It was our tremendous privilege to recognize RONA BARRETT as our Honored Mother and DAME OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN as our Remembered Mother at our 22nd Annual Mother’s Day Luncheon on May 12, 2023.
It is in the spirit of our remarkable founder, Marian Watts, and the women who came together to form VNA Health 115 years ago, that we honored and remembered these incredible women who have championed the health and well-being of our community.
Thanks to the generosity of our community family we have nearly reached our fundraising goal. With extreme gratitude to our community and supporters, we thank you for your generosity, which helps to fund our charitable community programs. You help to ensure that VNA Health continues to bring health, comfort, and a quality of life to all Santa Barbara County families, wherever they call home.
We invite you to continue celebrating mothers, caregivers and lifelong friends and to share the heartfelt video (see below) and our online album filled with memorable photos of the Luncheon.
For more information about supporting the community care programs of VNA Health or to participate as a sponsor for the 2024 Mother’s Day Luncheon, please contact Lailan McGrath at lailan.mcgrath@vna.health or at (805) 690-6218.
CELEBRATING MOTHERS & CAREGIVERS
In the spirit of celebrating mothers and the caregivers of our lives, we invite you to honor your special loved ones in our Appreciation Garden with a tribute donation.
Your tribute gift makes a difference, THANK YOU! To make your tribute, please click the button below or go online to vna.health/celebratingmothers.
RONA BARRETT
Honored Mother
Trailblazer. Media Pioneer. Senior Care Advocate.
Hollywood’s Variety Magazine calls her “the lady who turned entertainment coverage into big biz.” Rona Barrett is a pioneering entertainment reporter, commentator, and producer with a career spanning more than 40 years. Now, as a nonprofit champion for older adults, she is the Founder & CEO of the Rona Barrett Foundation. Since 2000, Rona’s personal mission has been to provide affordable and dignified housing and care for people over 62 years old. Her prototypical Golden Inn & Village, an independent living facility for vulnerable older adults experiencing poverty or with lower incomes, welcomed its first residents in December 2016. In honor of her late father, Harry’s House is under construction, and will serve 60 additional residents with enhanced health services. Rona continues to shine a spotlight on the day-to-day issues confronting all older adults and their loved ones who care for them in her recently published book and podcast, Gray Matters.
“I hope others will take a look at what we’re doing with the Golden Inn & Village. I think the success of our approach could be replicated in communities throughout our beloved nation. The need is vital and it’s everywhere.”
DAME OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Remembered Mother
Supernatural. International Singer & Actress. Health Advocate.
International superstar with a career spanning over six decades and more than 100 million albums sold, Dame Olivia Newton-John was a British-Australian singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, and activist. Olivia’s 30-year personal journey with cancer led her to announce the creation of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia. It was her dream for us to realize a world beyond cancer, and she honestly believed it could be done. Olivia also established the ONJ Foundation Fund, an independent charity sponsoring global research in plant medicine to find kinder options for treating cancer. Throughout her career, the much-loved star held many humanitarian and environmental causes close to her heart. Her Majesty the Queen named Olivia Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to music, cancer research, and charity. Olivia’s appeal will forever be timeless—a creative philanthropist adored by family, friends, and fans around the globe.
“The family deeply appreciates the responsive and compassionate care that VNA Health provided for Olivia. The best people, the best care.” — JOHN EASTERLING
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS 2023 MOTHER’S DAY LUNCHEON SPONSORS
Legacy
Christine & Reece Duca
The Meyer Simon Women
Trusted
The Angels
Irma & Morrie Jurkowitz
Christopher J. Toomey
Heart
Roberta & Stan Fishman
Nora McNeely-Hurley & Michael Hurley
Healing
Vivienne Bellisario
Louise & David Borgatello
Anna & David Grotenhuis
Val & Bob Montgomery
Soledad & Dennis Morelos
Sharol & Wayne Siemens
Anne Towbes
Compassion
Pamela Dillman Haskell & Chris Haskell
Keiko & Roger Dunham
Jane & Norm Habermann
Jodi Fishman-Osti & Darren Osti
Frank Ching & Charley Kearns
Barbara Kummer
Caregiver
Margaret Wilkinson & Bob Andrews
The Barbakows
Judith & Mario Borgatello
Ann & Ed Brady
Tim & Louise Casey
Heather & Alex Craigie
Jelinda & Barry DeVorzon
Margo Cohen Feinberg & Robert Feinberg
Betty & Stan Hatch
Frances & Ken Jewesson
Lauren Katz
Layla Khashoggi
Patty Marshall
Helen & Ben Phillips
Michael Erickson & Thomas Rollerson
Coriander Stasi & Kieran Shah
Trudy Smith, Inc
Susan Tarlow
Kathy Chung Thrash, MD & Christopher J. Thrash, MD
Betsey von Summer Moller
Katina Zaninovich
Hospitality
Rona Barrett
Jodi Fishman-Osti & Tad Webster
2023 MOTHER’S DAY LUNCHEON HOST COMMITTEE
Lillian Carson
John Corbett
Melissa Cure
Bo Derek
Vicki Deaton
Jelinda DeVorzon
Pamela Dillman Haskell
Keiko Dunham
Michael Erickson
Jodi Fishman-Osti
Fannie Flagg
Lynn Gildred
Anna Grotenhuis
Jane Habermann
Betty Hatch
Victoria Hines
Janet Hranicky, PhD, MD
Ruta Lee
Maggie Mabuchi
Lailan McGrath
Diane Meyer Simon
Juliana Minsky
Val Montgomery
Tony Morris
Judy Murphy
Mireille Noone
Janelle Parsons
Jane Seymour
Diana Story
Jennie Strait
Marie Ann Strait
Susan Tarlow
Anne Towbes
Susan Weber
Vicki Wedmore
Judi Weisbart
Margaret Wilkinson
MEN’S NIGHT SUPPORTING MOTHER’S DAY LUNCHEON
THANK YOU
2023 PETER MURPHY MEN’S NIGHT SUPPORTERS
Paul Abramson
John Paul Beltran
John Blankenship
Ginny & Tim Bliss
Mike Bordofsky
David Borgatello
Ed Brady
Robert Brillhart
Steve Brillhart
Vaughn Bunch
John Buster
Steven Buster
Vince Caballero
Richard Caleel
Tim Casey
Brian Cearnal
Stephen Cherner
Greg Cook
Eusebio Cordova, Jr.
