In 1926, philanthropist Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss bought 13 acres of Mission Canyon as a memorial for her father, Henry Blaksley, and endowed a botanic garden devoted entirely to native plants. Shortly after, early visionary gardeners and founders carried redwood seedlings down into that same canyon in coffee cans and planted them in the dirt. [...more...]
As the largest generation in American history moves into assisted living, more senior dogs than ever are landing in shelters, rescues, or on the street. They are the dogs people hesitate to adopt: older, sometimes [...more...]
For the Children
Ten years before the World Cup came to Los Angeles, the Play Equity Fund was already asking a question most […more…]
The grandmother started crying almost as soon as she walked into Storyteller’s pantry. She had recently gained full custody of […more…]
DL spent her formative years living on the streets and spending time in and out of juvenile hall. She and […more…]
Advocacy
There is a particular kind of loneliness that comes from believing the most essential thing about you must be explained […more…]
Currently gun violence is the #1 cause of death for children in the United States. Read that again if you […more…]
Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County (LAFSBC) remains the only provider of free civil legal services for survivors of […more…]
Bright Futures
Sometimes the problem isn’t a shortage of well-meaning nonprofits. It’s that those nonprofits tackling the same problem don’t have the […more…]
In 1969, a young father in Santa Barbara, unequipped and overwhelmed with his new parental role, shook his six-week-old child […more…]
Creative Endeavors
“Anytime anybody voices a concern about the quality of life that we’re going to be leading, we’re called environmentalists. And […more…]
Every year, UCSB Arts & Lectures brings some of the world’s most celebrated artists and speakers to Santa Barbara, creating […more…]
For 85 years, Santa Barbara Museum of Art has united people of all ages through inspiring art experiences. Located in […more…]
Critical Response & International Impact
When disasters strike, power is often the first thing communities lose — and one of the most important things they […more…]
Kerri Murray keeps a photograph that has stayed with her. It’s the face of Esther, a young Nigerian woman whose […more…]
When a recent earthquake devastated Venezuela, the Los Angeles County Fire Department sent six teams to help sift through the […more…]
Earth First
In 1926, philanthropist Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss bought 13 acres of Mission Canyon as a memorial for her father, Henry […more…]
Heal the Ocean built its reputation by going after the sources of ocean pollution: failing septic systems, leaking oil wells, […more…]
Most people picture plastic pollution as floating islands of trash in the ocean or sea turtles tangled in six-pack rings. […more…]
Nature's Advocates
The Gulf of California holds more than a third of all the marine mammal species on earth. UNESCO calls it […more…]
From the Los Padres National Forest to the Channel Islands, the Central Coast of California contains some of the most […more…]
For one survivor, escaping domestic violence wasn’t the end of the story. It was the beginning of building a new […more…]
Education
It is not a classroom moved outdoors. No conventional lesson plan just transplanted onto a patch of grass. At Hope […more…]
If you ask Sue Eisaguirre what NatureTrack is really about, she won’t begin by talking about trails or field trips. […more…]
In 1962, a group of education advocates came together to help area students pay for college or vocational school. Just […more…]
For the Animals
Roughly 85,000 wild horses and burros roam public rangelands across 10 Western states. But their existence is threatened by encroaching […more…]
At the county animal shelter, the chart for a cat named “Callie Sue” told a grim story: she was afflicted […more…]
As the largest generation in American history moves into assisted living, more senior dogs than ever are landing in shelters, […more…]
Homelessness & Housing
It has been a perfect storm. Santa Barbara County’s unsheltered count has been rising. Santa Barbara County’s public health department […more…]
The phone calls all ended the same way. Older adults who desperately needed to move would ask about the cost, […more…]
On a vacant parking lot in downtown Santa Barbara, a village of small, private rooms rose during the pandemic, built […more…]
Health & Wellness
For more than 80 years, Hillside has been home to 59 adults with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities, the only […more…]
Every great center begins with a vision – and the heart to carry it forward. As Cottage Health brings together […more…]
Joan was a 78-year-old woman in Santa Barbara County living on the street. Joan’s medical condition made unsupported independent living […more…]