Rideshare, a division of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments that promotes sustainable transportation options, recently launched San Luis Obispo County's 511 traveler information service.

This new telephone service and website feature provides information on real-time traffic conditions, bus trip planning, ridesharing and more.

Local commuters now have 24-hour access to plan their commute trip online at rideshare.org or over the phone by calling 5-1-1. Users can call 5-1-1 from any cellular or landline phone at no additional charge other than the user's regular phone carrier contract charges. 

Edward Jones Financial Advisor Jim Haack announced recently that a second financial advisor, Deanna Richards, has joined his office in San Luis Obispo.

"I'm very impressed with Deanna Richards, and I'm sure my clients will be, too," Haack said. "Edward Jones prides itself on providing the best service possible to those investors who choose to do business with us. Deanna Richards will help provide the high level of service investors in the San Luis Obispo area have come to expect from us as well as extend our services to new investors."

Longtime San Luis Obispo Symphony supporter and tireless music education advocate Sandy Dunn has been selected as this year’s 4th Annual Symphony Honors recipient. 

Serving as Symphony Board President for two years as well as on countless committees and youth outreach efforts, Dunn will be presented with the Symphony’s highest honor at this year’s gala Symphony Ball, being held Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. to midnight at the Embassy Suites Hotel’s grand ballroom. 

Preceded by only three previous Honors recipients, Clifford Chapman and Gene Shidler in 2008, Pam Dassenko in 2009, and Jim and Lyn Baker in 2010, Dunn was chosen for her strong leadership, superb fund-raising talents, innovative ideas, and tireless efforts on behalf of music education for children. 

“I was so surprised when I got the news,” said Dunn. “For three years, I have had the honor of making this presentation to our previous Honors recipients, and believe me it has been so much easier to present than it will be to receive it. I am greatly honored, immensely humbled, and deeply appreciative.” 

TechXpress, a leading eCommerce solutions provider, unveiled a new interactive website this month for its Canadian-based client Manitoba Harvest, the largest integrated hemp food manufacturer in the world. 

Among the new site's improvements are an updated design with enhanced educational content, a more intuitive navigation, and an interactive shopping experience. 

“ManitobaHarvest.com needs to be both an e-commerce site and educational tool. For us, it was crucial to partner with a web developer that understood how to handle the dual functions,” said Kelly Saunderson, Marketing Manager for Manitoba Harvest. “TechXpress appreciated our needs and offered cutting-edge solutions. We were so pleased with the site development we have already partnered with them for ongoing Internet marketing services.”

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.