Cheers for Changing Lives 2021
What an amazing community! If you joined our first ever, in-person Cheers for Changing Lives celebration last week, we hope you had just as much fun as we did. If you couldn’t make it this time, don’t worry! We’ve got your exclusive recap.
At 4:00pm on Friday, December 10th, a small group of StarVista supporters, staff, and friends came together at the beautiful San Mateo Garden Center to celebrate the success of our once-a-year fundraiser, Changing Lives, and to recognize the effort that each person made throughout the year to help us achieve our goal of raising sustainable, unrestricted funds for StarVista.
In keeping with our commitment to COVID safety, all guests were welcomed with a quick temperature check at the door, extra masks, and hand sanitizer. There was also plenty of ventilation and room to spread out indoors and outdoors. We couldn’t be happier with our choice of venue and want to thank the folks at the San Mateo Garden Center for working with us to produce a safe gathering.
Guests enjoyed wonderful snack and dessert displays achieved with the help of our friends at Costco Foster City and Costco Redwood City. We also welcomed back J.Lohr Vineyards, Eric and Debbie Wollman, and Drake’s Brewing Company, who contributed to our drinks table. Thank you all so much!
To learn more about supporting or sponsoring a StarVista event, please visit https://star-vista.org/sponsorship-portal/
This 2-hour social event featured a short, impact and gratitude-focused program that kicked off with welcome and announcements from CEO and Visionary, Sara Larios-Mitchell. Following Sara was a special presentation about our evolving crisis response services led by San Mateo Police Chief, StarVista Board Member, and Visionary, Ed Barberini.
Chief Barberini described the purpose and goals of our new Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team (CWCRT) pilot program and welcomed to the stage the Director of the program, Daryl Tilghman, who filled guests in on the clinical team supporting the pilot and their upcoming milestones. Assistant Director of the StarVista Crisis Center, Zena Andreani, talked briefly about the launch of Youth Stabilization, Opportunity, and Support (S.O.S.) team, an emergency crisis response program designed to support youth in crisis.
Next, Board Fundraising Committee Chair, Visionary, and Retired Police Chief of Burlingame, Eric Wollman, thanked attendees for their role in the success of Changing Lives 2021, and announced that through the support of our Visionary community, one-time donors, and sponsors, we have raised $129,000 unrestricted funds to support our programs. Way to go, everyone! Sharing his experiences as both a volunteer and donor, Eric inspired others at the event to get involved and shared our goals for the coming year.
Our final speaker, StarVista Board Member, Visionary, and Co-President of SolMateo, Nancy Minnig, wrapped up the program with a special recognition of fellow Board Member and Visionary, Steve Shray. When we put the call out to our community that we needed help spreading the word about StarVista, Steve stepped up in ways we couldn’t have imagined! For putting in countless volunteer hours and hosting multiple, packed Discover StarVista tours, we want to say Thank you so much, Steve, for being an incredible Ambassador. We also want to thank each and every person who has taken on the role of Ambassador and who is passionate about making StarVista a household name. We can’t do this work without you!
To learn more about Ambassadors and Discover StarVista tours, email development@star-vista.org.
Following the program, guests enjoyed a social hour supported by a talented musician and San Mateo resident, Elaine Ryan, who performed folk favorites and holiday songs. Thank you, Elaine, for bringing just the right mix of heartwarming melodies for our guests to enjoy.
Finally, congratulations to our Door Prize drawing winners: Natalie Jordan & Sabrina Thompson! We hope you enjoy your prize packs including gift cards donated by Tea Hut.
You can view the photo album of Cheers for Changing Lives on Facebook here.
We’re honored to work alongside so many incredible people who share our passion for empowering individuals, inspiring hope, and strengthening communities. We can’t wait to work with you again to make Changing Lives 2022 an even bigger success!
Thank you for supporting StarVista!
There’s still time to get your 55th anniversary hoodie!
In celebration of 55 Years of Service in San Mateo County, we are selling limited-edition, 55th Anniversary Hoodies on the StarVista Swag Store! A portion of the proceeds from each hoodie purchase will be donated to StarVista.
Pictured: Eric Wollman, StarVista Board Member and Changing Lives guest speaker, Amanda Peters, Development Manager, and Lea Berhane, Chief Development, Marketing & Technology Officer.