Hello friends and neighbors. My how things have quieted down since the tourist and special events seasons have come to an end. I look at the near empty parking lot adjacent to the post office and marvel at how different it appears without a full complement of vehicles. And now with the holiday season rapidly approaching, I’m sure a good many of you are getting geared up for visits with relatives and others close to you. It’s a special time of year full of good spirit, goodwill and festive gatherings.
I would be remiss as a non-profit executive director if I don’t remind you that the holiday season is also the time of year when donor giving reaches its peak. For some it is the spirit of helping those less fortunate, others contribute to life enrichment programs, and even the looming tax deadlines play a role in year-end giving.. Whatever the reason, generosity throughout San Luis Obispo County is impressive and far reaching. Your Avila Beach Community Foundation is one place where you can invest in the present AND future of this truly wonderful spot anytime during the year. As you know, the Foundation allocates tens of thousands of dollars annually to support local organizations and projects that contribute greatly to the Avila Beach lifestyle. Whether to help keep the doors of the Community Center open, furnishing the doggie poop bags that help keep our beaches clean, subsidizing the free rides on the Avila Trolley, paying for home delivery of the monthly Avila News, sponsoring exhibits and providing scholarships for the Sea Life Center, arranging for the purchase of six new, commercial-grade trash containers along the beach boardwalk seawall on both sides of the Promenade, hosting Town Hall forums and educational symposiums, and so much more, the Avila Beach Foundation plays a major role in the community.
Are you aware that the Foundation has invested more than $2 million in Avila Beach over the past twelve years? Some through grants, some through matching gifts, some through our emerging community needs and opportunities fund, and some through donor advised accounts. Please keep reading so I can share the simple ways in which YOU can participate in the health and well-being of Avila Beach. Through our Emerging Community Needs and Opportunities Fund, you can make a donation in any amount, and the sum is pooled with like donations from others in the community. As requests come in for small projects support, we can tap these pooled funds accordingly. In the coming year we will also place more emphasis on developing additional Donor Advised Accounts, like the one opened by Richard and Kathy Zacky that will soon result in a new public viewing telescope being installed on the Avila Pier. The beauty of this kind of donation is that you can set up the account, receive all entitled tax deductions that year, and recommend the ways in which those monies are allocated as long as the account stays active. NONE of the funds donated go to Foundation operating costs - just to projects that meet our mission and enhance life in Avila Beach. Help us preserve Avila Beach for future generations. Please call me at 595-4095 to explore donor options and benefits.
Okay, now that I’ve completed my due diligence, it’s back to other community business. I wish to share with you an overview of the Avila Circulation Study presented by SLO County Traffic Engineer Ryan Chapman at the October meeting of the Avila Valley Advisory Council. Primary topics of the “study” and Ryan’s report include transportation improvements, roadway widths, special events policy, Avila Beach Drive Bridge seismic retrofit, Port San Luis Parking, San Luis Bay Drive exit at US 101, Avila Beach Drive exit at US 101, and a pedestrian walkway from Avila to the Harford Pier. While I don’t have the space here to summarize each component of the study and report, I can direct you to the website that does contain details. To view this report, which is only a few pages in length, visit – www.slocounty.ca.gov/PW/Traffic _ Studies.htm.
Shortly after you receive this issue of the Avila Community News, the Avila Beach Community Foundation Board of Trustees will meet to determine grant awards for funding of organizations and projects for the coming year. We received a record number of applications this year, with requests that totaled over $112,000. The Foundation won’t be able to accommodate the funding needs of all applicants, but that does not mean any are unworthy. Need always exceeds available resources, and the burden falls on service-providing organizations to foster community wide interest and support. The opportunity to make a difference is an intrinsic benefit that many enjoy. That’s it for now friends and neighbors. I’ll see you at the beach.
I would be remiss as a non-profit executive director if I don’t remind you that the holiday season is also the time of year when donor giving reaches its peak. For some it is the spirit of helping those less fortunate, others contribute to life enrichment programs, and even the looming tax deadlines play a role in year-end giving.. Whatever the reason, generosity throughout San Luis Obispo County is impressive and far reaching. Your Avila Beach Community Foundation is one place where you can invest in the present AND future of this truly wonderful spot anytime during the year. As you know, the Foundation allocates tens of thousands of dollars annually to support local organizations and projects that contribute greatly to the Avila Beach lifestyle. Whether to help keep the doors of the Community Center open, furnishing the doggie poop bags that help keep our beaches clean, subsidizing the free rides on the Avila Trolley, paying for home delivery of the monthly Avila News, sponsoring exhibits and providing scholarships for the Sea Life Center, arranging for the purchase of six new, commercial-grade trash containers along the beach boardwalk seawall on both sides of the Promenade, hosting Town Hall forums and educational symposiums, and so much more, the Avila Beach Foundation plays a major role in the community.
Are you aware that the Foundation has invested more than $2 million in Avila Beach over the past twelve years? Some through grants, some through matching gifts, some through our emerging community needs and opportunities fund, and some through donor advised accounts. Please keep reading so I can share the simple ways in which YOU can participate in the health and well-being of Avila Beach. Through our Emerging Community Needs and Opportunities Fund, you can make a donation in any amount, and the sum is pooled with like donations from others in the community. As requests come in for small projects support, we can tap these pooled funds accordingly. In the coming year we will also place more emphasis on developing additional Donor Advised Accounts, like the one opened by Richard and Kathy Zacky that will soon result in a new public viewing telescope being installed on the Avila Pier. The beauty of this kind of donation is that you can set up the account, receive all entitled tax deductions that year, and recommend the ways in which those monies are allocated as long as the account stays active. NONE of the funds donated go to Foundation operating costs - just to projects that meet our mission and enhance life in Avila Beach. Help us preserve Avila Beach for future generations. Please call me at 595-4095 to explore donor options and benefits.
Okay, now that I’ve completed my due diligence, it’s back to other community business. I wish to share with you an overview of the Avila Circulation Study presented by SLO County Traffic Engineer Ryan Chapman at the October meeting of the Avila Valley Advisory Council. Primary topics of the “study” and Ryan’s report include transportation improvements, roadway widths, special events policy, Avila Beach Drive Bridge seismic retrofit, Port San Luis Parking, San Luis Bay Drive exit at US 101, Avila Beach Drive exit at US 101, and a pedestrian walkway from Avila to the Harford Pier. While I don’t have the space here to summarize each component of the study and report, I can direct you to the website that does contain details. To view this report, which is only a few pages in length, visit – www.slocounty.ca.gov/PW/Traffic _ Studies.htm.
Shortly after you receive this issue of the Avila Community News, the Avila Beach Community Foundation Board of Trustees will meet to determine grant awards for funding of organizations and projects for the coming year. We received a record number of applications this year, with requests that totaled over $112,000. The Foundation won’t be able to accommodate the funding needs of all applicants, but that does not mean any are unworthy. Need always exceeds available resources, and the burden falls on service-providing organizations to foster community wide interest and support. The opportunity to make a difference is an intrinsic benefit that many enjoy. That’s it for now friends and neighbors. I’ll see you at the beach.
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