Rona Barrett Foundation Hits $800,000 Fundraising Goal for Golden Inn & Village

By Kelly Kapaun for the Rona Barrett Foundation | Published on 03.04.2015 9:00 a.m.

The Rona Barrett Foundation is thrilled to announce it has met its $800,000 fundraising goal for the construction of the Golden Inn & Village.
The foundation wishes to thank the many generous community partners and donors who contributed toward the construction of the first affordable senior housing and residential care “aging in place” facility in Santa Ynez Valley.
Additional funds are still needed for the GIV’s Assisted Living and Memory Care housing. Construction for the GIV is slated to begin this month with a completion date in the fall of 2016.
The GIV will now receive $23 million in tax credits needed to start building. The Rona Barrett Foundation, in partnership with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, was required to raise $800,000 by March 1. The tax credits mean that an estimated $23 will be returned as community dividends in the form of local jobs, local salaries and local expenditures for equipment, transportation and supplies.

I AM SO PROUD OF RONA. She has worked for years to make this dream come true, and they will actually be breaking ground in the next month We celebrated by having lunch at The Upham Hotel in Santa Barbara--a favorite of ours. We both sat outside in the gazebo after lunch and decided we never wanted to leave. It is so tranquil.

Staying here would be like escaping to an inn in New England--only in great weather. There are beautiful rooms
as well as bungalows with fireplaces and private patios. And, the food at Louie's Bistro is fantastic

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DINNER AT BARTON G ON LA CIENEGA

This is the perfect special occasion restaurant, or the place you want to take out-of-town guests Their food is good, but the way it is served is what's special. I don't want to tip off the surprises. Believe me, make a reservation for a birthday or anniversary.

I was celebrating two things that night: A big welcome to visitor from London, Gail Sackloff, OBE, British fashion leader who, among other things, discovered Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, plus she works with Prince Charles on commerical products to support his Highgrove Foundation---and writer Ellen Weston, whose musical, "Josephine," based on the life of Josephine Baker, is having it's pre-Broadway engagement next May in Sarasota, Florida. "Josephine" is produced by Ken Waissman (Grease, Agnes of God), directed by Tony nominee Joey McKneeley, book by Ellen Weston and Mark Hampton, and music and lyrics by John Bettis and Steve Dorf. It will star recording star Deborah Cox who did all the Whitney Houston vocals for the Lifetime movie. Deborah also did "Aida" on Broadway and the touring company of "Jekyll and Hyde."