FALL/WINTER 2016

Recovery happens in relationships

A Celebration of Lives Changed at the Santa Barbara Rescue MissionTHANKS TO YOU!

Your Gifts and Prayers make Life Change Possibleat the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission!

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BLUES ON THE BAYOU

FundraiserReport!Page 6

Memorials & HonorsPage 7

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Lety

Lety is a positive, productive part of our Mission family, thanks to hearts like yours!Keep up with breaking news and see how your gifts are giving hope and healing at www.sbrm.org

and follow the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission on Facebook and Twitter!

Note from Rolf Geyling

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Holiday &Winter Needs

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Stories of Lives Changed

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Dear Friend,

As men and women pour through our doors this busy holiday season, I’m reminded of what Mary and Joseph faced in Bethlehem—no room, no help, and apparently no one to care . . .

I want to be sure that’s never the case at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, especially at the time of year when there should always be room, be help, and be hope for those in need.

That’s exactly what we have offered here since 1965, thanks to the goodwill of friends like you. With your support, our doors are open each day and night—all year long—providing a safe place to stay, meals to eat, and an opportunity for lives to get back on track again.

But there are hundreds of hungry, hurting souls in Santa Barbara who have lost everything, can’t find a job, are enslaved by drugs or alcohol, or even find themselves homeless. For them, the holidays can be the hardest time of year, with no family of their own—or place to call home.

This is why I’m so proud of our fall newsletter each year, giving us the chance to show you lives changed, neighbors helped, the holidays celebrated, and hope for a bright new year.

But know that nothing we accomplish could happen without faithful gifts and prayers like yours. It’s thanks to you that we can continue welcoming those who need us the most in our community, with the necessary nights of shelter, wholesome meals, and months of recovery programs.

That’s the reason I thank you today for standing with me and those who serve alongside us in this local ministry, and encourage you to remember the lives of those God is placing in our care this special season. There is always room for them here at the Mission—and in our hearts.

God bless you for helping make that possible, and happy holidays to you and yours!

Meeting needs together,

Rolf Geyling President

Rolf GeylingPresident

Our Board of Directors

Karl Willig, ChairJames Kinzler, Vice-ChairScott Wilson, TreasurerKiah Jordan, Secretary

Kip BradleyKent Englert

Krista FrohlingRamon GuptaPaul Johnson

Bob KatesJoyce McCullough

Byron MyersMatthew Neal

Ian RitchieDorothy Schuele

Ed Wimberly

There’s Always Room Here for Changed Lives—thanks to you!

Note From Rolf Geyling

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• Turkeys, hams• Stuffing mix• Mashed potato mix,

gravy mix• Canned green beans, corn • Carrots• Bread rolls• French fried onions• Drink mixes: hot cocoa,

apple cider• Pies: apple, cherry, pumpkin,

sweet potato• Candy for our Thanksgiving

and Christmas tables

Please call, visit us online, or come to the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission with your generously donated items at 535 E. Yanonali St., Santa Barbara. Phone: 805-966-1316 www.sbrm.org Thank you!

• Backpacks• Blankets, coats, shoes• Stocking caps and gloves for

cold mornings (very popular!)• Sturdy rain suits• Flannel shirts• Jeans, sweatshirts• Long-sleeved polo shirts• T-shirts & socks in a variety of

sizes, with deodorant and 2 razors tucked inside

• Warm clothes for women• Underwear• Care kits (socks, toothbrush,

deodorant, candy, etc.)

FOOD ITEMS:ESSENTIALS:

This Season of Giving . . . You can help our hungry and homeless by helping provide:

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Holiday & Winter Needs

othing is as rewarding this special season as seeing our community’s most vulnerable find the food, help, and

holiday hope they need at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission.

Through support like yours during this busy time of year, we’re touching lives in terrible need. We start with wholesome, hot meals throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas that lead directly to positive, productive recovery—and a fresh start in the new year!

So never underestimate the power of a restaurant-style holiday feast for more than 300 men, women and children. And know that as they share their thanks with everyone serving them this season, they’re also expressing heartfelt gratitude for all you do as part of our family of friends!

What better time of year to show those who are suffering that there is hope for a better, brighter tomorrow. Thank you for standing by them to demonstrate the real reason for the season!

Showing Those in Need the Reason for the Season!

