Community members are showing significant generosity to a fund-raising and awareness campaign, Adopt A Classroom, that was launched in April 2010 by the San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation (SLOCCF) and the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education (SLOCOE).

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness and support for an award-winning, nationally recognized, early-childhood literacy program, Raising A Reader, which began in San Luis Obispo County as an initiative of SLOCCF in 2003.

This multiple site program is managed by SLOCOE, and implemented through partnerships with Head Start, State Preschools, First 5, and community libraries. The program prepares preschool children of low-income families for school by training parents how to read with their children even if there are literacy challenges or if English is a second language.

The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati have provided its third investment to the San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund – $100,000 from their Seton Enablement Fund.

"With their latest investment, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati have invested a total of $250,000 in the Housing Trust Fund." states Jerry Rioux, Executive Director of the Housing Trust Fund. "This investment makes them our fourth largest investor to date."

The proceeds of the investment will be used to provide financing for affordable rental and ownership housing in San Luis Obispo County. Since its inception in 1979, the Seton Fund has provided nearly 300 social investments throughout the world totaling more than $15 million. Additional information on the Seton Enablement Fund is available online at www.srcharitycinti.org/enablement.htm.

PUMA Aquatic Team has exceeded its goal of raising $9,000 for the Hearst Cancer Resource Center (HCRC) at French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC).

The donation of $9,500 is the result of the club’s Third Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Swim Meet and Fundraiser. The team presented the HCRC with a big pink check on Dec. 22, 2010.

The meet was held on Oct. 30 and 31 at Arroyo Grande High School.

As part of the 2009-11 Financial Plan, the City Council approved $15,000 in annual funding for bicycle safety education. The SLO County Bicycle Coalition has held the contract for these services with the City Public Works Department since March 2008.

While education events are scheduled year-round, the fall has been especially busy for promoting “Back to School” and holiday safety for bicyclists and motorists. Fall Bicycling Safety assemblies, held for both elementary age and college students, reached 640 students; “brown-bag” and on-bike seminars reached 57 students; and a safety meeting for the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) transit drivers reached 35!

For more information about the Public Works Bicycling Safety program, please contact Transportation Programs Assistant, Kevin Christian, at 783-7818 or visit www.slobikelane.org for class schedules.

Target in Paso Robles donated two decorated trees this holiday season to United Way of San Luis Obispo County, as part of the Share A Tree program, a national partnership between Target and United Way Worldwide.

United Way worked with local nonprofit agencies to identify families in need; this year, two trees were delivered to families in SLO County that would have been unable to afford a tree for the holidays.

The families were nominated by two Community Impact Fund grant recipient agencies, the North County Women’s Shelter and El Camino Homeless Organization.

The value of the trees and decorations is approximately $400 retail. In addition, the employees from The Thom Group and SLO City Finance Department in San Luis Obispo sponsored gifts for the families.

To deliver the fully decorated trees, employees from Charter Communications volunteered their timeand their trucks, along with members of the United Way Youth Board.

Continuing its support of education, Heritage Oaks Bank recently made a $1,000 donation to the Grizzly Youth Academy in San Luis Obispo.

“For the past 10 years the students from the Grizzly Academy have played an instrumental role in the organizational set-up and breakdown of the staging area for the Heritage Oaks Bank Family Fun Day and Fun Run,” said Mitch Massey, the race director and senior vice president marketing/community relations for Heritage Oaks Bank.

The Fun Run, having completed its twelfth year, attracts over 3,000 participants during the last Sunday in September, to the Paso Robles downtown city park.

“On behalf of the Grizzly Youth Academy, I wish to thank Heritage Oaks Bank for their recent donation to the Grizzly Youth Academy Scholarship Fund,” said Major John Oberg, director of the Grizzly Youth Academy.

“Heritage Oaks Bank has been an outstanding community supporter of the Grizzly Youth Academy for many years through donations from the proceeds of the Heritage Oaks Fun Run. The Cadets and staff are thankful for the continued efforts of Mitch Massey and Heritage Oaks Bank for allowing Grizzly Cadets the opportunity to participate in the Annual Fun Run each Fall. We would not be able to achieve our success without outstanding community support from organizations such as Heritage Oaks Bank."
 
The Grizzly Youth Academy is a Charter High School, lead by the California National Guard and chartered through the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. The academy is structured as a “military boarding school” to promote an academic environment that helps develop leadership, cooperation and academic skills, while improving self-esteem, pride and confidence.

“Our donation is just our way of saying ‘Thank you’ to the Grizzly Youth Academy for their continued involvement with this successful community event,” adds Massey. Heritage Oaks Bank is committed to the communities it serves and firmly believes it is their responsibility to support educational programs, youth activities, housing and health services.  

For more information about next year’s Fun Run event please visit the event website at www.hobfunrun.com.

Softec, the software and trade association for the Central Coast, will be taking leadership of Tech Brew in 2011. This transition is in response to feedback from the Chamber's Technology Forecast requesting more networking opportunities for technology-related companies.

Softec’s inaugural Tech Brew event will be held Jan. 10 for Central Coast business professionals to network and exchange ideas. Appetizers will be served, and a cash bar will be open.

Softec will be adding “Tech Highlights” to every event, highlighting a tech topic that’s of interest to attendees, spurring conversation and innovation amongst membership.

The following businesses and organizations have been members of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce for more than 40 years. They reached the 40-plus-years membership milestone in December 2010. The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce congratulates and thanks all of the following members for their unwavering support and involvement:

F. McLintocks Saloon   
686 Higuera St.   
San Luis Obipso CA 93401   
(805) 541-0686   
(805) 544-8280 fax  

Rabobank, N.A. - Santa Rosa Street
75 Santa Rosa St.   
San Luis Obispo CA 93405   
(805) 544-7070   
(805) 544-6855 fax  

Congratulations to the SLO Little Theatre & Academy of Creative Theatre for reaching its 30-year membership milestone in December 2010. The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce congratulates and thanks the SLO Little Theatre for its unwavering support and involvement. To find out about the SLO Little Theatre, click on the link below. 

SLO Little Theatre & Academy of Creative Theatre
888 Morro St.   
San Luis Obispo CA 93401
(805) 781-3889