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On Friday, May 10 2024, VNA Health celebrated its 23rd Annual Mother’s Day Luncheon at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. Lead Sponsors were Vision Sponsor Sutter Health and Presenting Sponsor Bui & Herb Simon.

Every year, we recognize two special women who have made contributions to solving and fulfilling the needs in our Santa Barbara community through their inspiration, imagination, and persistence. All funds raised at the luncheon go towards supporting our charitable community care programs.

This year, our Honored Mother was Leslie Person Ryan, and our Remembered Mother was Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree. Each of these dynamic women have made indelible marks on the wellbeing of everyone in our community in their own way.

You can read more about the luncheon by going to this NoozHawk article by Judy Foreman.

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.

LESLIE PERSON RYAN
Honored Mother

VISIONARY ENTREPRENEUR. FOOD RESILIENCE HERO.
A FORCE OF NATURE.

Leslie Person Ryan is the person who sees a need or a problem—and she does something about it—she solves it. For 40+ years, Leslie has been known in Montecito and Santa Barbara as the go-to person for custom invitations and personalized stationery, originally starting Letter Perfect to fill the need for a good local stationer. As Chair of the Junior League, Leslie started programs like the Teen Safe Ride program and created the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team. After the tragic mudslides of 2018 left Summerland in a “food desert,” Leslie started a farm to provide a healthy, local food source. Today, Leslie is the CEO and founder of the Santa Barbara Agriculture & Farm Education Foundation (SBAFEF) whose mission is to provide food security, increase awareness, and educate how food is grown, propagated, and distributed.

VNA Health connected with Leslie when a hospice patient who was a single parent with two boys needed assistance with food security. When asked to help, Leslie said, “No problem!” She began weekly deliveries to the family, and even continued to do so after the parent passed away. The brothers are able to live together and receive a free healthy food delivery every week.

Recently, Leslie was awarded the 2024 Local Food Hero by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network in recognition of her longtime commitment to building food resilience in her community. As this year’s Honored Mother, Leslie says her greatest awards are her children Ottocina (Otto), Talliesin (Tally), and Margaret (Peg).

LADY LESLIE RIDLEY-TREE
Remembered Mother

ART, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE & MUSIC ADVOCATE.
FLAMBOYANT & PASSIONATE PHILANTHROPIST.

Lady Leslie Ridely-Tree shared often, “My mother said, ‘Whatever you have, you must share. The more you have, the more you must share.’” Leslie was a renowned philanthropic leader, trained in music, attended law school, directed a Manhattan community center, implemented the first Head Start program, and established the Bridge Academy. Leslie’s pursuit of giving fueled her as the CEO and chair of Pacific Air Industries, a leading source for airplane parts and components. For Leslie, running a successful business meant that she had more means so that she could give more.

A woman of faith, Leslie believed in a power greater than herself who helped her all through life. When most people plan for retirement at age 60, Leslie became a paralegal. On her first job in Santa Barbara, she met Paul Ridley-Tree, and they were married two weeks later. The rest, as they say, is history. Leslie and Paul quickly became the most generous philanthropists in Santa Barbara. Leslie, and her signature flaming red hair, would find the causes and Paul would get out his checkbook. They were a formidable pair.

Besides Paul, Leslie loved music and her family. She trained in violin and voice, and sang professionally as a torch singer. In her later years, the biggest loves of Leslie’s life were her daughter, Suzette, and her grandchildren, Nahtahna and Xaloc. Suzette is a nurse, and worked in hospice care for VNA Health for 10 years. Suzette’s passion to contribute to making the world a better place and help others “do well” continues her mother’s mission of care.