Alex Craigie
Blake Crowe
Charles Crowe
Cottage Health
Justin Cure
Thomas Dain
John Daly
Andy Davis
Julian Davis
Bryan De Ponce
Roger Dunham
John Du Bois
Bob Easton
Dennis Forster
Stuart Fuss
William Gallivan, Jr.
Bruce Giffin
James Giles
Christie & John Glanville
Bob Goeller
Dan Greenwald
Norm Habermann
Randy Haden
Karen Handy
Jan Hanrath
Jeff Harding
Pamela Dillman Haskell & Chris Haskell
Michael Hurley
Bob Hill
Bob Hirsch
Phil Hons
Jeff Horn
George Isaac
Jim Jackson
Paul Jaconette
Bruce James
Blake Jones
Fred Kass
Eli Katz, MD
Sam King
Ken Kraus
Bobby Lesser
Neil Levinson
Andre Mabuchi
Jaxson Mabuchi
Mark Mattingly
Sean McGrath
Bob Montgomery
Keith Moore
Peter Moore
David Moorman
JT Moorman
Dennis Morelos
Bob Murphy
Judy Murphy
Peter Noone
Darren Osti
Ben Phillips
Alan Porter
Nicholas Priester
Andy Pulos
Wilson Quarre
Greg Rokos
Tom Sanborn
Richard Sanders
Frank Schipper
Suzi Schomer
Douglas Scott
Nick Sebastian
Kieran Shah
Wayne Siemens
Randy Solakian
Tod Spieker
Ken Thompson
Chris Thrash
David Tisdale
Chris Toomey
Eric Trautwein
Lew Venegas
VNA Health Board
Tad Webster
Derek White
Rhys Williams
Dan Wright
George Writer
Cliff Wyatt
Phil Wyatt
Jeff Yoos
HISTORY OF HONOREES
With love and appreciation for the following women as we continue to remember them each year.
2022 Honored Mother
Keiko Dunham
2022 Remembered Mother
Marcella Rinehart Parker
2021
Celebrating all Mothers and Caregivers for the
20th Anniversary of the Mother’s Day Luncheon.
2020 Honored Mother
Sue Birch
2020 Remembered Mother
Adelle Chris Dyer
2019 Honored Mother
Sharol Siemens
2019 Remembered Mother
Rebecca Riskin
2019 Remembered Mother
Marilyn Ramos Benitez
2019 Remembered Mother
Josie Gower
2019 Remembered Mother
Faviola Benitez Calderon
2019 Remembered Mother
Alice Mitchell
2018 Honored Mother
Jelinda DeVorzon
2018 Remembered Mother
Sally Fordyce
2017 Honored Mother
Jane Habermann
2017 Remembered Mother
Leni Fe Bland
2016 Honored Mother
Kate Firestone
2016 Remembered Mother
Debby Davison
2015 Honored Mother
Sally Hall
2015 Remembered Mother
Mercedes Eichholz
2014 Honored Mother
Jill Levinson
2014 Remembered Mother
Barbara Ward Rollerson
2013 Honored Mother
Barbara Ireland
2013 Remembered Mother
Laverne Browning
2012 Honored Mother
Susan Bridges
2012 Remembered Mother
Annie Schipper
2011 Honored Mother
Maryan Schall
2011 Remembered Mother
Connie Toomey
2010 Honored Mother
Regina Venegas
2010 Remembered Mother
No Remembered Mother
2009 Honored Mother
Jorgia Bordofsky
2009 Remembered Mother
Anne MacDougall
2008 Honored Mother
Peggy Borgatello
2008 Remembered Mother
Molly O’Daniel Danielson
2007 Honored Mother
Irma Jurkowitz
2007 Remembered Mother
Georgiana Porter
2006 Honored Mother
Anne Smith Towbes
2006 Remembered Couple
Edna & Harold Zimmer
2005 Honored Mother
Anne Douglas
2005 Remembered Mother
Yetta Rubinstein
2004 Honored Mother
Jane Thomas
2004 Remembered Mother
Patty Whalen
2003 Honored Mother
Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree
2003 Remembered Mother
Jane Crandell
2002 Honored Mother
Dorothy Bacheller
2002 Remembered Mother
Virginia Lee Burton
