Ninth Annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic to Benefit Three Local Nonprofits

Since its inaugural event in 2004, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ annual golf tournament has raised more than $750,000 for local charities and nonprofits. Last year, the event raised $100,000 for the Westside Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara.

This year, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has elected to spread the proceeds evenly between three nonprofits whose efforts make a significant impact in Santa Barbara County.

“Each year, we look to recognize organizations that share our tribe’s level of commitment to the community,” said Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta. “CASA, Dream Foundation and Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation have all discovered new ways to make a difference in the lives of children and adults. We hope the proceeds from this year’s Chumash Charity Golf Classic will help these great organizations continue to assist those in need.”

The goal of CASA is to prevent abused, neglected, and abandoned children from becoming lost in the foster-care system and working to find them safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible. CASA works carefully to match a highly trained community volunteer with a foster child to ensure that the child’s best interest is served. The work of CASA volunteers is crucial to preventing child abuse and ensuring that children live in safe, loving environments where they can thrive.

“Being a beneficiary of something as exciting as the Chumash Charity Golf Classic is crucially important to our mission, as the funds raised allow us to match more CASA volunteers with foster children to ensure these abused and neglected children’s needs are met in the courtroom, classroom, and community,” said CASA Executive Director Kim Colby Davis. “We are especially grateful for the generosity of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and their supporters, because we do not receive financial support from government funding.”

The mission of Dream Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families facing a life-threatening illness by fulfilling a heart’s final wish. Founded in 1994, Dream Foundation serves more than 2,500 dreams each year and relies on a network of volunteers, sponsors and individual donors.

“We are honored that the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has chosen us as a beneficiary of its ninth annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic,” said Dream Foundation Founder and President Thomas Rollerson. “The support garnered from this wonderful event will allow us to continue serving the final dreams of adults and their families as they navigate the end-of-life journey.”

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 that provides financial and emotional support to families of children with cancer living in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties. Its services benefit families of children diagnosed with any form of cancer before age 18 and until age 21. The objective of Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is to help maintain the financial and emotional health of the entire family unit during one of the most difficult experiences any family can go through.

“Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is thrilled that our organization has been selected as a benefitting charity of the annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic,” said Executive Director Lindsey Guerrero. “This support means so much to us; we are incredibly grateful and fortunate for the tribe’s generosity. Their gift will make a huge positive impact on families in the Tri-County Region that have a child battling cancer.”

For information on sponsoring a tee at the Chumash Charity Golf Classic, contact foundation administrator Veronica Sandoval at (805) 350-7916.

Through its Foundation, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $16 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community and across the nation as part of the Chumash’s long-standing tradition of giving. To find out more about the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation and its giving programs, visit www.santaynezchumash.org.