Rather than retreating into high-society leisure, Barbara used the Sinatra name to build an enduring social service institution. In 1986, after learning about the severe lack of specialized psychological care for young victims of physical and sexual abuse, she founded the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.
Frank threw his full celebrity weight behind her endeavor. He staged benefit concerts alongside Sammy Davis Jr. and Liza Minnelli, performed private sets for high-dollar donors, and personally underwrote operational shortfalls. The facility developed an innovative model: no child was ever turned away due to an inability to pay, providing free psychiatric therapy, forensic exams, and advocacy services.
Following Frank's death, Barbara remained the center's driving force. She served on the board, appeared at every annual Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational golf tournament, and oversaw operations until her own passing at age 90 on July 25, 2017. Under her watch, the center treated more than 20,000 children, turning private grief into concrete community support across the desert region.
