January/February 2023 Issue
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Administration
Letter from Heidi
Please Join us at our 24th Annual
Festival of Hearts!
Program
Holiday Fun: Cheer with Santa
Gratitude Corner
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Dear Families & Friends,
As we embrace the new year… I always choose a word to set my intentions and expectations for the year ahead, in 2023 my word is “Imagine.” Not just because I love the Beatles and John Lennon, however “Imagine” is a reflection on 2022 and hopes for the year 2023.
“Imagine all the people…”
I have high hopes for this new year. 2023 is the year of reconnection and to “come together” after all these difficult times due to the pandemic. I’m so thrilled that once again our Festival of Hearts will be an “in person” event after a two-year hiatus. I believe there have been missed opportunities and we’re hungry for this reconnection. It seems as though we used to ‘meet-up’ more often and we were always going from point A to B. As crazy as this may sound I kind of miss it. We are back in the world, needing to reconnect. This year I believe is the time to reassess how we do that and what type of world we truly want to be part of.
“You may say I’m a dreamer…”
Friendship Center, and myself personally, have truly been supported by so many board members, staff, volunteers, colleagues, donors, family and friends this past year. It is through these relationships that I see we are truly changing lives, and supporting families during these challenging times while their loved ones age in community. It is our mission to support our aging adults and their caregivers and the life-changing work that we do so that they can truly be “livin life in peace.”
So let’s be the dreamer. Be mindful of our purpose. Love one another. Challenge the way things are. Imagine the way things could be. “For here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it’s alright.” I look forward to seeing you all at the Festival of Hearts on Saturday, February 4th. Happy New Year my friends let’s “come together!”
Yours very truly,
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Friendship Center to Celebrate it’s 24th Annual Festival of Hearts
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Friendship Center is hosting its 24th Annual Festival of Hearts, 12-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort.
The pre-Valentine’s Day event features a sit-down lunch including wine, a no host bar, and live music by Strada Swing, a jazz swing band with a French twist. Participants are urged to dress in their favorite Derby attire — big hats, pastels and florals are all appropriate!
Since the first Festival of Hearts in 2000, the centerpiece of the event has been the Heart-art sold at silent auction and created by local artists and celebrities, including Jeff Bridges, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Askew and Rod Lathim. Provided with a blank papier-mâché heart, the creative “heart-ists” paint, sculpt and decorate in myriad ways to design unique works.
The live auction, conducted by local auctioneer Geoff Green, will feature an in-town getaway with a seafood dinner for six of fresh local lobster, white sea bass, abalone, and hand-foraged mushrooms at a private home; a desert oasis getaway in Palm Springs, including some meals from landmark restaurants; and, a stay at the upscale Rosewood Miramar Beach with dinner for two at the Revere Room.
Fundraising from the event supports Friendship Center’s HEART (Help Elders At-Risk Today) program, subsidizing the cost of adult day services for low-income aging and dependent adults and their families.
Tickets are $155 each. Buy tickets at www.friendshipcentersb.org or call 805-969-0859 to purchase by phone with a credit card. Or mail a check to Friendship Center, 89 Eucalyptus Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108. Online ticket sales close Thursday, 2/2 at midnight. Major sponsors include: Karolyn Hanna, Al Anglin and Vangie Herrera, Channel Islands Post Acute, Complete Care at Home, Epic Life Wealth Management, David and Louise Borgatello, Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort
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Mary Oakley Respite Stipends Available through Friendship Center
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Friendship Center is home to the Mary Oakley Stipend Program.
These stipends help caregivers focus on self-care, take a break, or just get away for a weekend.
If you provide care to a person with dementia, are a long-term resident
of the Tri Counties, and the care recipient has or is in the process of applying for Medi-Cal, then you may qualify for this grant opportunity. The person must also be considered to have low resources and/or be able to demonstrate challenges or barriers to receiving care.
If you would like further information please contact the Friendship Center
at 805-969-0859.
You can also contact:
This has been made possible by funds generously provided by the
Mary Oakley Foundation.
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Holiday Cheer with Santa!
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Oh the weather outside has been frightful (RAINING!) but Friendship Center is so delightful . . . this holiday season was filled with many Christmas carols, sweet treats (including cupcakes from Amy Rosas and cookies from the Rosewood Miramar), presents from the Unity Shoppe, and a special visit from Santa Claus (Brent Anderson). Thank you to all who made this time magical for our members!
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Thank You,
Easy Lift Transportation!
Easy Lift went above and beyond the call of duty to help us evacuate our seniors during the storm on Monday, January 9th. With their help and willingness to take our members to their homes, we were able to get everyone safely home, including our staff, in under an hour. Easy Lift provides transportation for over 50% of our members to get to Friendship Center each day, which adds so much relief to our caregivers.
Thank you always, Easy Lift!
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Thank You,
Unity Shoppe!
Thank you for the time and work in putting together beautiful Christmas gifts for our members. From knitted hats to watches to clip-on earrings, everyone got something on their wish list!
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Link Friendship Center to Your Ralphs Community Rewards Program, and they will donate a percentage of your purchases to Friendship Center. The more supporters that shop, the higher the amount that is donated each year!
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Make Friendship Center Your Amazon Charity and Donate While You Shop! Amazon will donate .05% of your purchase to Friendship Center at no extra cost to you.
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CCL Licensing: #421701581
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