Past Honorees

National Philanthropy Day is always a special day to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy — and those active in the philanthropic community — make to our lives, communities and world. Annually in November, AFP Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties Chapter celebrates inspirational individuals, organizations and businesses in our community who generously give their time, talents and resources to all that philanthropy makes possible. 


2022 Honorees
Philanthropist of the Year – Santa Barbara: The FUND for Santa Barbara 

Philanthropist of the Year – Ventura County: Steve Hearst from the Morgan Hearst Charitable Foundation

Volunteer of the Year – Santa Barbara: Planned Parenthood of CA Central Coast Book Sale Committee 

Volunteer of the Year – Ventura County: Lynda Bowman, Chair, TEACh Scholarship Fund

Professional Fundraiser of the Year – Rich Block, President & CEO, Santa Barbara Zoo

Champions for Social Justice – Diversity Collective of Ventura County



2021 Honorees
Click on the honorees' names below to view their video.


Philanthropist of the Year, Santa Barbara County: Elisabeth Fowler


Philanthropist of the Year, Ventura County: Ellen Brokaw



Volunteer of the Year, Santa Barbara County: Lucille Boss, Santa Barbara Housing Authority



Volunteer of the Year, Ventura County: Susan Burgos, Casa Pacifica



Champions for Social Justice: Connie Alexander and Audrey Gamble, Founders, Gateway Educational Services, 


Youth in Philanthropy: Jordan and Jaden Lind, The Jordan Elf Project


Professional Fundraiser of the Year: Stacy Swanson, CFRE, Interface Children & Family Services


Exceptional Achievement Award: Foothills Forever Donors and Volunteers


2019 AFP-SBV NPD Honorees, left to right: Talia Gerstenfeld and Isa Mireles, Youth Philanthropists of the Year; Jill Levinson, Philanthropist of the Year, Santa Barbara County; Ken Bauer, Volunteer of the Year, Ventura County; Karen and Tom Pecht, Philanthropists of the Year, Ventura County; Anne Paul King, Professional Fundraiser of the Year; George Leis, Volunteer of the Year, Santa Barbara County


2018 AFP-SBV NPD Honorees, left to right: (back) Carrie Hughes, Professional Fundraiser of the Year; Mark Sherman, relative of Wilson Sherman, Youth Philanthropist of the Year; Heidi Whitcomb, Volunteer of the Year, Ventura County; (front) Loretta and Mike Merewether, Philanthropists of the Year, Ventura County (Not pictured: Judy and Jack Stapelmann, Philanthropists of the Year, Santa Barbara County; Peter Schuyler, Volunteer of the Year, Santa Barbara County) 

2017 AFP-SBV NPD Honorees, left to right: (back row) Jim Jackson, Volunteer of the Year, Santa Barbara County; William Roland, Philanthropist of the Year, Ventura County; Chuck Cohen, Volunteer of the Year, Ventura County; (front) Dorothy Largay, Philanthropist of the Year, Santa Barbara County; Elana Alcerro, Youth Philanthropist of the Year; Elaine K. Mah Best, Professional Fundraiser of the Year; Eloise Cohen, Volunteer of the Year, Ventura County


PAST HONOREES


Philanthropist of the Year | Santa Barbara Foundation - 1987 | Clifford & Alma Pearson - 1988 | Malinda & Yvon Chouinard/Patagonia - 1989 | Robert L. Mobley - 1990 | The S.G. Foundation - 1991 | Alice Tweed Tuohy Foundation - 1992 | Joseph T. Brusca/First American Title - 1993 | Paul & Leslie Ridley-Tree - 1994 | Wood-Claeyssens Foundation - 1995 | Michael Towbes - 1996 | Amgen Foundation - 1996 | Leni Fe Bland - 1997 | Martin V. & Martha K. Smith - 1997 | Sara Miller McCune - 1998  | Limoneira Foundation - 1998 | Cox Communications - 1999 | Helen M. Yunker - 1999 | George & Dale Cavalletto - 2000 | Barbara A. Caufield - 2000 | Eli & Leatrice Luria - 2001 | Florence “Jimmi” Clapp - 2001 | Hutton Foundation - 2002 | E.J. Harrison & Sons - 2002 | Richard & Maryan Schall - 2003 | Jack Gilbert - 2003 | Denny Franks - 2004 | Larry Janss - 2004 | Paul & Natalie Orfalea - 2005 | Orfalea Family Foundation - 2005 | The Orfalea Fund - 2005 | Countrywide Financial - 2005 | Jean & Barry Schuyler - 2006 | Gloria Friedrich Reed - 2006 | Chad & Ginni Dreier - 2007 | Mary & Richard Carpenter - 2007 | Clifford & Juliette Sponsel - 2008 | Theodore R. Jensen - 2008 | Tom & Nancy Crawford - 2009 | Micheline Sakharoff - 2009 | Jackie Inskeep - 2010 | Barbara Meister - 2010 | William & Elise Kearney - 2011 | Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree - 2011 | McCune Foundation - 2012 | Jordan & Sandra Laby - 2012 | Virgil Elings - 2013 | Livingston Memorial Foundation - 2013 | Montecito Bank & Trust - 2014 | Ventura County Community Foundation - 2014 | Sarah & Roger Chrisman - 2015 | Terri & Mark Lisagor - 2015 | Sharon & David Bradford - 2016 | Keets & Hugh Cassar - 2016 | Dorothy Largay - 2017 | William Rolland - 2017 | Judy & Jack Stapelmann - 2018 | Loretta & Mike Merewether - 2018 | Jill Levinson - 2019 | Karen & Tom Pecht - 2019 |

