Rona Barrett spent decades mingling with film and television stars, sharing with the public their highs, lows, honors and dirty secrets, then retired from Hollywood into the relative obscurity of rural life in Santa Ynez Valley.
Here she unwound, decompressed, bred horses, but an urge to contribute to a greater good led her to harness her fame in pursuit of a personal passion: providing safe, affordable housing for seniors.
“I always thought they were people who were really dismissed, you know? People say, ‘They don’t mean anything. They’re old. They don’t have money anymore.’ That’s not true,” Barrett said.