Go to: Neighbor Day Wine Tasting

sunset soiree 2011 - Saturday, June 4

On Saturday, June 4 from 4:30 - 7:00 pm Hillside House hosted our first-ever Sunset Soirée.

The 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!

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 fought good-naturedly over the the numerous, enticing 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 and who travels the world as a motivational speaker.

This year we honored Gayle Slate with our 2011 Person of Purpose Award. Gayle pioneered the specialty of counseling families of children with disabilities. She founded Kids Included Together (KIT), a national non-profit training organizations to including children with disabilities in their programs. She authored Dana’s Legacy: From Heartbreak to Healing, Strengthening Families of Children with Disabilities, which was a finalist for the San Diego Book Awards and the National Indie Excellence Awards.

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

Please join us next year for our 2012 Sunset Soirée and help make a difference. 

To receive an invitation, please contact Curt Lauber in the Development Office: clauber@hillsidehousesb.org or (805) 687-0788 ext. 15.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Gold Sponsors: Tita Lanning, Marborg Industries, George and Marlene Riemer, Jim and Marcia Wolfe

Silver Sponsors: Channel Cat Charters, Silvio DiLoreto, Norris and Barry Goss, Ray Hunter, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust,

Bronze Sponsors: Earl Armstrong, David and Louise Borgatello, Maureen and Hank Bowis, Bryant & Sons Jewelers, Jim and Susan Chapman, Hal Conklin, Federal Drug, Jeanne and David Hoffman, Lynn K. Jones, Melville Vineyards and Winery, Richard Monk, Niner Wine Estates, Personally Yours/Parm Williams, Marjorie Petersen, Nancy Read, Sun Valley Resorts, John and Laurie Tilson, Venoco Inc, Young America's Foundation

Event Sponsors:

Best Western Pepper Tree Inn, Brighton Collectibles, Jessika Cardinahl, The Four Seasons Biltmore Resort, Gainey Vineyards, Halper Fine Art, Herban Essentials, Terry Honikman, Montecito Hills Winery, Parameters Custom Framing, Por La Mar Nursery, San Ysidro Ranch, Simpson House Inn, Valley Flowers, Wayne Kjar Cakes.

Neighbor day wine tasting - Sunday, May 22, 2011

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!) and bedazzling from magician Mark Barbarie.

A new fundraising event for Hillside House, which was proposed by the Chumash Indian Foundation, the afternoon raised $27,800 for the residents of Hillside House, including an initial $15,000 grant from the Chumash Indian Foundation. Over 125 guests attended this festive and fun day. We made some new friends, and 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.