Santa Barbara, Calif. - Montecito Bank & Trust kicked off the holiday season on Monday November 20, 2017, with a highly anticipated annual tradition, their Community Dividends awards luncheon. Now in its 15 ^th year, this unique giving program has granted a total of $15 million to local Santa Barbara and Ventura County nonprofits.

The Four Season Biltmore's Coral Casino ballroom was filled with the excitement and gratitude of 184 local nonprofits, but there was a heartfelt absence, as this marked the first Community Dividends program without the Bank's late founder and local philanthropist, Michael Towbes. This year's program included an emotional video tribute to the father of Community Dividends, one that reflected upon the history of Community Dividends, its impact on the community, what it meant to the man himself and a look at the continued bright future of the program.

Looking around the room, Chairwoman & CEO Janet Garufis commented, "To carry on this man's legacy is an honor and a privilege. He set the bar high and I speak for everyone in the organization when I say that we will work hard every day to carry on his vision and we will never let him down. I want to thank the 184 of you that are here representing your organizations. You work tirelessly to serve the missions of your organizations and the value of your work does not go unseen - today, we celebrate and thank you!"

The Community Dividends awards were created in 2003 by Montecito Bank & Trust's late owner and Chairman Michael Towbes, with a primary focus on supporting organizations which serve low and moderate-income individuals and families in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The program also awards dividends to organizations that serve the arts, youth and education, social welfare, and medical and health services sectors. One of the major reasons organizations look forward to this event is the opportunity to socialize with their nonprofit colleagues, share ideas, build stronger bonds within the community and reflect on their impact in the community.

Montecito Bank & Trust has a history of unwavering corporate philanthropy in the local communities it serves. This commitment was driven by Michael Towbes, who used to say, "We do this because we recognize and support the invaluable role your nonprofits play in enhancing the quality of life for all segments of our society. We do this to encourage other organizations to follow in our footsteps. We do this to encourage our employees to volunteer to support these worthy organizations. We do this because we think it's the right thing to do."

Marking another unique moment in this year's program was the announcement by the Mayor of Santa Barbara, Helene Schneider, of Michael Towbes Day of Giving in Santa Barbara, which will occur on Giving Tuesday, November 28, 2017.

A listing of the 184 nonprofit organizations that received Montecito Bank & Trust Community Dividends is below.

Montecito Bank & Trust, an S Corporation, is the oldest and largest locally owned community bank in the Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Founded in 1975, the bank celebrated its 42^nd anniversary on March 17, 2017 and operates 10 branch offices in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Solvang, Montecito, Carpinteria, Ventura, Camarillo and Westlake Village. Awarded the 2017 Bank of the Year (Western Independent Bankers) from among more than 550 independent community banks headquartered in 13 western states, the bank offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and consumers, including business loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate finance; SBA loans; mortgage loans, consumer loans; credit cards; merchant services; and online services, including mobile banking and cash management. Its Wealth Management Division provides comprehensive trust services and full investment management for all branch office markets.

Montecito Bank & Trust received a 2016 Premier Performing Bank designation by The Findley Reports, an independent service which rates the annual performance of California banks. Montecito Bank & Trust has been designated as a Premier Performing or Super Premier Performing bank by The Findley Reports 32 times in its 41-year history.

For more information, please contact
Megan Orloff, Chief Strategy Officer
(805) 564-0236 or [email protected]

2017 Community Dividends^®

Recipient Organizations

2nd Story Associates

Adelante Charter School

Alano Club of Santa Barbara, Inc.

Alzheimer's Association, California Central Chapter

American Cancer Society, Inc., California Division

American Heart Association, Santa Barbara County

American Heart Association, Ventura County

Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara

Anti-Defamation League

Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura

Arthritis Foundation

Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Ventura

Boys & Girls Club of Moorpark

Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley

Breast Cancer Resource Center of Santa Barbara

California Lutheran University

California Missions Foundation

California State University Channel Islands Foundation

Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara

Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara

Carpinteria Arts Center

Carpinteria Beautiful

Carpinteria Education Foundation, Inc.

Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families

Casa Serena, Inc.

Child Abuse Listening Mediation, Inc. (CALM)

Coastal Housing Coalition

Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara

Community Conscience / Under One Roof

Community Environmental Council

Community Memorial Health System

Conejo Valley Senior Concerns, Inc.

Congregation B'nai B'rith

Cornerstone House of Santa Barbara

Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Ventura County

Crane Country Day School

Direct Relief

Doctors Without Walls - Santa Barbara Street Medicine

Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy Foundation

Dream Foundation

Easy Lift Transportation

Elverhoj Museum of History & Art

Ensemble Theatre Company

Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara

Fielding Graduate University

Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

Foundation for Santa Barbara High School

Ganna Walska Lotusland

Garden Court, Inc.

Girls Incorporated of Carpinteria

Girls Incorporated of Greater Santa Barbara

Gold Coast Veterans Foundation

Goleta Education Foundation

Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation

Goleta Valley Historical Society

Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County

Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County

Hillside House

Hospice of Santa Barbara, Inc.

Hospice of the Conejo

Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura

Housing Opportunities Made Easier (HOME)

Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara County, Inc.

Interface Children & Family Services

Isla Vista Youth Projects, Inc.

Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara

Kids Helping Kids

La Casa de Maria Retreat & Conference Center

La Cumbre Junior High School Foundation

Laguna Blanca School

Laguna Cottages for Seniors

Leading From Within

LifeChronicles

Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association

Lobero Theatre Foundation

Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties

Marjorie Luke Theatre

Media4good, Inc.

Mental Wellness Center

Midland School

Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project

Montecito Family YMCA

MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara

Museum of Ventura County

Music Academy of the West

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation

NAWBO, Santa Barbara County

NAWBO, Ventura County

Network Medical Women's Center

New Directions Travel

New House Santa Barbara

New West Symphony Association

Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, Inc.

Opera Santa Barbara

Pacific Pride Foundation

Parks and Recreation Community Foundation

PathPoint

Peoples' Self-Help Housing

Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation

Planned Parenthood California Central Coast

Project Understanding of San Buenaventura

Reins of H.O.P.E.

Ride on Therapeutic Horsemanship

San Marcos High School Royal Pride Foundation

Sansum Clinic

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Inc.

Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation

Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.

Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Santa Barbara Community Housing Corporation

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation

Santa Barbara County Education Office

Santa Barbara Education Foundation

Santa Barbara Foundation

Santa Barbara Hillel

Santa Barbara Historical Museum

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

Santa Barbara Meals on Wheels, Inc.

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics

Santa Barbara Partners in Education

Santa Barbara Police Activities League

Santa Barbara Police Foundation

Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation

Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center

Santa Barbara Rescue Mission

Santa Barbara Symphony

Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation

Santa Barbara Zoological Foundation

Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation

Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum

Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community

Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People, Inc.

Santa Ynez Valley Therapeutic Riding Program

Sarah House

Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara

Simi Valley Hospital Foundation

Solvang Danish Days Foundation

Solvang Friendship House

Solvang Lutheran Home, Inc.

Solvang Senior Center

Southeast Ventura County YMCA

Special Olympics Southern California - Santa Barbara Region

Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation

St. Vincent's

State Street Ballet

Storyteller Children's Center

Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA

Studio Channel Islands

Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International

Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation

The ARC Foundation

The Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens

The Foundation for Girsh Park

The Foundation for Santa Barbara City College

The Julia Child Foundation

The Rona Barrett Foundation

The Turner Foundation

Tina Hansen McEnroe & Paul V. McEnroe Reading and Language Arts Clinic at UCSB

Transition House

UCSB Alumni Association

UCSB Arts & Lectures

United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County

United Way of Santa Barbara County

United Way of Ventura County

Unity Shoppe, Inc.

Ventura County Housing Trust Fund

Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation

Ventura Hillsides Conservancy

Ventura Music Festival

Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care of Santa Barbara

Westmont College

Wilderness Youth Project

Wildling Art Museum

Women's Economic Ventures

Youth and Family Services YMCA: Noah's Anchorage Youth Crisis Center