Nonprofits to Receive Grants in Celebration of Bank’s Anniversary

Janet A. Garufis, president and chief executive officer said, “While we are perhaps better known for our Community Dividends® Program, which annually grants $1,000,000 to local nonprofits, our Anniversary Grants Program also illustrates the philanthropic spirit of Montecito Bank & Trust. Anniversary Grants represents the voice of our associates. They determine who will receive these awards each year and are passionately involved in the selection process. For 20 years, our associates have cajoled, convinced, campaigned and advocated amongst themselves to choose 10 worthy organizations to receive the bank’s coveted Anniversary Grants. This year, I am pleased to announce the 2012 Montecito Bank & Trust Anniversary Grants recipients:

All for Animals, Alzheimer’s Association, American Heart Association, Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, FOOD Share of Ventura County, Life Without Limbs, Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties, Planned Parenthood, Santa Ynez Valley Fruit and Vegetable Rescue, Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care of Santa Barbara.

Each recipient will receive their $1,500 Anniversary Grant during an afternoon reception on Wednesday, March 14. Montecito Bank & Trust would like to offer a special thanks to our corporate partner, Cox Communications, for generously producing a short promotional video for each of the recipients, showcasing their extraordinary work. In addition to the funding, our recipients find the Cox video an invaluable tool.”

Chairman of the Board Michael Towbes said, “Because our bank associates have a personal stake in selecting the Anniversary Grant recipients, they make an effort to educate their colleagues about the important work of the nonprofits with whom they are personally connected. Whether serving on boards, volunteering at fundraisers, or advocating for an Anniversary Grant, our employees are a valuable volunteer resource for so many nonprofits in our community. “

Montecito Bank & Trust is a locally owned community bank founded in 1975. In addition to the Anniversary Grants program, for the past nine years Montecito Bank & Trust has demonstrated its ongoing support of the community through a unique program, Community Dividends®, which gifts $1 million to more than 150 local nonprofits from Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The bank has branch offices in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, Carpinteria, Solvang, Ventura and Westlake Village, with a new branch recently opened at Hollister and Stroke Road in Goleta. The bank offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and consumers including consumer loans, business loans and lines of credit, SBA loans, credit cards, merchant services, online and mobile banking and cash management. Its Wealth Management Division, located in Montecito, Solvang and Ventura, provides full investment management as well as trust services.