CADA Announces 14th Annual Gratitude Luncheon
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SANTA BARBARA, CA (February 13, 2025) – The Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CADA) will hold the annual Gratitude Luncheon celebrating its Mentor Program on Wednesday, March 6, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Belmond El Encanto, 800 Alvarado Place, Santa Barbara.
Hosted by event founder and chair Anne Smith Towbes, the luncheon is a benefit for CADA’s Mentor Program. This year’s gathering will feature keynote speaker Bill Pintard, Executive Director and Field Manager of Santa Barbara Foresters/Hugs for Cubs. Local teacher and CADA mentor Nan Verkaik will receive the Penny Jenkins Mentor Champion Award andmentor Wim Verkaik will receive the first Anne Towbes Gratitude Founder Award
Sponsorship, ticket purchase, and donation information can be found at www.cadagratitude.org, or by calling the CADA Development Office at 805.722.1320. Donors can make a donation in honor of a mentor in their lives.
About the Mentor Program
Now in its 29th year, the Mentor Program matches Santa Barbara County youth enrolled in 3rd-8th grades with caring adult mentors who encourage personal growth, self-esteem, academic performance, and healthy family dynamics. Mentees are referred to CADA by school counselors, psychologists, and other school administrators who have identified at-risk behaviors that can result in poor academic studies, social difficulties, and association with negative influences. The program currently supports 75 mentor-mentee matches, and the need for additional mentors continues to grow.
Victoria Rightmire, CADA’s Executive Director, shared, “The CADA Mentor Program provides support and guidance that helps young people grow, build confidence, and work toward a brighter future.”
The Penny Jenkins Mentor Champion Award
Each year, CADA presents the Penny Jenkins Mentor Champion Award to one special mentor in honor of Penny’s Jenkins’ decades of service as CADA’s Executive Director and her continued passionate advocacy of the Mentor Program. The 2025 Mentor of the Year is long-time Santa Barbara resident Nan Verkaik. She has been a CADA mentor to Dian for the past six years. In 2024, she spent 330 hours with Dian attending a variety of sports events and advocating for academic achievement.
The Anne Towbes Gratitude Founder Award
The Anne Towbes Gratitude Founder Award is being introduced this year to honor an individual who has provided longstanding financial support to the Mentor Program. Named in recognition of Anne Towbes’ enduring generosity and commitment to mentorship, this award celebrates those whose contributions have helped sustain and strengthen the program, ensuring its continued impact on the community.
About the Keynote Speaker
America’s most successful summer-ball coach, and a Santa Barbara-area baseball legend, Bill Pintard has led the Santa Barbara Foresters and its cancer-support charity, Hugs for Cubs, since 1995. Bill’s Foresters have finished in the top four nationally nearly every year since 2003, an unmatched record of success among summer-ball teams. He led them to ten National Baseball Congress World Series National Championships.
A longtime Carpinteria resident, Bill directs the work of the Foresters off the field as well, whether that means raising funds, supporting Hugs for Cubs, leading board meetings, or meeting with the media, sponsors, and community leaders. Away from his busy Foresters life, Bill runs a commercial real estate business and is a scout for the New York Yankees, helping other young ballplayers realize their diamond dreams. Bill was honored for his work with young people by being named an Olympic torchbearer in 2000 and was named a “Local Hero” by the Santa Barbara Independent in 2003. In 2009, he was given the prestigious Sparky Anderson Award by the Association of Professional Ballplayers for his ongoing contributions to baseball player development. He was elected to the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame in 2011. He also was instrumental in arranging the Foresters’ two trips to Cuba to play top teams on that island. At home, he is supported by his ever-patient wife Kris and is proud father of daughters Brittney and Kelby and son Ethan. He includes “Grandpa” on his list of titles for Riley, Ana, Brooklyn, and Caden.
About the Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse (CADA)
Since 1949, the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CADA) has delivered programs and services focused on the education, prevention, and treatment of substance abuse and co-occurring mental health conditions affecting youth, adults, and families throughout Santa Barbara County.
CADA’s commitment to provide a continuum of quality care in a safe and nurturing environment is supported by productive partnerships with local schools, community leaders, law enforcement, health care providers, other nonprofits, businesses, and the media. Working together, this powerful network helps CADA clients get and stay healthy and lead positive, productive lives that strengthen families and our community. Services are provided without regard to gender, gender preference, age, race, ethnicity, or national origin. No one is turned away for inability to pay. For more information, visit www.cadasb.org.
CADA has a remarkable standing among Santa Barbara’s more than 3,700 nonprofit organizations. Only 28, including CADA, have earned the highest designations from both of the nation’s top nonprofit rating groups. CADA has consistently held a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, the largest source of nonprofit data in the nation, and a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, the most utilized evaluator of nonprofits.