UC Santa Barbara’s Koegel Autism Center--one of the foremost research and treatment centers for autism in the country--is currently selling tickets to and looking for sponsors for a Funk for Autism fundraiser that will be held Saturday, September 27 from 12 noon – 3 pm at The Lark Restaurant. The afternoon will feature wine, appetizers, live music by Marcus Eaton and the band Mojo, dancing, door prizes, and a silent auction.
The Koegel Autism Research and Training Center, overseen by Drs. Robert and Lynn Koegel, is dedicated to improving the lives and prognoses of children with autism, as well as the lives of their families. It has been recognized by the National Academy of Sciences--and ranked among the country’s top 12 such facilities--for its innovative research and teaching methods in a variety of areas, including parent education, language development, and teacher education. It offers a state-of-the-art behavioral approach to autistic children. The Koegel Autism Center is part of The Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara.
Tickets for the event are $100 per person ($65 charitable deduction for tax purposes). They can be purchased online at education.ucsb.edu/autism/funk-autism and will be sold at the door, if still available. Sponsor levels are $5,000 for Saint, $2,500 for Knight, and $1,000 for Advocate. To be a sponsor, please call (805) 893-2049.
Food for the event will be provided by The Lark and Lucky Penny. Wine for the event is donated by Babcock Winery, Hitching Post Wines, J. Ludlow Vineyard, Lincourt Vineyards, and Robert Mondavi Winery. The silent auction items will include signed electric guitars by the band Chicago, REO Speedwagon, Kenny Loggins, and Kevin Cosnter; a one-night stay at the luxurious Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa in Los Olivos; and a Mont Blanc pen courtesy of Churchill Jewelers.
The entertainment will feature guitarist and singer Marcus Eaton, who tours as part of David Crosby’s band, and the upbeat, enthusiastic, and electric sounds of Mojo, featuring lead singer Steve Clifton, who is as fine a rocker as he is a winemaker (for Brewer-Clifton and Palmina).
Current sponsors of the event are: Brian & Patricia Kelly, Rob & Claire Lazebnik, Montecito Bank & Trust, Union Bank, Cottage Hospital, Philip Ente, MD, Drs. Robert & Lynn Koegel, Churchill Jewelers, S.G & T. Leftwich, Drs. Carrie Towbes & John Lewis, and Michael Towbes.