Poly Students Startup Helps Divert 10 Tons from Landfill
Flooring is carefully pulled from Kennedy Library during its transformation — the first step in giving 10 tons of material a second life through reuse.
When Cal Poly alumnus Jason Wheeler returned to the campus’Kennedy Library, it wasn’t to relive his student days — it was to reimagine its transformation as a catalyst for environmental change.
A business graduate from the class of 2000, Wheeler quickly recognized the potential of the building’s discarded flooring, destined for the landfill but full of new possibilities.
The upgrade of Robert E. Kennedy Library — underway since summer 2023 and slated to be complete in September — features an energy-efficient, sustainable design and will offer improved study spaces and updated programming for students.
Inspired, Wheeler founded JackRabbit Salvage Marketplace, a startup designed to connect salvaged construction materials with people ready to give them a second life.
“I saw materials going to waste as costs soared,” he said. “We needed a system to repurpose valuable resources, not discard them.”
JackRabbit’s first transaction redirected 10 tons of reclaimed flooring from the library to a local general contractor, highlighting how technology can turn waste into opportunity. The effort was made possible through collaboration with Cal Poly’s Facilities Management and Development and Kennedy Library renovation contractor Hensel Phelps.
That project also helped launch Cal Poly’s new computer science capstone sequence. Over fall and winter quarters, seven students partnered with Wheeler, under the guidance of faculty lecturer BJ Klingenberg, to upgrade the site in real time — revamping database design and administrative dashboards and enhancing interactive maps and user-login features to make it more user-friendly and visually engaging.
“These students didn’t just hand off code; they left a foundation for the next group to build on,” Wheeler said. “That kind of continuity mirrors what they’ll experience in the real world.”
Klingenberg, who supported the project through his role with Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Small Business Development Center, called the platform a practical tool with wide appeal.
“With platforms like this, reuse becomes easy and intuitive,” Klingenberg said. “Once it gains momentum, everyone from contractors to local artists can find what they need and keep valuable materials in circulation.”
For students, the project offered both technical development and personal insight.
“The materials from the library could be reused elsewhere around town,” said computer science student Michelle Chi. “It’s a community-based approach to conservation.”
JackRabbit’s next phase includes a new “storefront” feature designed to help organizations like Habitat for Humanity showcase materials for reuse. The platform’s name reflects its quick-action philosophy: a jump-on-it mindset that turns demolition waste into shared resources with lasting value.
To learn more or see where salvaged materials are finding new life, visit jackrabt.com.
Everyday AI for Nonprofits
Spokes For Nonprofits presents a hands-on workshop designed specifically for nonprofit professionals, staff, and volunteers who are curious about artificial intelligence (AI) but may not know where to start on June 13 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Registration closes June 10
Attendees will learn:
• How to use ChatGPT to draft donor emails, thank you notes, and grant proposals.
•Tips for summarizing board reports and creating social media captions in seconds.
• Examples of real nonprofit use cases (from organizations just like yours!).
You will need your own WIFI-enabled laptop, able to connect to the Internet.
The course is taught by Carol Chenot, a multifaceted professional from Arroyo Grande, who founded her AI consulting firm, AI ADVANTAGE. She designs workshops and offers consulting to make learning new skills like AI understandable and useful for nonprofits.
Chenot retired from a 35-year corporate career in human resources, where she held senior roles in executive development for global corporations. She volunteers with Womenade, supporting women and families in need. She also serves as secretary on the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and is president of the 5 Cities Women’s Network.
The course is $45 for the general public and $25 for Spokes members and includes a boxed lunch from Urbane Café. For more information or to register, go to spokesfornonprofits.org.
Petco Love Gives to Woods
Woods Humane Society is set to receive a $12,500 grant investment from national nonprofit Petco Love in support of their lifesaving work for pets in San Luis Obispo County.
“We are so grateful for this crucial investment from Petco Love, which will make a difference for so many local dogs and cats in need of food, shelter, medical care, and adoption services,” said Woods Humane Society CEO Emily L’Heureux. “During this record-breaking season of kittens and puppies and when so many young, fragile pets require lengthy care and critical medical services, this will truly be a lifesaving investment.”
Since its founding in 1999, Petco Love, a national nonprofit, has invested nearly $410 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. The organization also helps find loving homes for pets in partnership with Petco and more than 4,000 other organizations — like Woods — across North America, with nearly 7 million pets adopted and counting.
