starship in the sky, hopefully letting out a few of your laugh/squeal combinations.... I hope I'll get to see you again one day. Love, Bernie" Gil Trevino, who works at one of the day programs our residents attend and had, among other things, accompanied Lorne on trips to Las Vegas more than once, made a beautiful video tribute. To watch it, click here:  | | Lorne's Memorial Video |
We all miss you, Lorne! |
|
Community Partner: Easy Lift 
Easy Lift has been working with Hillside House for over 20 years, meeting an important need for many of our residents by providing accessible transportation that comes to our front curb and brings residents where they need to go throughout Santa Barbara, including trips to movies, concerts, parks, church and other excursions in our community. Nearly every day of the week an Easy Lift van will show up in our front parking lot, and a friendly driver will assist our residents to get where they want to go, helping Hillside House to further our goal of supporting our residents in living full lives.
Founded in 1979 with just one vehicle, Easy Lift is a non-profit focused on promoting independence and dignity by providing transportation for people with limited mobility. With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, which mandated transportation services for disabled individuals under federal law, Easy Lift began to receive some public funding and was able to grow to its current fleet of 24 vehicles, operating 363 days per year, and approximately 18 hours each day. Easy Lift Transportation is the only general public Dial-A-Ride service in south Santa Barbara County and provides approximately 5,000 rides per month to people with disabilities, the elderly and children as part of various youth programs with whom Easy Lift partners. Among other offerings, Easy Lift partners with CenCal Health to bring low-income people to their medical appointments.
The Dial-A-Ride program, Easy Lift's best-known program, provides rides curb-to-curb throughout south Santa Barbara County for passengers who are physically or cognitively unable to ride the MTD. Passengers must be accepted to the program by application. The cost is $3.50 per ride.
Ernesto Paredes is the Executive Director of Easy Lift. Named a "local hero" by the Santa Barbara Independent, Paredes joined the Board of Hillside House in August, 2011, thus furthering the partnership between our two non-profit organizations. Since joining the board, Ernesto has also been serving on our Development Committee and helped in the planning and preparations for our Sunset Soirée.
|
A Fond Farewell to Pam
On Saturday, September 15, friends, supporters and employees of Hillside House gathered to celebrate Pam Flynt Tambo and honor her retirement after 11 years of service. The party was held at the home of long-time board member Norris Goss and her husband Barry.
Pam was instrumental in spearheading Hillside House's Community Plan for ten years from its earliest glimmers through planning and design, countless meetings and numerous hurdles. Her commitment to the vision of an integrated community for our residents was unfailing.
Among many other improvements that Pam brought to Hillside House was her innovation of bringing in-house hospice care to our facility, so that residents could stay here in their home in their final days and could be cared for by those who knew them so well. This has also greatly helped all of our residents in being able to spend time with their friends until the end and to understand and grieve their passing.
Pam's warmth and care towards our residents was always evident and helped foster the environment of deep respect and love that is a hallmark of Hillside House.
|
|
|
|
Day of Caring  Once a year the United Way of Santa Barbara brings together hundreds of volunteers to lend a hand to local non-profits and spruce up local schools, parks and beaches. This year approximately 1500 people turned out on Saturday, September 15, gathering for a free breakfast and to receive their work assignments. Volunteers spend four hours helping out at one of about 50 sites throughout Santa Barbara. At Hillside House, volunteers of all ages helped repair the porch railing of Harmony House, our staff building, and cleaned our wheelchair-accessible vans as well as resident wheelchairs. Meanwhile, around the county, park benches got painted, trash was cleaned up, trees were trimmed, floors were swept, repairs were made, and much more. Thank you to all the volunteers who gave up part of your Saturday to help out and build a stronger sense of community in the process. __________________________________________________________________________________________ |
1235 Veronica Springs Rd.
Santa Barbara, California 93105
(805) 687-0788
www.hillsidehousesb.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
