The retired founder of Santa Barbara Locksmiths in Santa Barbara, Milton Schmerzler; bought the Goleta house himself for the foundation upon its formation in 1981. He then sold the house to the foundation for $25,000 less than what he paid for it, himself paid for $30,000 worth of remodeling. "This man's money buys love for others." Montecito Life - Page 12, October 4, 1984

Schmerzler found that keeping six children in Goleta was costing less than half what it would to keep them in a state institution. However, fundraising was a major challenge for the facility, with Supplemental Social Security Income and Federal revenue sharing covering only about two-thirds of the home operating expense.

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Schmerzler idea towards this project was to provide a loving family environment for handicapped children. While attending law school in Ventura, he met a classmate, Lessie Sinclair Nixon, whose own daughter was severely handicapped type. Nixon had recently remarried into a family with three children and she was no longer able to keep her teenaged daughter, Jessica Sinclair, at home. Lessie had tried a home in Pasadena, where the girl "nearly died," and then a place in Cambria, which Lessie exhausted herself driving to and from on weekends.

Hearing of her troubles, Schmerzler suggested that a local home be formed for such children.

Milton Schmerzler said it took almost a year to make the necessary preparations to occupy the home. While remodeling converted the garage to three bedrooms for the resident handicapped children, Schmerzler said a large part of the delay was caused by the need for a setback variance for the garage conversion. Complicating things was a petition drive among neighborhood residents circulating misconceptions about what the home was for. Despite the hubbub, the home has ended up with an extremely low profile, with its children non-ambulatory.

Schmerzler found that visitors were impressed with the cleanliness and genuine home-like atmosphere of the residence. The children can be secure in the knowledge that they need never leave. The house is licensed for both children and adults, Schmerzler said, though the life span of these individuals is substantially shorter than normal.

Schmerzler indicated the name, "Jessie Hopkins Hinchee Foundation," itself reflects love and devotion. Hinchee, the late mother of Lessie Nixon, raised her five children after her husband died in a coal mining accident in Kentucky. Hinchee died six months before the foundation was founded.

Community service was nothing new to Milton Schmerzler. For 29 years he served as chairman of the Santa Barbara Patriotic Council, organizing and conducting local parades and celebrations on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. This followed eight years of active duty in U.S. Army intelligence, which led to his commanding the Army intelligence reserve unit in Santa Barbara. Schmerzler also served for 10 years on the city of Santa Barbara police and fire commission. Before the military, he learned the locksmith business in New York City, working for famous locksmith Charles Courtenay.

Those who helped start the foundation and were among the leaders include Dr. and Mrs. Richard Mansmann; Don Cunningham of Tri-Counties Regional Center; nurse Barbara Hall; Myrna Gaskin; and Linda Addison, teacher of handicapped children at Brandon School. Former presidents of the foundation board include Robert K. Paley and Dr. Dale Whitney.

MILTON SCHMERZLER

MILTON HOUSE Will Be A Symbol Of The Legacy Which This Kind And Generous Man Has Created For Those Least Able To Care For Themselves And For This Community Whose Spirit Is Informed And Enriched By Their Presence.

Sept 21, 1999

 

“You can't keep in touch with them, and for working parents, it made it difficult to visit them, Lessie Nixon says.” Santa Barbara News-Press E-1, Mariam Brillantes; October 25, 1981

Open to the public from 2-5 today (October 25, 1981) is a house at 825 N Kellogg Ave, Santa Barbara, which is the fulfillment of a dream of individuals dedicated to establishing a local home for children with developmental disabilities. The moving force behind this dream is Lessie Sinclair Nixon, an attorney, whose 16 year-old daughter, Jessica Sinclair, has Down's Syndrome.

The idea for a home arose, says Mrs. Nixon, when it became increasingly difficult for her to care for her and for and find household help for Jessica, who had been living with her for 14 years. She decided to put Jessica in a home but discovered to her dismay that there was no local home equipped to take care of developmentally disabled children. Parents had to send their children to such places as Cambria, Porterville or San Diego for non-institutional care.

Ms. Nixon discovered that Jessica "simply could not function in an institutional setting." After removing Jessica from a home in Glendale, where she contracted pneumonia, Ms. Nixon vowed that after she got through law school, she would devote her time to establishing a local home.

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Milton Schmerzler, a friend, provided the financial boost toward making her dream a reality but purchasing a home on Kellogg Ave. In March, 1980, the two formed Jessie Hopkins Hinchee Foundation, in honor of Ms. Nixon's mother, who loved Jessica and died before the home became a reality.

Schmerzler said, "Now we have a place where parents can visit their children, and this makes such a difference to a child."

Looking at her daughter, Jessica, Mrs. Nixon says, softly, "It's a very difficult thing to let your children go. This is the next best thing to having them at home. I can come over and see her whenever I want, and if she's sick, I can rush over."

"They are such fragile children. But they love everybody and they're so uninhibited, so patient with pain. I learned a lot from Jessica."

The foundation's primary purpose is to help local families, she said, adding, "We want to maintain the bond between parent and child."

LESSIE SINCLAIR NIXON

Lessie Sinclair Nixon continues to serve as a Board of Director for the foundation and we are very fortunate to receive charitable contributions towards the organization's mission.

Thank you so much for nearly 30 years of support, commitment and dedication to the Jessie Hopkins Hinchee Foundation.

- Your dedicated Staff at the Hinchee Foundation