10 Things About Anthony Bollotta & Home Start
“No mud, no lotus.”
– For the exquisite lotus flower to bloom, it has to rise from the deep, dark muck.
In any given year, the families and children Home Start serves are already on the brink of crises. Anthony Bollotta, Home Start’s Board President, has helped Home Start families get through these past 18 months of the pandemic. From rental and utilities assistance, tele-health therapy, and virtual parenting classes, to emergency food and hygiene supplies, Home Start partners have provided resources during these challenging times.
#1 I was born in Miami Beach at St. Francis Hospital, which is now a condominium complex. I grew up in North Miami Beach, Florida.
#2 I often fantasize about living in Italy, even if only a few months of the year.
#3 I used to be a night owl and then I grew older and became a morning person. These days, I find my sweet spot to be later afternoon.
#4 I am a long-time Screen Actors Guild Member.
#5 I hope to master inner peace and the ability to thwart stress when it rears its ugly head.
#6 My partner and I adopted Lucy from the Animal Alliance of San Diego and she is the love of our life.
#7 To effectively prevent and treat child abuse, Home Start addresses the conditions that can contribute to risky or abusive situations – poverty, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of affordable housing, and unemployment – while concurrently addressing individual self-sufficiency and emotional needs.
#8 Stacey is living proof that Home Start’s Maternity Housing Program and its Thrift Boutique Social Enterprise are changing lives. Exiting the foster care system, Stacey became homeless and pregnant. Her options were to either get a job but endanger her pregnancy, or stay homeless until she had her son. Thankfully she found Home Start. Through our Maternity Housing Program, Stacey has met with a child development specialist regularly and accessed crucial therapy for her son AJ. When Stacey joined the team at our Thrift Boutique Social Enterprise, she was quiet and shy and only felt comfortable working in the back donation room folding clothes. With gentle staff encouragement and guidance, she became an employee and continued taking on more responsibilities, graduating to lead sales associate. Recently, Stacey successfully secured a full-time position at a local hardware store. Home Start has helped transform Stacey into a confident young woman who is able to support herself and her adorable 4-year-old son.
#9 Hallo-Wine is held each October in recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
#10 Funds raised from Hallo-wine support all our life-changing programs and services for local children and families, including our domestic violence recovery services.
Home Start
Hallo-Wine Fall Festival
Saturday, October 23, 2021
3 – 6 pm
Burnham House outdoor grounds and gardens
3565 7th Avenue, San Diego 92103
www.hallowine.org
