SUZANNE RIORDAN explains how her personal tragedy inspired her and others with similar experience to create Families ACT!, an effective and powerful S.B. advocacy group dedicated to obtaining more humane, medically oriented treatment for the mentally ill and those struggling with addiction.
Category Archives: Santa Barbara Independent Local Heroes 2015
Please meet and enjoy short films about 16 Santa Barbara individuals and organizations that have made our community the unique and caring place that it is. Each film subject has contributed passion, time, energy, love and treasure to the common good. It was a privilege to bring you their stories.
Phyllis de Picciotto, Stan Roden and baba2films
Diana Basehart and the Diana Basehart Foundation
DIANA BASEHART FOUNDATION | “A Greater Love” presents Diana’s animal rights efforts over the last 4 decades. It includes her current efforts to protect less fortunate people from loosing their pets due to the high cost of veterinary services.
David Hopkins (Hopper) The Golden Five Minutes
DAVID HOPKINS was addicted and living on the streets most of his teen and adult life. He prayed daily for his own death. Stacy came along and convinced him get off the streets. Ultimately, a shattering event drove him to get sober and return to school, where he earned a drug and alcohol counseling degree. Currently, Hopper trains and leads a team to help Vets, addicts and the mentally ill on the streets of his Santa Barbara.
JIMMY JENNINGS (JIMMY J.), “Keep It Real.”
JIMMY J. makes artistic hats, shirts, flags and other items that highlight Santa Barbara’s unique surfer and beach oriented culture. He’s a UCSB graduate who refused to stay stuck in jobs that did not fulfill him.
MARCEL MEIER, “We Need Second Chances.”
MARCEL MEIER and Adam Poe share their personal battles with alcohol-drug addiction. Through court oriented drug treatment programs each ultimately became clean and sober and found ways to help others.
DON BUSHNELL, “Change Agent.”
DON BUSHNELL has dedicated his life to improving education. He explains how he helped to revolutionize urban education through the use of computers and filmmaking, and adult mid-career education at Fielding Graduate University. Currently, he and his group consult workwith local non-profit organizations.
IRENE MACIAS, “Keeping Libraries Relevant.”
IRENE MACIAS, the head librarian of the greater Santa Barbara Library system, retired this year. She explains her parents’ influence had on her choices in life, and the dozens of new programs that keep libraries highly relevant in the digital age.
DR. JOE BLUM, “Swords Into Ploughshares.”
Dr. JOE BLUM had a PhD in applied sciences. He worked in the US defense industry, literally planning US strategy for WWIII and a possible nuclear holocaust. Learn how he transformed his ‘sword.’
FRANK GOSS, “The Thinker.”
FRANK GOSS, a prominent environmental engineer, and his wife Patricia Sullvan, own and operate Sullivan Goss, one of Santa Barbara’s premiere art galleries. FRANK GOSS explains when was very young how his life changed the day his mother took him to see Rodin’s The Thinker.