The Community Action Commission (CAC) of Santa Barbara County will be hosting a Champions Dinner on June 2 at Solvang’s Hotel Corque that will honor Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) and local philanthropists Jackie and Fidenzio Brunello.
The Goleta-based nonprofit offers 22 services to low-income families throughout the county, most notably its Head Start and Healthy Senior Lunch programs.
The dinner is a fundraiser for CAC’s Healthy Senior Lunch program. The nonprofit is honoring Capps—who steps down from California’s 24th Congressional District seat at the end of the year—for her efforts in securing grant money for the Head Start program, which is essentially a preschool program for kids.
Matthew Regan, spokesman for CAC, said most preschool programs are private endeavors and expensive for low-income families. The program has state-certified teachers who receive accreditation through the National Association of the Education of Young Children.
Unlike many preschools, Regan said, Head Start has rolling admission, meaning parents can enroll their kids at any point during the school year.
Many of the students in the program are non-native English speakers who get a chance to become proficient in the language, Regan said. The program provides meals for the kids as well.
The program benefits parents too.
“There’s also an opportunity for the parents,” Regan said. “They can go back to school and work and not have to worry about where their child is.”
Capps has been a huge supporter of the Head Start program for years, having secured grant money for the program during her time as a congresswoman. Because Capps is retiring, Regan said the dinner not only honors her work, but will be celebratory as well.
The nonprofit is based on the South Coast, although it has branches countywide. There are two administrative offices: in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.
The Healthy Senior Lunch program is administered through offices in Solvang and Santa Barbara and 800 meals are distributed from 20 offices throughout the county on a daily basis. The nonprofit asks for a $3 donation, which Regan said they don’t often receive, although no one ever gets turned away.
Meals for the South County program are made in CAC’s deli located at 315 Camino Del Remedio in Santa Barbara. In North County, meals are made in a kitchen shared with the Good Samaritan Shelter located at 401 S. Morrison Ave. in Santa Maria.
The Champions Dinner will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, at Hotel Corque located at 400 Alisal Road in Solvang. For more information, call 964-8857 or visit cacsb.org.
Highlights
• On May 23, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board a $2 million grant to prepare and connect Santa Maria youth to employment opportunities. Santa Maria is one of 11 communities across the country and the only city in California to receive the grant. The grant will fund the launch and expansion of Santa Maria Summer Jobs and Beyond, a program to provide paid work experience opportunities to 260 young adults ages 16 to 24 in organizations such as the Santa Maria Parks and Recreation Department, Goodwill Industries, Foursquare Church, and Community Health Center.
• The Buellton Recreational Center located at 301 Second St., will be hosting an Introduction to TRE (tension and trauma releasing exercises) series from June 30 to July 7. The class is meant for beginners unfamiliar with the exercises, as well as for experienced practitioners who want to move on to the next level. Some benefits of TRE include reduced anxiety, improved sleep, improved mood, and increased energy and stamina. Price for the class is $108 and pre-registration is required. Register online at buelltonrec.com/fitness or call 688-1086. For questions regarding the exercise, call 259-7462 or email daphne@sollievo.co.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Jun 2-9, 2016.