Thank You To Our Generous 2024 Mother’s Day Luncheon Sponsors

VISION

Presenting

Bui & Herb Simon

LEGACY

Trusted

Christopher J. Toomey, The Newtmont Foundation

Heart

The Angels
Sharon & David Bradford
Roberta & Stan Fishman

Healing

Louise & David Borgatello
Anna & David Grotenhuis
Jane & Norm Habermann
Frank Ching & Charley Kearns
Val & Bob Montgomery
Sharol & Wayne Siemens
Anne Smith Towbes

Compassion

Ginny & Tim Bliss
Christine & Bob Emmons
Pamela Dillman Haskell
& Chris Haskell
Perry Gibson & Ken Kraus
Dennis Morelos
Diane Meyer Simon
Trudy Smith, Trudy Smith Inc.
Coriander Stasi & Kieran Shah
Kathy Chung Thrash, MD & Christopher J. Thrash, MD
Crystal & Clifford Wyatt
Katina Zaninovich

US Bank Private Wealth Management

Caregiver

Vangie Herrera & Al Anglin
Louise & Tim Casey
Marcia Constance
Margo Cohen-Feinberg & Robert Feinberg
Victoria Furst Hines & John Buster, MD
Christie & John Glanville
Margo Cohen-Feinberg
Francie & Ken Jewesson
Patty Marshall
Lorraine McDonnell
Helen & Ben Phillips
Leslie & Frank Schipper
Betsey von Summer
Judy & George Writer

Hospitality

George Paliotto

Men’s Night Supporting Mother’s Day Luncheon

THANK YOU
2024 PETER MURPHY MEN’S NIGHT SUPPORTERS

Alan Porter
Alex Craigie
Alex Weinstein
Andy Pulos
Ben Phillips
Bob Goeller
Bob Montgomery
Bob Murphy
Bob Wiley
Brian Nash
Bruce Giffin
Bryan De Ponce
Chris Thrash
Chris Toomey
Christopher Haskell
Dan Wright
Darren Osti
David Borgatello
David Moorman
David Tisdale
Dennis Hardy
Dennis Morelos
Don Galloway
Ed Brady
Eli Katz
Eusebio Cordova
Frank Schipper
Fred Kass
George Isaac
George Paliotto
George Writer
Gordon Auchincloss
Graham & Hannah Goodfield
Greg Cook
Herb Simon
Jerry Shalhoob
Jim Jackson
Joe Lanza
John Paul Beltran
John Blankenship
John Buster
John Glanville
John Murphy
Judy Murphy
Julian Davis
Karen Handy
Keith Moore
Ken Kraus
Kieran Shah
Lew Venegas
Llew & Marilyn Goodfield
Mike Bordofsky
Neil Levinson
Nick Sebastian
Norm Habermann
Pete & Francie Lufkin
Peter Noone
Phil Hons
Randy Haden
Randy Solakian
Rhys Williams
Richard Caleel
Richard Sanders
Robert Brillhart
Robert Easton
Roger Dunham
Sean McGrath
Stephen Cherner
Steve Brillhart
Steve Koch
Stuart Fuss
Tim Bliss
Tim Casey
Tom Dain
Vince Caballero
Wayne Siemens
Wilson Quarre

2024 Mother’s Day Luncheon Host Committee

 

Anna Grotenhuis
Anne Towbes
Carolyn Williams
Chris Emmons
Diane Pannkuk
Francie Lufkin
Hiroko Benko
Jane Habermann
Jennie Strait
Jodi Fishman Osti
Judith Murphy
Katina Zaninovich
Kimberly Ferrarin
Lailan McGrath
Maggie Mabuchi
Marie Ann Strait
Pamela Dillman Haskell
Phyllis Christensen
Sharol Siemens
Sharon Bradford
Stacie Anthes
Val Montgomery
Victoria Furst Hines
Vince Caballero

History Of Honorees

 

With love and appreciation for the following women as we continue to remember them each year.

 

2022 Honored Mother

Rona Barrett

2023 Honored Mother

Dame Olivia Newton-John

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

Watch Previous Mother’s Day Luncheons

For more information about supporting the community care programs of VNA Health or to participate as a sponsor for the Mother’s Day Luncheon, please contact Lailan McGrath at lailan.mcgrath@vna.health or at (805) 690-6218.