Greetings, fellow Avilones. The month of November has arrived, and is the jumping off point for the holiday season. One of the most obvious signs was last month’s resurgence of crowds at the Avila Valley Barn, in particular at the pumpkin patch prior to Halloween. This will likely continue through November leading up to Thanksgiving. A word of caution to you all when driving along Avila Beach Drive that traffic will back up at the entrance to Avila Barn.
As I think about Thanksgiving this year, it takes on special meaning to me as this column is the second to last I will write as Executive Director of the Avila Beach Community Foundation. My looming departure was shared last month, so you are aware that this will conclude 15 years at the helm. As I reflect on that time, I have much to be thankful for. There are so many individuals and businesses leaders that have supported the “Foundation’s” efforts that it would be impossible to share the names of all with you in this space. That being said, I do want to identify some of the key folks to publicly recognize their impact.
Every non-profit organization is only as strong as its board President. I have been fortunate to work with an outstanding lineup of “Foundation” leaders since 2009 that includes; Mike Ritter, Julian Varela, Rick Rowe, Lisa Ritterbuck, Mike Ginn, Cyndy Lakowske and Barbara Nicholson. I thank each of you for your service to the organization and the people of Avila Beach. I was also blessed to work side by side with some very talented support staff that included; Penny Burciaga, Paula Dempsey, Stephanie Rowe and Kymberly Fazzio. Each of you brought something special to the “Foundation”, and I appreciate the roles you played.
Also noteworthy, and key to some of our success, is a handful of local community/business leaders who provided financial support of the” Foundation’s” projects and activities that extended beyond the realm of the grants we make each year. Said projects/activities are too numerous to fully state here, but a few of the most visible are the public art installations that bring beauty to the beach, the public viewing telescope, the people and pet drinking fountain at “dog beach”, the beach boardwalk commercial trash receptacles, and the interpretive signs along the Bob Jones Trail. My thanks to the following folks who, through their generosity, helped make the aforementioned projects, and others, possible: Chevron (Juliet Don and Jeff Moore), PG&E (Eric Daniels), SLO County District 3 Supervisors (Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Adam Hill), the Richard and Kathleen Zacky Family Foundation, the Rossi Foundation (Rob Rossi), and Joan Sargen. My apologies if I’ve left anyone out.
Odds and Ends: What would one of my final columns be if lacking some of the witty (in my opinion) observations and personal experiences I’ve shared with you over the years? My wife and I returned from our recent vacation to Palm Springs. Remember the good old days when we could say the journey is equal in enjoyment to the destination? Well, not so if you have to drive to Southern California. Back in 1992 when I first began visiting my parents after they retired to Palm Desert, I could make the drive in 4+ hours. The same journey now takes around 6 hours – more if you come upon an accident or freeway lane closures. So, I’ve come up with a slogan that reminds me of a famous commercial from the past. Remember the jingle, “the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup?” My proposed entry into the jingles Hall of Fame is; “the best part of leaving Avila Beach for places to roam, is returning to Avila Beach, the place we call home.” BTW – during the trip I came upon the most glaring/outrageous example of inflation, er, price gouging, at Stater Bros. grocery store in Cathedral City. There, in a prime location near the check stand, was a Crispy Crème donuts display, featuring a 3-pack box of donuts for the pricey sum of $9.99. My math says that’s $3.33 per donut. That’s a lot of dough for a such a paltry hunk of dough! Then, after dinner in Palm Springs we stumbled upon an ice cream parlor selling a 12 oz date shake for $10.99. Twice what I used to pay just a few years ago! Okay, I am through sharing my outrage, and will leave you with my usual closing.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach.
As I think about Thanksgiving this year, it takes on special meaning to me as this column is the second to last I will write as Executive Director of the Avila Beach Community Foundation. My looming departure was shared last month, so you are aware that this will conclude 15 years at the helm. As I reflect on that time, I have much to be thankful for. There are so many individuals and businesses leaders that have supported the “Foundation’s” efforts that it would be impossible to share the names of all with you in this space. That being said, I do want to identify some of the key folks to publicly recognize their impact.
Every non-profit organization is only as strong as its board President. I have been fortunate to work with an outstanding lineup of “Foundation” leaders since 2009 that includes; Mike Ritter, Julian Varela, Rick Rowe, Lisa Ritterbuck, Mike Ginn, Cyndy Lakowske and Barbara Nicholson. I thank each of you for your service to the organization and the people of Avila Beach. I was also blessed to work side by side with some very talented support staff that included; Penny Burciaga, Paula Dempsey, Stephanie Rowe and Kymberly Fazzio. Each of you brought something special to the “Foundation”, and I appreciate the roles you played.
Also noteworthy, and key to some of our success, is a handful of local community/business leaders who provided financial support of the” Foundation’s” projects and activities that extended beyond the realm of the grants we make each year. Said projects/activities are too numerous to fully state here, but a few of the most visible are the public art installations that bring beauty to the beach, the public viewing telescope, the people and pet drinking fountain at “dog beach”, the beach boardwalk commercial trash receptacles, and the interpretive signs along the Bob Jones Trail. My thanks to the following folks who, through their generosity, helped make the aforementioned projects, and others, possible: Chevron (Juliet Don and Jeff Moore), PG&E (Eric Daniels), SLO County District 3 Supervisors (Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Adam Hill), the Richard and Kathleen Zacky Family Foundation, the Rossi Foundation (Rob Rossi), and Joan Sargen. My apologies if I’ve left anyone out.
Odds and Ends: What would one of my final columns be if lacking some of the witty (in my opinion) observations and personal experiences I’ve shared with you over the years? My wife and I returned from our recent vacation to Palm Springs. Remember the good old days when we could say the journey is equal in enjoyment to the destination? Well, not so if you have to drive to Southern California. Back in 1992 when I first began visiting my parents after they retired to Palm Desert, I could make the drive in 4+ hours. The same journey now takes around 6 hours – more if you come upon an accident or freeway lane closures. So, I’ve come up with a slogan that reminds me of a famous commercial from the past. Remember the jingle, “the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup?” My proposed entry into the jingles Hall of Fame is; “the best part of leaving Avila Beach for places to roam, is returning to Avila Beach, the place we call home.” BTW – during the trip I came upon the most glaring/outrageous example of inflation, er, price gouging, at Stater Bros. grocery store in Cathedral City. There, in a prime location near the check stand, was a Crispy Crème donuts display, featuring a 3-pack box of donuts for the pricey sum of $9.99. My math says that’s $3.33 per donut. That’s a lot of dough for a such a paltry hunk of dough! Then, after dinner in Palm Springs we stumbled upon an ice cream parlor selling a 12 oz date shake for $10.99. Twice what I used to pay just a few years ago! Okay, I am through sharing my outrage, and will leave you with my usual closing.
That’s it for now, fellow Avilones. See you at the beach.
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