As an eight-year-old in 1915, Myatt W. Volentine showed an early propensity for entrepreneurial ventures when he began traveling to St. Louis to trade furs that he had acquired on his family’s land in Arkansas, commonly coming home with several thousand dollars. His ambitious spirit continued to serve him well when, as a 16-year-old, he drove a car to Nebraska to sell it for a profit and soon opened his first car dealership at the age of 18. In 1935, Myatt married Mary Genevieve Bell and together they expanded on their business ventures which grew to include real estate holdings, loan financing and oil wells in both Kansas and Nebraska.

In 1962, the Volentine’s retired to Santa Barbara yet continued their penchant for business by acquiring several shopping centers in the area. Both were active in charitable and community organizations. Myatt was a lifetime member of the Elks and Genevieve was a lifetime member of the Assistance League of Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Women’s Club and Hadras Madrinas.

Myatt and Genevieve established the Foundation in 1988 as an opportunity to share their good fortune with those in the community. Myatt believed that if you made a difference in the life of just one person, then you had achieved something incredible. To that end, the foundation gives to those programs and organizations that make a difference one individual at a time.