2019 Community Action Champions Honor Awarded to Santa Ynez Chumash

“Art of Giving Back” Fundraising Dinner and Presentation Features Notable Fine Artist at Work

Each year at a commemorative dinner and presentation, Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County (CAC) recognizes extraordinary organizations or individuals who have helped improve the lives of children, youth, families, and seniors in their community. For 2019, CAC has selected the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for the Community Action Champions honor due to the ongoing Chumash commitment to making the community it serves a better place. 

Previous years’ Community Action Champions include Lois Capps, Sheriff Bill Brown, Michael & Anne Towbes, Dr. Kevin Walthers of Allan Hancock College, the Orfalea Foundation and CenCal Health.

The annual Community Action Champions dinner event raises much needed funds to support CAC’s Healthy Senior Lunch program. The 2019 event theme is “The Art of Giving Back” in keeping with a new social enterprise under CAC’s Nutrition Services area. The Art of Giving Back Cafe and Catering Company is in the works to raise additional funds for meal programs for Seniors. 

Consistent with the “art of giving” theme, fine artist Yuliya Lennon PhD will create a still life painting onsite to be auctioned that evening. Lennon is an internationally acclaimed artist with paintings in public and private collections in Europe, Russia, India, China and the United States. Her work can be seen locally at the Yuliya Lennon Studio in downtown Santa Barbara. http://www.yuliyalennon.com/

CAC’s Champions event begins with a 6pm reception, then 7pm dinner and presentation at Hotel Corque. The evening’s Master of Ceremonies is local personality Jim Byrne.