by Jean Hall, Administrative Lead Paloma Espino and Steven Sharpe have been elected to the Board of Directors for Friendship Center, and Cynder Sinclair has been elected board president for the 2022-23 term. Paloma Espino is the current administrator for Sarah House, a local nonprofit that provides end-of-life care for community members. She said there are many lessons to be…
The past few months have not just been blooming, but metamorphosing at Friendship Center! In March 2022, the Assistance League of Santa Barbara® teamed up with Friendship Center to transform our Sweet Pea Patio garden into an environment designed to raise and release monarch butterflies. It was quite the process; from getting the proper enclosures, to selecting plants that…
Like the rest of our community, Friendship Center has seen so much change in recent years. In two short years we have gone from a thriving day program to shutting down, to creating our multifaceted virtual and telehealth Community Adult Connect Program, and to re-opening our hybrid, cohorted day program. Maintaining people’s health and safety while creating spaces for…
Rebecca Birotte M.A., Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist and CLC, shared her insights with program staff in December, providing a refresher on the how’s and why’s of effective memory care activities for Friendship Center members. “Activities are medicine,” she said. “That’s my business motto.” Rebecca owns and operates Los Angeles-based Healthy Solutions, a consultancy providing activity and recreation therapy training for a…
Please welcome Friendship Center’s new Associate Director Amy West, M.A. Amy West brings to Friendship Center a 25-year track record of public sector management, most recently as Program Administrator of an Adult Residential Facility at Devereux California, where she was recognized for her skills in problem-solving and collaboration. Amy earned a B.A. in public sector management and an M.A. in…
Prospective members and their families can now take a virtual tour of Friendship Center. Join Heidi Holly, executive director and Kim Larsen, family services manager as they walk through each of our Montecito facility’s recreational areas, while also providing an overview of our Covid-19 safety protocols. Click here to watch the video on YouTube. The video also features images of…
Friendship Center’s hybrid day program will consist of a morning (9-12:30 p.m.) and an afternoon (1:30-5 p.m.) session, Monday through Thursday. Your loved one will be assigned to one of these sessions in which they will be able to exercise (Yoga? Tai Chi? Cycling without Age anyone?), listen to music (The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys – oh…
Friendship Center is pleased to welcome David Selberg and Maggie Mixsell to its Board of Directors for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. “We are delighted that David and Maggie have joined our board of directors,” says Friendship Center Executive Director Heidi Holly. “Each joins Friendship Center at an exciting time as we continue to pivot and enhance our programs for seniors…
by BY STEVEN LIBOWITZ , Montecito Journal Friendship Center serves an often overlooked, but much-needed niche for the aging adult community — providing a daytime home away from home where the dependent seniors can take advantage of companionship and engaging activities. They also receive necessary supervision while their family caregivers receive respite and a much-needed break from the demands of…
As the State of California inches toward a comprehensive reopening plan, Friendship Center members and caregivers will be heartened to know that our own reopening plan has been in the works for months. The new hybrid plan incorporates both onsite and Zoom activities as it transitions toward fully re-opening. “We’re pleased to announce that our plan has been approved…