Winners Announced of OB Town Council Community Grant Awards

At last night’s Ocean Beach Town Council meeting – Wednesday, July 27, the winners of the Board’s Community Grant Awards program were announced.

Gretchen Newson, president of the board, stated that the OBTC does a lot of fundraising during the year, and that extra money is given out to deserving entities and persons once a year. In total, the board awarded $10,000 to a variety of 12 projects.

Here they are in the order they were announced:

1. Ocean Beach Planning Board – $500 to assist the OBPB in their administration, since they receive no funds from the City. Dan Dennison accepted the award on behalf of the planning committee.

2. “Cases for a Child” – $350, the group of local sewers make pillow cases for cancer kids at Rady’s hospital; Nancy McHenry accepted the award.

3.  Sunset Cliffs Surfing Association – $500 – goes to support the organization, which is holding a kids’ surfing contest at the OB Pier on August 27th. Don DC Clark was to accept, but he didn’t show, so Julie Klein accepted the envelop on their behalf.

4. Point Loma High School Surf Team – (didn’t catch the amount of award, but probably around $1,000); for 18 year olds after school program. The hosts provide snacks, water crafts and coaches, and are willing to help kids who can’t afford the fees. Julie Klein also accepted this award.

5. OB Community Foundation – $1,000 – this will go to cover costs of installing a commemorative plaque on the OB Pier. Jim Musgrove was there to accept on behalf of the group.

6. OB Kiwanis’s Club – $500 – this will send 4 students to Kiwanis’s leadership camp.

7.  OB Woman’s Club – $1,000 – the group needs new fencing around the clubhouse and gardens, and this will go to helping pay for it. Beth Gilmore – former president of the Woman’s Club – was on hand to accept the award.

8. Peninsula Shepard’s Center – $1,000 – the organization provides transportation for seniors all over the Peninsula during the week, and the funds will keep their van working. In 2015, the group provided over 3,000 one-way trips for seniors.

9. Friends of the Ocean Beach Library – $1,000 – this award will go towards covering some of the costs of the Friends’ upcoming celebration of the centennial of the OB Library in September. Matt Beatty, head librarian of the OB branch and Laura Dennison of the Friends accepted the award.

10. San Diego Yoga Festival – $1,000 – the folks who host the yoga sessions at the OB wall every Sunday at 11 am have decided to organize a yoga festival and have sessions all over Ocean Beach, including a huge one on the Pier. This will be Jan. 27-28, 2017, and there will be 20 sessions or classes around town.

11. OB Lifeguards – (didn’t catch the amount, but probably close to $1,000) – these funds will go to provide new lockers for the lifeguards – lockers that can be moved when the new tower is built.

12. OB Graffiti Task Force – $1,000 – the money will be well spent on paint and supplies for the team that goes out constantly and paints over graffiti; for instance they repainted the entire seawall along the cliffs.  Kevin Hastings, one of the organizers, accepted the award.

Editor: More from the OBTC meeting will be forthcoming.