 

Volunteer of the Year | Dorothy C. Campbell - 1987 | Larry Crandell - 1988 | Norah Hamilton Strauss - 1989 | Barbara Gage, OTR - 1990 | Jean Hay - 1991 | Helen M. Caldwell - 1992 | Wallace T. Drew - 1993 | Alan M. Teague - 1994 | Barbara Meister - 1995 | Peter R. MacDougall, EdD - 1996 | John V. Newman - 1996 | Betty Rosness - 1997 | Joseph P. Brown - 1997 | Jean Schuyler - 1998 | Monty Clark - 1998 | Norman Sosner - 1999 | Karsten Lundring - 1999 | Sharon L. Monsky - 2000 | Laura K. McAvoy - 2000 | Nancyann Failing - 2001 | Patricia Richards - 2001 | Marion Stewart - 2002 | Joan S. Kemper - 2002 | Richard Welch - 2003 | Dottie Novatt - 2003 | Nancy L. Wood - 2004 | Mark Lisagor, DDS - 2004 | Michael Towbes - 2005 | Gerry & Bob Browning - 2005 | Harriet Miller - 2006 | Katie Waunch - 2006 | Sue Chadwick - 2007 | Jane Habermann - 2007 | Joanne Rapp - 2008 | Lynn Mikelatos - 2008 | Scott Brittingham & Paul Dore - 2009 | Duke Potts - 2009 | Tresha Sell - 2010 | Rosemary Allison - 2010 | Maggie Kestly - 2011 | Jelinda DeVorzon - 2011 | Julie Nadel - 2012 | Freddie Contarino - 2012 | Christy Kolva - 2013 | Mary Leavens Schwabauer- 2013 | Betsy Chess - 2014 | Janet Garufis - 2014 | Gerd Jordano - 2015 | Joanie Young - 2015 | Carol Kallman - 2016 | Tina & Andy Killion - 2016 | James H. Jackson - 2017 | Eloise & Chuck Cohen - 2017 | Peter Schuyler - 2018 | Heidi Whitcomb - 2018 | George S. Leis - 2019 | Ken Bauer - 2019 |

 



Professional Fundraiser of the Year | Kenneth R. Edwardsen, CFRE - 1987 | Deloria  (Dorie) Zabriskie, CFRE - 1988 | Frank J. Palmer, CFRE - 1989 | Warren Looker, CFRE - 1990 | Kenneth Siegele, CFRE - 1991 | Charles Slosser, PhD - 1992 | Diana L. Myers - 1993 | David T. McKee, PhD - 1994 | Della S. Greenlee - 1995 | Harriet A. Hart, CFRE - 1996 | David T. Dietrich, CFRE - 1997 | Sally C. Walker, CFRE - 1998 | Brian Stenfors, PhD, CFRE - 1999 | Billie Maunz, CFRE - 2000 | Tanya G. Gonzales, CFRE - 2001 | Anne Kratz, CFRE - 2002 | Debbie Arnesen, CFRE - 2003 | Jill Muchow Rode, CFRE - 2004 | Patricia O. Snyder, CFRE - 2005 | Edward N. Lewis, CFRE - 2006 | Rochelle Rose, CFRE - 2007 | Rebecca J. Merrell, CFRE - 2008 | G. Paul Didier - 2009 | R. Stephen Wheatly - 2010 | Margaret K. Bradley - 2011 | Arthur Merovick - 2012 | Rebecca Anderson - 2013 | Jim Dougherty - 2014 | Gretchen Hewlett - 2015 | Lynette Muscio - 2016 | Elaine K. Mah Best - 2017 | Carrie L. Hughes - 2018 | Anne Paul King - 2019 |

 

Youth in Philanthropy | Erik Holliday - 2009 | Julie Farrell - 2009 | Katy Villanueva - 2010 | Dedria Brunett - 2010 | Elena Cruz - 2011 | Blakely Colvin - 2011 | Eliza Giles - 2012 | Alyssa Lawson - 2012 | National Charity League, Inc. Region V District 3 - 2013 | UCSB First - 2014 | Kylie Crane - 2014 | Akemi Levine - 2015 | Youth Making Change - 2015 | Paloma Angel - 2016 | Interface Children & Family Services’ Youth Advisory Board - 2016 | Elena Alcerro - 2017 | Wilson Sherman - 2018 | Isa Mireles & Talia Gerstenfeld - 2019 |

 

Special Humanitarian Award | Jeannette Martinez - 2002 |