Volunteer Spotlight

Kay Stern

Kay’s interest in caring for people with medical issues began in her childhood with her pharmacist father who was consulted by doctors on what drugs would best treat the doctor’s patient’s diagnosis. That was the standard dinner table conversation at home. In her teens, she studied comparative religions and from that dive into culture, life, and death, she developed a wide set of eclectic spiritual beliefs. This informs her work with HSB clients, meeting them where they are. And her meditation practice grew out of that time.

UCLA was where she earned her BS. Her MBA was achieved at Pepperdine University. Her Masters’ thesis studied strengths and weaknesses of female executives. Her working career spanned regional, national, and finally international management responsibilities fulfilling her dream to live and work abroad.

Reading Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, led to her next dream, to work with people experiencing and planning end of life care, so when she and husband returned to the US, her dream was to train for Hospice work, and to raise service dog puppies to help people with disabilities. In Santa Barbara Kay trained for patient care work with VNA, then Alliance for Living and Dying Well, and then Hospice of Santa Barbara. She trained to help people complete Advance Care Plans and My Care. During that time, the couple raised 5 service dog puppies, including “Roselle” for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Kay credits Santa Barbara for helping socialize puppy Roselle who was trained and when the time came, was able to calmly lead her blind partner and others down 78 floors to exit the burning World Trade Tower in NY.

For many years, Kay has worked for Hospice of Santa Barbara, doing patient care work and advance care planning counseling. She loves how patient care work and advance care planning inform the work of each.

Today Kay and husband have 2 rescue dogs. When Kay is dying, her dream is to be in bed with her dogs on each side of her as she passes.

 Past Volunteer Spotlight

Marybeth Carty

We believe there is no one who has done more with respect to community service for the greater SB community than Marybeth Carty. She exemplifies "compassionate and committed service" at its finest, not just at HSB but for many other organizations as well. Marybeth is the Executive Director of the Natalie Orfalea Foundation and has spent the prior 15 years in corporate philanthropy, interfacing with hundreds of different nonprofit organizations per year. She previously served as Director of grant funded education programs for the Carpinteria Unified School District for 10 years.

Marybeth's community impact goes way beyond her professional career--Her experience in the nonprofit sector spans over 35 years, serving and leading on a number of boards that address community strengthening, education and social justice in the Santa Barbara area.

Her service includes: *Board member and past President of Partners in Education. *Exec committee Foundation Roundtable. *CADA’s Fighting Back Mentor Program Task Force. *Founder Carpinteria Women’s Fund group, known as “Hearts of Carp,” and is heavily involved in the Carpinteria community. *She serves on the Board of the Carpinteria Children’s Project. *Chair of the Carpinteria Woman’s Club. *Chair of the steering committee for Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Compassionate Care of Carpinteria Initiative. *Advisory Board for the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center and the 93013 Fund *Trustee SB County Board of Ed Her accolades include Hospice of Santa Barbara Ambassador Hero Award, Pacific Coast Business Times’s Top 50 Women in Business, Fighting Back Mentor of the Year, Community Hero Recognition from former County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone, and Girls Inc. of Carpinteria’s Woman of Inspiration.