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” —2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV

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*All photos are of actual Santa Barbara Rescue Mission guests and residents you’ve helped serve!

up to see the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission ready and waiting. Lety says,

“I told myself, ‘I’m going to go to Bethel House. Because I know that’s how I’m going to get clean.’”

And she did. “I remember them telling me, ‘if you’re going to change, you’ve got to change everything,’ and I have!”

In fact, Lety’s not only a graduate of our recognized recovery program, with a strong, loving faith, she’s working as our receptionist and as an assistant manager at a sober living home.

She smiles, “I didn’t think for one second that I would find a whole other family and find a different place to call home!”

Thanks to support like yours, hurting people like Lety have found a place and purpose through the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission. Thank you for making their life change possible!

Stories of Lives Changed“I’ve found a whole other family!” —Lety

ety first stepped through our doors two days before Thanksgiving 2014

and she smiles as she says, “I had my first Thanksgiving in five years at Bethel House with my newfound family.”

But it had been a long, dark road that led her here for the holidays. “My mom and dad were heroin addicts. My dad died a heroin addict. And I started drinking in junior high,” she recalls. Then, after years under the influence, she found herself at an even lower point when her partner took his own life.

“That’s when I began using drugs,” Lety says. “I was hurting so bad, and I didn’t want to feel it. I didn’t ever want to feel anything again that hurt me the way that did. And I just gave up on loving anybody.”

Or having anyone love her. “I didn’t have any kind of connection with God,” she remembers.

Until she came here. Like so many others, she’d finally hit rock bottom—and looked

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“Thank you for my life!” —Brian

BRIAN WAS BORN in this beautiful community of Santa Barbara, but his life has been anything but beautiful.

“When I was 10, I noticed my mother drinking heavily,” he says. “My father was only periodically in the picture due to his multiple incarcerations and drug use. All this made me into a lonely and angry child.”

Then Brian’s mother died of a brain aneurism when he was 14. Four years later, his dad collapsed and died at his feet of a heart attack.

All alone and filled with pain, Brian slipped into the same world of addiction, and it wasn’t until he was 31 that he realized he would probably die the same way too. “I decided life was not about this.” He remembers saying aloud to his reflection in a

broken mirror in jail, “this is it,” and filled out an application to the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission.

“I soon found myself participating in Bible studies and in my recovery program. But the day my life truly got better was the day I gave my life to Jesus Christ. It was the best day of my life.”

Today, Brian is four years clean, safe, and sober. “I have a job, an apartment, a fiancé, and a cat that’s so fat I love him,” he smiles, “None of which I could have had without the Mission. Thank you for my life!”

Through your compassionate caring, God is working to save and change the lives of those like Brian this holiday season and all year long!

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• The opportunity to touch the lives of more people in need at this year’s holiday feasts

• That we will receive the food and gift donations necessary for this busy season

• For more heartfelt volunteers to contribute time and talent, especially mentors for residents in our landmark 12-month recovery program

• For God’s provision for this ministry we share with hearts all across our community

• That those who hear about Christ at Christmas will see how much He loves them and has, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

For all those we serve together this season & in the new year ahead, and for . . .

Please Pray with Us

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or 15 years, the Santa Barbara community has turned out in force for a wonderful, casual opportunity to help save and change lives

at our annual Bayou fundraiser.

Hosted by the Rescue Mission’s own 65-member Women’s Auxiliary, “BLUES ON THE BAYOU” featured delicious, authentic Louisiana cuisine from Lorraine Lim Catering and the soulful sounds of saxophonist Ron McCarley delighting a crowd of 300 in attendance.

But beyond the delightful social success of the event, the celebration was a fantastic success for the Central Coast’s at-risk men and women, providing the foundation for the ministry’s fiscal year. And it’s a ministry that matters, as shown in a heartfelt speech by recent recovery program graduate, Ian Bond, who concluded with, “God put me into the hands of people that could, and indeed did, help me. They were His people.”

This year’s silent auction also reached $25,560 to help continue our second half-century of service to those who need us the most. And the Léni Fé Bland Award was presented to Silvio Di Loreto for his vital role in the history of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission for helping secure the real estate for our Yanonali Street facility.

As always, the historic Rancho Dos Pueblos in Goleta was the perfect venue for this seasonal chance to change and save lives, so thank you to one and all for making the BAYOU such a happy occasion!

This year’s 15th annual fall fundraiser, BLUES ON THE BAYOU, was anything but the blues for our community’s hungry and homeless, as $336,473 was raised for our community’s hungry and hurting at the event.

