Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) is having a busy start to the new year which is typically our “slow season.” CIMWI has already rescued 10 sea lions since the beginning of the year. Below are some of CIMWI’s activities so far in 2026. On Sunday January 4th, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) [...more...]
When Lillian Taylor Converse was diagnosed with cancer in 1948, she knew the odds of a recovery were long, but she wanted to help other patients. At the time, the closest treatment facility was in [...more...]
Giving List Matching Challenges
Youth Development
Marie was a victim of sex trafficking before she turned 13. “I was stuck in the lifestyle, always wanting to […more…]
The I Madonnari Street Painting Festival, much-beloved mainstay of Memorial Day weekend for many decades, is more than two months […more…]
Santa Barbara is hardly a winter wonderland where people gather on a frozen lake to frolic on ice skates during […more…]
Homelessness
Housing Works has always been on the front lines of Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis, doing whatever it takes for as […more…]
A man in his 40s with tears in his eyes walked into Santa Barbara’s New Beginnings Counseling Center late one […more…]
What does street medicine look like in real life? It looks like compassionate care delivered directly to our unsheltered neighbors […more…]
Health & Wellness
Despite Santa Barbara’s seemingly vibrant, prosperous community, some of its youngest residents face invisible barriers to health and wellness that […more…]
A dam was just 23 when he suffered a stroke that nearly took his life. He spent two weeks in […more…]
In a world where anxiety and stress affect children at unprecedented rates, one Santa Barbara organization is teaching our youngest […more…]
For the Environment
Belém, often called the “Gateway to the Amazon,” lies just a few dozen kilometers from dense rainforest, reinforcing its symbolic […more…]
A healthy planet is rooted in healthy working lands. The Community Environmental Council (CEC) works alongside farmers, ranchers, and land stewards […more…]
Sue Eisaguirre, founder and Executive Director of NatureTrack wanted to document and give a huge thank you to all the […more…]
For the Children
Thirty-seven years after its founding in the parking lot at Transition House – where the goal was simply to create […more…]
On a recent afternoon at the Santa Barbara Zoo, a third-grader sat motionless before her untouched burger, politely declining offers […more…]
In a classroom at Santa Barbara High School, a student named Arturo sat slumped in his chair, disengaged from another […more…]
For the Arts
Nestled in the heart of Montecito, Casa del Herrero stands as one of Santa Barbara County’s most extraordinary yet underappreciated […more…]
When Amada Cruz took over as Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s new Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director and CEO about […more…]
In Santa Barbara Harbor at dawn, the masts of sailboats clang softly as a yellow school bus from Lompoc pulls […more…]
For the Animals
Join Return to Freedom for the Opening Day of their 2026 program season, and a celebration of Spirit’s 31st birthday on May 9 at their Lompoc headquarters sanctuary! The […more…]
The Search Dog Foundation believes that they can help every dog that enters theiur program be successful in whatever type […more…]
Emergency Services
Direct Relief has a new President and CEO, Amy Weaver having taken the reins from retiring Thomas Tighe, who over […more…]
The Search Dog Foundation (SDF) has announced the deployment of seven specialized canine disaster search teams to Washington state as […more…]
Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue (SBCSAR) was ready when an experienced paraglider had an issue with equipment and was […more…]
Education
The first five years of a child’s life lay the foundation for how they’ll do in school and beyond – […more…]
The Central City East neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles goes by another moniker – one familiar to the public and […more…]
Olive Crest’s Hope Refuge Campus in Santa Barbara County provides a safe place for young survivors of sex trafficking to […more…]
Community Resilience
A hiker in Santa Barbara’s wilderness hasn’t returned home, a biker crashes off the trail, a runner collapses from dehydration, or […more…]
Direct Relief navigates the war zones in Ukraine to deliver cystic fibrosis medications, transports Mpox vaccines to clinics in the […more…]
In an era where technology dominates our daily lives, you might wonder if public libraries still matter. According to Lauren […more…]
Advocacy
Hillside is already in the works planning two exciting events scheduled for later this year! The Santa Barbara nonprofit couldn’t […more…]
Anybody who has seen a police procedural or legal drama on TV knows that criminal suspects not only have the […more…]
In a small corner office of the Shoreline Community Church, immigrants can find a much welcome pathway to the American […more…]