Area nonprofits celebrated the holidays early last November at Montecito Bank & Trust’s annual Community Dividends awards luncheon. For the past 21 years, this special tradition boosts the impact local nonprofits make in their communities.
Through its unique Community Dividends giving program, Montecito Bank & Trust has granted more than $22 million to local Santa Barbara and Ventura County nonprofit organizations through the years. The 2023 Community Dividends event yielded a $1.1 million investment in the nonprofit community and accounts for the majority of the bank’s annual total investment nonprofit giving of $1.7 million.
The Hilton Santa Barbara Beachside Resort rotunda was filled with 195 nonprofit leaders from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Following a casual networking hour, Chairman and CEO Janet Garufis took the stage to welcome the deserving nonprofits, expressing gratitude
for their dedication and admiration of the positive effects their work and leadership has on our communities.
Montecito Bank & Trust’s Board of Directors comprises Josh Rabinowitz, Jeff Paul, George Leis, Janet Garufis, Gerald Parent, Ken Verkler, Lachlan Hough and Craig Zimmerman.
Organizations receiving awards included Oxnard Housing Authority, represented by Cinthya Escobar; Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, represented by Ana Huynh; City of Oxnard-Multicultural Festival, represented by Tiffany Lopez; Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura, represented by Simon Salem; City Impact, Inc., Cynthia Torres; and Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, represented by Katie Norris.