“BLUES ON THE BAYOU”

Fundraiser Report!

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Planned Giving Q&A WITH JEAN SVOBODA

You can transform lives this holiday season and far beyond through your Planned Giving!

Received through September 20, 2016Our deepest sympathies are with those whose loved ones have passed away. We are truly grateful for everyone who chooses to remember these special lives through a gift to help our hungry, hurting, and homeless. God bless your compassion!

Received through September 20, 2016A gift to the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission offers a great way to honor a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion. All gifts go to provide emergency care and life transformation to men, women and children in the most need across our community. Thank you for caring!

Memorial Gifts

You can also remember the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission in your Estate Planning! It’s a wonderful way to leave a lasting legacy for this ministry we share. Generous estate gifts can continue providing urgent care and genuine life change at the Mission for years to come!

Honorary Gifts

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Are you from here originally or have you moved to the

area and if so, when?A: Bob and I moved from Honolulu to Santa Barbara in 1971.

How did you first hear about the Santa Barbara

Rescue Mission?A: We were always active in our community, and first heard of the Rescue Mission at our church. We felt and knew the Holy Spirit was directing us here.

What attracted you to the work of the Mission?

A: The Christian values and vision of the Mission plus the dedication of the staff attracted us both. I served for a brief term on the board and will always have concern for the homeless, yet my passion is in the recovery program.

What motivated you to expand your support beyond regular giving to including the Mission in your Planned Giving?

A: Bob and I knew it was our Christian responsibility to set up a charitable trust. There was no question in our minds that the Mission would be one of our chief priorities in giving, and a large factor for us was knowing the Mission doesn’t depend upon any government funding!

Is there anything about your own Planned Giving strategy that you think is especially important?

A: Bob and I spent a considerable amount of time reviewing and making decisions together with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

How would you encourage others to consider Planned Giving to support the Mission?

A: I speak of the Mission quite openly to friends and acquaintances and while Bob was living, we made a concerted effort to take other couples to the Bayou event each year so they could learn about the work of the Mission. Now that I’m alone, I take a guest for the same reason and hope they’ll be touched and consider remembering the Mission in their own Planned Giving!

You can change lives now and in the future through your Planned Giving! For more information, contact Rebecca Weber at rweber@sbrm.org or call (805) 966-1316, ext. 105. Thank you!

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Estate Gifts

Charles GibsonErin Gibson

Darrin HornKathleen Cooper

Genny MaxwellRichard Berger

Julie SchneiderJanice Bahler Fitzgibbons

It gives me great joy to see and hear graduates

express their thankfulness to Jesus Christ for the help they received during their

rehabilitation.

Matt BrowneSusan Browne

Jesus ChristDavid Iverson

Maya Dirado and FamilyAlan and Michelle Andrews

The wedding of Rob and Trish Goodrow

Patricia AzinMark and Sharon Basham

Lisa HauslerKazuko Kerby

Greg and Lois MarshallLesa Meyreles

Alex NizetVivian Philbin

Kim SchmalbachJulia Tausend

Jon and Lori WalkerPatty Watts

William and Laverne Worsham

Mary DawsonJack and Susan Dawson

Ken JennerDonald Thompson

William AlexanderBob and Patty Bryant

Phil BeautrowAnnette Carrillo

Greg BennettBarbara Bennett

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Welcome Home!

Rocky is grateful for her ‘Welcome Home’ basket from our Women’s Auxiliary, reminding her of the love and support provided by friends like you!

Keep up with breaking news and see how your gifts are giving hope and healing at www.sbrm.org and follow the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission on Facebook and Twitter!

MILESTONES8 535 E. Yanonali St. • Santa Barbara, CA 93103-3254 • www.sbrm.orgSBR0358NL1

Thanks to support like yours, lives are not only being rescued at the Mission, they’re starting over again! Just one of the ways we’re helping our homeless guests establish a productive, positive future is by helping them find permanent housing in the community. And as they begin their safer, more secure lives outside our walls, nothing says, “we love you!” like the Welcome Home baskets thoughtfully provided by our Women’s Auxiliary. It’s

just another way we continue showing compassionate care for those who turn to us for help, both now and in the days ahead!

The Women’s Auxiliary is vital to our work and services. Members provide their support through prayer and fundraising for our key programs. For more information, contact

Rebecca Weber at 805-966-1316, ext. 105, or rweber@sbrm.org