Santa Barbara Beautiful honors three local projects
Honored for their work with the Heath House renovation are, from left, Rene Nateras, Omead Poure, Adele Rosen, Mireya Rojas, Ken Trigueiro,Efrain Perez, Deborah Schwartz, Rob Pearson and Librada Gallardo. Ms. Schwartz is president of Santa Barbara Beautiful, which presented the President’s Award, one of the nonprofit’s Golden Leaf Awards.
Continuing its tradition of recognizing outstanding achievements in community beautification, Santa Barbara Beautiful has announced its 2021 Golden Leaf awards.
Heath House, which provides housing for formerly homeless women, is the winner of the President’s Award.
Other recipients are the Santa Barbara Ecological and Edible Garden Project (SBEE), which supports biological and cultural diversity through ecological edible gardens; and Poetry With Wings! in honor of the poetry and art created by third through sixth graders in Santa Barbara to bring attention to the plight of the monarch butterflies.
“This year we are honoring the individuals who collaborated to produce the outstanding community projects, which epitomize the strength of collaboration to produce worthy outcomes,” said Deborah L. Schwartz, Santa Barbara Beautiful president.
Certificates of Award will be issued to the individuals involved in each of the projects in September.
The historic Heath House, which previously served as a hospice for AIDS patients, had fallen into extensive disrepair. In 2020, the building was purchased by People’s Self-Help Housing, which restored and extensively rehabilitated it.
“We very much appreciate the opportunity to be recognized for the work achieved at Heath House this past year,” said Ken Trigueiro, PSHH CEO and president. “Not only is the property fully restored and a credit to the community, but it is now providing a safe, supportive space for formerly homeless women in Santa Barbara. This was a highly collaborative project, and we share this high honor with our many development partners and generous supporters who made it possible.”
Heath House award recipients include Mr. Triguerio, Dalia Flores, Darya Oreizi, Rob Pearson, Adele Rosen, Barbara Allen, Rob Fredericks, Lucy Graham, Laura Dubbels, Jennifer McGovern, Ted Teyber, Roc Lowry, Kathy Michaud, Jackie Carrera and Gary Clark.
SBEE Garden Project recipients include Geoff Green, Adam Green, Daniel Parra Hensel, Lindsay Johnson, Hugh Kelly, Denise Knapp, Jesse Gonzalez, Brad Smith and Rachel Johnson.
Poetry With Wings! honorees will be Larry J. Feinberg, Kristy Thomas, Tina Villadoid, Cie Gumucio and Scott Pipkin.
“The SBEE Garden Project is so grateful to have received a 2021 Golden Leaf Award from Santa Barbara Beautiful. Being recognized for contributing to the beauty of our community, while also educating that community about edible gardens and healthy ecosystems, is an honor,” said Ms. Johnson, chief program officer for the Santa Barbara City College Foundation.
“The SBEE Garden Project is truly a collaborative effort, bringing together SBCC faculty and students, elementary school students and their families, researchers, educators, garden enthusiasts and the community as a whole.”
Last spring, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Cal Poets in the Schools, Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden came together to provide third through sixth graders at Mountain View, Montecito Union and Vieja Valley schools unique lessons for April’s National Poetry Month and Earth Day celebrations.
To bring attention to the plight of the monarch butterfly, students created art and poetry that was on display in the SBMA Museum Store window.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
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For more information about the Golden Leaf awards or Santa Barbara Beautiful, call 805-965-8867 or email info@sbbeautiful.org. You can also visit sbbeautiful.org.
