Hello fellow Avilones. June "gloom" foggy skies have been visiting Avila Beach as it often does this time of year. Nevertheless things are cookin' as usual in our busy and popular seaside haven. I hope everyone is prepared for the inevitable influx of people and events coming our way. Keep an eye out for Avila Alerts notices in our ongoing effort to let you know in advance of likely higher than normal traffic situations throughout the summer and early fall. If you are not yet a current Avila Alerts subscriber and want to stay on top of things, all you need to do is log onto the Foundation's website and look for the tab - www.avilabeachfoundation.org.
With the month of May now in the rearview mirror, I'd like to thank Foundation board Trustee Julian Varela and Project Specialist Penny Burciaga for organizing the successful Live Well Symposium held on May 2nd at the Community Center. Approximately 50 community members attended the educational forum, enjoyed the tasty morning snacks prepared by Trustee Carolyn Morton, and were treated to a lineup of interesting speakers on a variety of healthy living topics. The Live Well Symposium was offered at no charge, thanks to a sponsorship by Chevron Corporation, and continues the Foundation's tradition of bringing folks together to hear about local issues and learn practices to help improve their lives. The feedback I received confirms that Avilones are grateful for these types of programs, and welcome the opportunities provided by the Foundation.
In last month's column I mentioned that the Foundation board and staff were holding a retreat later in May to plan the next couple of years for our organization. We do this every two years to strategize the best course of action for our grant making, community outreach and project activities. As always the retreat conversations led to a great many interesting ideas for us to ponder. The challenge is to whittle those many ideas into a workable plan of action, while taking into consideration our organization's limited staffing, infrastructure and budget. That whittling falls to me as Executive Director, and results in a proposal to our Trustees that I feel best matches the interest of the community and the abilities of the Foundation. Not to keep everyone in suspense, but that proposal is presently under review for discussion and acceptance at our next board meeting. Among other things, I am quite confident that we will, in some form, reach out to the Avila community-at-large to survey your interests and project ideas. It is the Foundation's goal to be responsive to emerging community needs and opportunities.
Next I would like to share with you a new direction I am personally pursuing - one that I hope will not only help me prepare for the future, but also provide me with information I can pass along to my fellow Avilones. As some of you know, I spent a great deal of my career attending to the youth population while working for organizations such as the YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters and coaching high school sports. It suddenly hit me that I am now a senior citizen, been one for a while, and don't know much about the aging population and the challenges waiting. Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylanis getting louder as time passes. Recently I attended a couple meetings of the SLO County Commission on Aging, and learned that there is much more to growing old than what meets the eye. I was inspired enough to apply for one of two openings to become an "alternate" member of the Commission, and hope to be confirmed sometime this summer. I intend to listen, ask questions and generally better educate myself on the topics of aging. And, since we all know that Avila Beach and Avila Valley are home to a great many senior citizens, I plan on bringing back some of what is learned to share with other interested Avilones. Based on some of the anecdotal stories I've already heard at Commission meetings, I believe the Foundation can focus some of its resources on better equipping Avila residents with the tools necessary to navigate the aging journey. Even if you are not yet a member of the aging population, it is likely that you will have parents or other elderly relatives relying to some degree on you - if not now perhaps in the near future.
That's about all for now, fellow Avilones. Kay, Dodger and I are off to the desert for some warm sunshine and golf before the weather there becomes too unbearable. Then it's back to Avila for the summer fun. See you at the beach!
With the month of May now in the rearview mirror, I'd like to thank Foundation board Trustee Julian Varela and Project Specialist Penny Burciaga for organizing the successful Live Well Symposium held on May 2nd at the Community Center. Approximately 50 community members attended the educational forum, enjoyed the tasty morning snacks prepared by Trustee Carolyn Morton, and were treated to a lineup of interesting speakers on a variety of healthy living topics. The Live Well Symposium was offered at no charge, thanks to a sponsorship by Chevron Corporation, and continues the Foundation's tradition of bringing folks together to hear about local issues and learn practices to help improve their lives. The feedback I received confirms that Avilones are grateful for these types of programs, and welcome the opportunities provided by the Foundation.
In last month's column I mentioned that the Foundation board and staff were holding a retreat later in May to plan the next couple of years for our organization. We do this every two years to strategize the best course of action for our grant making, community outreach and project activities. As always the retreat conversations led to a great many interesting ideas for us to ponder. The challenge is to whittle those many ideas into a workable plan of action, while taking into consideration our organization's limited staffing, infrastructure and budget. That whittling falls to me as Executive Director, and results in a proposal to our Trustees that I feel best matches the interest of the community and the abilities of the Foundation. Not to keep everyone in suspense, but that proposal is presently under review for discussion and acceptance at our next board meeting. Among other things, I am quite confident that we will, in some form, reach out to the Avila community-at-large to survey your interests and project ideas. It is the Foundation's goal to be responsive to emerging community needs and opportunities.
Next I would like to share with you a new direction I am personally pursuing - one that I hope will not only help me prepare for the future, but also provide me with information I can pass along to my fellow Avilones. As some of you know, I spent a great deal of my career attending to the youth population while working for organizations such as the YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters and coaching high school sports. It suddenly hit me that I am now a senior citizen, been one for a while, and don't know much about the aging population and the challenges waiting. Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylanis getting louder as time passes. Recently I attended a couple meetings of the SLO County Commission on Aging, and learned that there is much more to growing old than what meets the eye. I was inspired enough to apply for one of two openings to become an "alternate" member of the Commission, and hope to be confirmed sometime this summer. I intend to listen, ask questions and generally better educate myself on the topics of aging. And, since we all know that Avila Beach and Avila Valley are home to a great many senior citizens, I plan on bringing back some of what is learned to share with other interested Avilones. Based on some of the anecdotal stories I've already heard at Commission meetings, I believe the Foundation can focus some of its resources on better equipping Avila residents with the tools necessary to navigate the aging journey. Even if you are not yet a member of the aging population, it is likely that you will have parents or other elderly relatives relying to some degree on you - if not now perhaps in the near future.
That's about all for now, fellow Avilones. Kay, Dodger and I are off to the desert for some warm sunshine and golf before the weather there becomes too unbearable. Then it's back to Avila for the summer fun. See you at the beach!
RSS Feed