Nominations are now closed for the 2019 Spirit of Service Awards.

 Spirit of Service Awards

The Spirit of Service Awards Program is an event held annually to honor those in the community furthering the goals of Looking Good Santa Barbara. Winners are honored at an awards ceremony in May.

Award Categories

Waste Reduction Category  (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Compost)

An individual, group, business or agency that has made a significant effort to contribute to waste reduction in Santa Barbara.          

Clean Community Category

An individual, group, business or agency that has made a significant effort to reduce graffiti and/or litter in Santa Barbara.  Neighborhood or public right-of-way (streets, bridges, sidewalks, etc.) clean-ups are eligible projects.  Clean-ups in parks, beaches and creeks are not eligible.

Jack Cantin Youth Award (21 years old or younger)

An individual or group, who is 21 years old or younger who has made a significant effort to prevent or reduce waste (reduce, reuse, recycling or compost), reduce blight (e.g. litter, graffiti), or otherwise improve the environment within the City of Santa Barbara.

Jack’s ability to lead and inspire his peers to help others exemplifies the true spirit of service.  As one of his many accomplishments, Jack co-founded Teens on the Scene, a teen-led community service and leadership group. This group volunteers once a month in the community, cleaning beaches or city neighborhoods, serving food to the homeless, or working at a local non-profit organization. Teens on the Scene began with 10 initial members and is now in four local high schools and two middle schools, with over 100 teen volunteer members. The events give students a sense of accomplishment and the satisfaction of knowing that they can contribute to their community and positively impact a neighborhood in just a few hours. Their impressive work makes our community a better place.

Thirteen years ago, the City of Santa Barbara created the Spirit of Service Awards to recognize superior public service to better our local environment and community. Jack was a 2017 Spirit of Service Award recipient honoring his initiative in co-creating Teens on the Scene.  As a way to celebrate Jack’s commitment to his community, we are creating a new award in his name, the Jack Cantin Spirit of Service Youth Award.

Candidates for the Jack Cantin Spirit of Service Youth Award must be 21 years old or younger who have made a significant effort to prevent or reduce waste (reduce, reuse, recycle or compost), reduce blight (e.g. litter, graffiti), or otherwise improve the environment within the City of Santa Barbara.

Congratulations to all of our 2018 winners!

2018 Spirit of Service Award Winners:

Waste Reduction Category

• Andrew Basayne
• Caroline Kavanagh
• Adams Elementary Oceans Guardian Ambassadors

Clean Community Category

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• First United Methodist Church
• Caltrans District 5 - Santa Barbara Landscape Crew

Jack Cantin Youth Award

• Kiara Lin

Congratulations to all of our 2017 winners!

2017 Spirit of Service Award Winners:

Waste Reduction Category

• Mental Wellness Center
• Catholic Charities Santa Barbara

Clean Community Category

• Salvation Army Hospitality House
• Teens on the Scene

2016 Spirit of Service Award Winners:

Waste Reduction Category

• Paul Cronshaw, Teacher, La Cuesta High School
• Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation
• Garden Court Community on De La Vina

Clean Community Category

• Calvary Baptist Church of Santa Barbara
• Santa Barbara Arts Alliance
• Keep It Clean Santa Barbara

2015 Spirit of Service Award Winners:

Waste Reduction Category

• Bill Kelly, Nordstrom: as Facilities Manager, he energetically supported the Nordstrom Café to divert more than 12 tons of foodscraps from the landfill each year
• Lauren Thal-Hill, Franklin School: a 4th grade teacher, Lauren guided a student project to reduce the use of plastic in the cafeteria, eventually replacing 180,000 plastic cups with reusable ones
• The Towbes Group, Inc.: a local real estate leader, The Towbes Group has implemented recycling and waste reduction throughout their offices as well as residential and commercial properties, including providing recycling containers and information to new tenants

Clean Community Category

• Jesse Aldana: Jesse has been walking his neighborhood five times a week for twelve years and has become a vigilant collector of trash, eventually recruiting friends and even his grandson to assist in the effort
• Stella Larson: For two years, Stella hand-picked weeds and gathered trash on Carrillo hill, spearheading the effort alone while working with the City to pick up the collected garbage, and all the while wearing her trademark smile