The biennial Santa Barbara Wine Auction has evolved through the years with the partnership of the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation and Direct Relief. The 2020 Wine Auction celebrates its 11th year of helping our community, vintners and those effected by natural disasters and other hardships. Held at the luxurious The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, guests will experience an opening reception with local wines, appetizers and a customized Silent Auction. Guests will be hosted by Celebrity MC, Billy Baldwin. Local winemakers host each table and pour their hand-selected wines for guests during the four-course meal in The Ritz-Carlton Bacara Grand Ballroom. The menu was crafted with collaboration of Executive Chef Peter Lee of Loquita Santa Barbara and the Bacara Culinary Team. The evening carries into the animated Live Auction, led by returning auctioneer, DawnMarie Kotsonis. The competition to be the winning bidder during the Live Auction generates electric energy and great fun. During the “Stand Up and Be Counted” portion of the program, guests are invited to participate and support healthcare for our farmworkers in Santa Barbara county.
Direct Relief strengthens America’s healthcare safety net by providing medicines and medical supplies to nonprofit community clinics and health centers serving low-income and underserved people.
With support from Direct Relief, aid organization Last Mile Health (known in Liberia as Tiyatien Health) trained 10 Frontline Health Workers (FHW) in the last year to identify, treat, and refer children with symptoms of pneumonia – the number one cause of death of children under five worldwide.
Direct Relief provides Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers, other first responders, and health outreach workers with ruggedized backpacks filled with medical supplies to help address community health needs during disasters.
Direct Relief has equipped midwives, supported programs of obstetric fistula repair, increased access to cervical cancer screening, and has provided general medical aid in support of children’s health programs.
Support health care for Santa Barbara County farmworkers
The 2020 Santa Barbara Wine Auction comes at a time where health care is a delicate and sometimes polarizing topic. Funds collected during the Stand Up and Be Counted portion of the auction will go towards supporting farm and vineyard workers in our community, Santa Barbara County. These funds will help with medical and dental expenses.
Direct Relief and Community Health Centers (CHC) share a common mission to support healthy people and create a stronger community and better world. Linking Direct Relief and CHC helps to bring greater access to those on the Central Coast who otherwise lack access to needed health services.
The Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation’s mission is ‘Grounded In Giving’. Creating a sustainable and thriving community unites us as winemakers and wine enthusiasts a like bringing us together as one community. We are proud to support these organizations who are dedicated to programs that focus on maintaining health and addressing the needs of the world’s most at-risk population.
SANTA BARBARA VINTNERS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jessica Gasca, SBVF President, Story of Soil
Tymari Lore, SBVF Vice-President, Folded Hills
Charles A.J. Fairbanks, SBVF Treasurer, Jackson Family Wines
Megan Schumer, SBVF Secretary
Chemayne Faulconer Simas, Cork Supply
Kali Kopley, Pico Restaurant
Stephen Janes, Pence Vineyards
Alison Laslett, Santa Barbara Vintners Association
EVENT MANAGEMENT
Solterra Strategies
EVENT DESIGN AND LOGISTICS
Karson Butler Events
AUCTION LOT PROCUREMENT SUPPORT
Erin Scherer, Community Craft
DIRECT RELIEF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark Schwartz, Chair, Former CEO, Import Distribution Industry
Pamela Gann, Vice Chair, Former President, Claremont McKenna
Jim Selbert, Secretary, Co-Founder, Warren & Selbert
Linda Gluck, Treasurer, Former Bank President and Public Official
Siri Marshall, Asst. Secretary, Former SVP, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer, General Mills
Mark Linehan, Asst. Treasurer, President, Wynmark Company
Steven A. Amerikaner, Partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Bitsy Becton Bacon, Real Estate Broker
David Brown, President, Somera Capital Management
Lou Buglioli, Executive Chairman, Viewpointe
Charles Fenzi, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics
Patrick Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, FedEx
Elizabeth Green, R.N., Registered Nurse
Jay McGonigle, Former Chair and CEO, Corporate Executive Board
Jane Olson, International Peace and Justice Volunteer
Jamie Ruffing, Ph.D., Public Health Office, Epidemiologist, and Lieutenant Colonel, US Air National Guard
Byron Scott, M.D., Deputy Chief Health Officer, IBM Watson Health
Thomas Sturgess, Executive Chairman, Tiri Group Limited and Blue Star Print Holdings
Steve Weintraub, Certified Financial Planner, Partner in West Coast Financial, LLC
The 2020 sponsors of The Santa Barbara Wine Auction will enjoy extensive event publicity, recognition in the community, and help to provide better health for people in need around the world.
The following wineries, from the Santa Barbara County, are hosting a table during the wine auction and dinner.
The Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation and Direct Relief would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the donors sponsoring this year’s event.
Our guests were invited to spend the weekend at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. The resort is nestled on the bluff and beaches of the Gaviota coast between the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Mountains, offering relaxed luxury and breathtaking views for an unforgettable getaway in Santa Barbara.
See photos on our Google photostream >>
Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation
PO Box 1209
Buellton, CA 93427
(805) 268-1309
info@sbvf.org