Celebrating 70 years of saving dogs and cats on the Central Coast, Woods Humane Society is a full-service humane society with two adoption facilities and public spay/neuter clinics in SLO and Atascadero. In addition to its adoption program which places up to 3,000 pets for adoption in a typical year, Woods also provides the community with: accessible and affordable spay/neuter services; a Pet Pantry delivering more than 12,000 pounds of free pet food to pet parents in need; affordable dog obedience training classes; a volunteer program; a growing pet foster program; and a humane education program for our area’s children.
Woods is located at 875 Oklahoma Avenue in San Luis Obispo and at 2300 Ramona Road in Atascadero, and is open to the public daily from 12-5 p.m., with adoption hours from 12-4 p.m. For more information about Woods, visit WoodsHumane.org or call (805) 543-9316. Learn more about Petco Love here: petcolove.org.
Hospital Fundraiser Brings in Big Bucks for Cancer Services
The French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) Foundation’s 16th annual “Share the Hope” event, held in April at Hearst Ranch, raised more than $550,000 to support cancer services through advanced imaging technology in a new San Luis Obispo comprehensive cancer center, currently under construction.
The new cancer center will unite the oncology services of Dignity Health’s French Hospital Medical Center, Marian Regional Medical Center, and Pacific Central Coast Health Centers, as well as a number of physician groups partnering with Dignity Health. For the first time in San Luis Obispo County, all oncology services will be available under one roof, streamlining the team-based care approach, improving patient convenience, and elevating cancer care in our community.
“Our compassionate community supports local cancer patients, as evidenced with the outpouring of generosity at the event,” said FHMC Chief Philanthropy Officer, Tessa Espinoza. “It is our privilege to provide healing, education and critical resources through the Hearst Cancer Resource Center for anyone touched by cancer.”
The new cancer center will provide a seamless experience for patients, offering a wide range of comprehensive services and programs. These will include medical oncology, hematology, infusion, diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, general and oncology surgery, and urology. Located at the heart of the new center is the French Hospital’s Hearst Cancer Resource Center, a unique support resource in the county dedicated to helping cancer patients and their families from diagnosis through recovery. The Hearst Cancer Resource Center supports nearly 10,000 patients battling cancer each year with over 30 programs including support groups, wellness classes, educational workshops and lectures, nurse navigation, social work consults, bilingual navigation, registered dietician consults, and transportation services.
The cancer center will be located near the corner of Tank Farm and Broad Street in San Luis Obispo. Construction on the two-story, 58,650 square foot building is underway with a completion sate expected in early 2026.
To learn more, or to support the Hearst Cancer Resource Center or advanced technology for cancer care, go to www.supportfrenchhospital.org/hcrc.
In other local medical news, the French Hospital Medical Center was awarded an “A” Hospital Safety Grade today for the 27th consecutive time by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog organization. This accolade recognizes French Hospital as one of only 11 hospitals in the country, one of only two in California, and the only one on the Central Coast to earn an “A” Grade continuously for all 27 grading cycles since the program’s inception in 2012.
The Leapfrog Group assigns an “A” through “F” grade to all general hospitals across
the country on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. These largely preventable problems harm one in four hospital inpatients and cause as many as 250,000 deaths each year.
“Everyone who works and volunteers at French Hospital should be so proud. Sustaining an “A” over multiple years reflects a deep-rooted commitment to patient safety. French Hospital has made a clear and consistent effort to protect patients from harm. This is reflected in the
outstanding and very remarkable distinction of earning an ‘A’ Safety Grade every cycle for the past 13 years” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I congratulate everyone at French Hospital for their national example and never-ending quest to put patients’ safety first.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on preventable medical errors, injuries and infections that can harm and even kill. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
Dignity Health Hospitals throughout California received the most “A” grades from the Leapfrog Group during this Spring 2025 Grading Cycle. To see French Hospital’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
Are you or a neighbor Taking Care of Business. Is your business, including non-profits, supporting our community? Maybe you’re launching a new business, or you’re making updates to your current business model, or re-opening. Perhaps you have a job opportunity, or have been doing some volunteer work, or are collaborating with another business or a non-profit. Or maybe you know someone who is. Submit your awesome local efforts for publication to EditorEBN@gmail.com.
