SANTA BARBARA — The 500 people lunching under the white tent on the Montecito lawn had waited two years for this moment. Now they had her. Oprah Winfrey was making her "coming out gig" on behalf of a local charity.
It was the philanthropy coup of the year. The Santa Barbara charity set had finally bagged one of the richest and most famous women in the world. Their new neighbor. And, hopefully, their new friend.
Winfrey was the guest speaker at a $500,000 fund-raising lunch in late April at the estate of Marlene Veloz for the local chapter of Girls Inc., a group that runs after-school programs for girls.
Others had plotted how to lure the billionaire television star to their own causes. But Winfrey had made it clear that anybody approaching her should talk first to Veloz, her new jogging partner and the previous owner of the $50-million, 42-acre estate that Winfrey now calls Tara II.
Her speech was another high point for one of the nation's most remarkable philanthropy scenes. Santa Barbara, a city of 90,000 people, is home to about 600 nonprofit organizations and 900 social and cultural programs. And charity is a way of life.
Santa Barbara's art museum, zoo, natural history museum, ballet and opera companies, symphony and chamber orchestras compare with those of cities with populations in the millions. But the nonprofit community doesn't stop with cultural amenities for the rich. There are four major homeless shelters, environmental groups, health and education programs. Name the problem, there's a group trying to fix it.
"Philanthropy accounts for a tremendous part of the well-being of the entire Santa Barbara area," said County Supervisor Naomi Schwartz. "For a small community, the amount of giving is amazing. It's probably off the charts."
Santa Barbara is 90 miles from Los Angeles, and has always taken care of itself. Philanthropy isn't just an activity here. It's what defines you as a member of the community, whether millionaire donor or working-class volunteer.
The millionaires and the few billionaires sprinkled around Santa Barbara create a misconception that the whole town is rich. In fact, the median income for a family of four in Santa Barbara is $57,880, lower than the state median of $63,761. Santa Barbara's nonprofit engine also is fueled by middle-class wage earners.
There is a charity ball or other philanthropic event almost every day and night. Many groups hold their fund-raisers on the same day every year so key donors won't get confused.
