La Casa Retreat Center - News Notes – May / June 2021
Local Community Outreach
BIG NEWS: RANDALL ROAD DEBRIS BASIN PROJECT had its “first shovel” ceremony on Monday, May 3 with the press, county, and state dignitaries; Das Williams, County Supervisor, Salud Carbajal, Congressman (who worked with FEMA to secure 13.5MM), Hannah Beth Jackson, and others were on hand for the event. A very special shout out to Mary Becker, Ken Murphy, Steph Glatt, and Kathleen Buczko for being there to cheer the crowd on. A lot of hard fought for funds work was pulled together by Curtis Skene for this project. He is an advocate and friend of La Casa’s and we are lucky to have him in an advisory role on our 120 Day La Casa Road Map Rebuild Committee.
La Casa Retreat Center: Events – June 24, 25, 26
JUNE 24, WEDNESDAY: ‘SHOVELS IN THE GROUND’ LA CASA WATER GRANT – La Casa & California Wildlife Conservation Board (Fish & Wildlife) celebrate the groundbreaking for our 150,000 gallon underground water tank to be attended by politico/as, such as Das Williams, County Supervisor, the press, consultants, staff, and other community members to celebrate and inform the community at large of the steps La Casa continues to take towards furthering our sustainability efforts through forward thinking partnerships and community support. JUNE 25, THURSDAY: MONTECITO LOCAL COMMUNITY EVENT AT CSR – Similar to the successful Lemon-Aid community outreach event we hosted in 2018, we will have local community members come to La Casa for a neighborly early evening get together to schmooze about upcoming architectural schematic design plans, friendly conversation, and provide and receive information about how things are coming around in the community. JUNE 26, FRIDAY: ‘WE’RE BACK’ STAFF LUNCHEON PICNIC AT LA CASA WITH TRI-TIP BARBY – A day in the life post-Covid19. Enrique is a MEAN chef around the barbeque. He and Santiago will be preparing a meal like no other with Tri-tip, rice, beans and all the fixings (with some vegetarian options) for a Staff Celebration Day with fun, games, prizes, camaraderie, and mutual appreciation of our bright and gifted TEAM!
Montecito Community – Outreach At the end of April, Enrique harvested about 50 beautiful CHERIMOYAS. I created a card that Steph and I signed, and we assembled this gift to hand deliver to some neighbors on El Bosque, San Ysidro Lane, and Mountain Drive. It was a great way to start reestablishing our long-standing ties to this local Montecito community. People were delighted to hear from and see us. Neighbors along the Creekside are beginning to move back into their new or renovated homes, and their great energy was felt; everyone is asking about La Casa and there is an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm. Page 6
