Bay Osos Filipino Community Scholarship Award Night
High School Awards winners as pictured:
Denzel Ebreo, Jared Eublera, Justin Estrada, Elijah Ingan, Jhanna Mendoza, Janessa Bautista.
Photo courtesy of Bay Osos Filipino Community Association
The Bay Osos Filipino Community Association (BOFCA) celebrated their Cultural and Scholarship Award Night on July 20 at the South Bay Community Center in Los Osos.
BOFCA is a non-profit charitable organization based in Los Osos whose mission is to assist local students with funding for college. The scholarship application process typically evaluates the student’s grade point average (GPA), community service, and an essay written by the student that describes their career and educational aspirations.
This award night, the organization awarded $5,000, which included donations from benefactors, to six students from Morro Bay High School and two students from McLean High School. Morro Bay high students include Denzel Ebreo, Jared Eublera, Justin Estrada, Elijah Ingan, Jhanna Mendoza, and Janessa Bautista.
In addition to the scholarship awardees, five recent college graduates were recognized with the “Cream of the Crop” award, typically awarded to college graduates whose families are a part of BOFCA.
BOFCA also regularly hosts BBQs in the Ralph’s parking lot in Los Osos to raise funds for their scholarship program. BOFCA’s next BBQ is scheduled for Sunday, August 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A meal includes ½ chicken, rice, green salad, and beans for $15. Pancit (Filipino noodles) and lumpia (Filipino eggrolls) will also be available to purchase.
To support BOFCA or for more information, contact BOFCA president Albert Calizo at arcalizo@yahoo.com
Grant Funding for Non-Profits in City of SLO
Run a non-profit in SLO and are looking for a grant opportunity? The City of San Luis Obispo is now offering up to $150,000 in funding through its 2024-25 DEI High-Impact grant program.
Nonprofit organizations that provide local services or programs to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the City of San Luis Obispo can now apply for the City’s DEI High-Impact Grant. Applications are due on Aug. 30, by 5 p.m.
“This grant program is an effort to uplift and support local projects, programs, or initiatives that contribute to creating a San Luis Obispo that is welcoming, inclusive, equitable, and safe,” City officials said in a news release. “The City plans to award the funds in early 2025.”
The scope of inclusion and equity work is inherently broad and complex, and the funding seeks to support initiatives that show understanding of “root causes” issues and “intractable” problems, seek to address structural and systemic inequities, can demonstrate measurable success, and will contribute to some aspect of systemic change, the release says.
“One of San Luis Obispo’s Major City Goals is centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion, specifically to make San Luis Obispo a more welcoming and inclusive city for all,” officials said. “The purpose of this grant funding is to address equity gaps within our community and enhance the sense of belonging for those most marginalized and the community at large. This funding allocation is an effort to uplift and support local projects, programs, or initiatives that help San Luis Obispo become a more welcoming, inclusive, equitable, and safe place.”
These grants are administered through the City’s newly created Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which represents the City’s forward-facing commitment to meaningful, structural and lasting change. For details and eligibility requirements, visit www.slocity.org/grants.
New Program Could Install Chargers for Electric Tractors
A first of its kind program in Northern California could impact farmers across the state. The California Energy Commission just approved a $2.5M program to help California farmers buy electric tractors and install charging stations.
The program, launched in Yolo County in Sacramento, will allow the tractors to charge bidirectionally and sell electricity back to the grid through the Valley Clean Energy, the region’s not-for-profit public power agency.
Gridtractor, a California-based developer of charge-management systems for electric vehicles (EVs), applied for the grant through the CEC’s Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals (REDWDS) initiative. The pilot program is called REACT, or Rural Electrification and Charging Technology.
VCE, Gridtractor, and their partner Monarch Tractor — California manufacturers of the first 100% electric, automated tractor — will offer incentives to farmers to install charging stations for Monarch tractors and other EVs on their property. Gridtractor’s charger software will allow customers to take advantage of dynamic electric rates when the cost is lowest and there are more renewables on the grid. The REDWDs grant will also bring further benefit to agricultural customers by providing backup power (from the tractor battery) should a farm lose electricity during an outage, or by exporting energy back onto the grid during peak (more expensive) hours, a process often called “bidirectional charging.”
Electrifying the nation’s agricultural vehicles could play a key role in helping Americans reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. According to a recent Smithsonian magazine article, one diesel tractor creates as much greenhouse gas and particulate pollution as 14 passenger cars. Electric tractors are still a relatively new technology and can be expensive compared to internal combustion models, but programs like REACT can make them accessible to growers and other users by offering incentives to make them the same cost or even less expensive than their diesel counterparts. Gridtractor estimates that with its groundbreaking Vehicle to Grid (V2G) capability, farmers could earn enough in three hours of export electricity to run their tractor for the rest of the week.
In addition to the REACT program, VCE also launched its AgFIT pilot in 2022. AgFIT is an innovative program that gives farmers incentives to automate their irrigation while reducing their electric bills by responding to market-based hourly price signals (dynamic rates). Because the program showed promising initial results, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to expand the pilot beyond VCE’s agricultural customers to cover PG&E’s entire service area.
VCE’s role in the REACT pilot will include helping sister Community Choice agencies to implement dynamic rates for their customers.
“REACT is another great example of how we continue to deliver value to our customers by identifying challenges and working on innovative local solutions,” says Mitch Sears, Executive Officer for Valley Clean Energy. “We are focused on providing customer rate savings and a reliable grid. The REACT program allows us to do both and places VCE at the leading edge of the electricity sector.”
If the CEC approves the second, $25.5M phase of the REACT grant, VCE will help Gridtractor and Monarch Tractor expand the program’s reach to farmers across California.
Boots, Bling and Award, Scouting Style
At its upcoming annual Boot’s & Bling event Los Padres Council of Scouting America will recognize local leaders Dr. Philip Bailey & David Morneau for their contributions to the health, education, and safety of youth in the central coast. The fundraising event takes place Thursday, August 22 at the Cypress Ridge Pavilion in Arroyo Grande, with proceeds to benefit scouting and outdoor education programs for young people on the Central Coast. Entertainment, dinner, auction, beverages will be included in the celebration.
David Morneau will receive the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award for his efforts in promoting positive values in youth through scouting. David grew up scouting in Wallingford, Connecticut, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. He is the General Manager at Vespera Resorts by trade and is very involved in the community as well as his children’s scout troop.
For his contributions to character building and teaching leadership to local youth, Dr. Philip Bailey will receive Los Padres Council’s Legacy Award. He is retired, formerly the Dean of Science and Mathematics at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Dr. Bailey serves as the Director of the Frost Fund whose vision is to greatly enhance the resources for undergraduate research.
Serving youth in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, Los Padres Council aims to help chartered Scouting America organizations effectively use the scouting program and expand the use of the program to other community groups. Los Padres Council operates outdoor experiences through Camp Rancho Alegre in Santa Barbara County. It also delivers education to youth in Southern California through the operation of The Outdoor School.
The 6th Annual Boot’s & Bling event begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 24. Registration is now open on the council website at www.lpcbsa.org or by calling 805-967-0105. Sponsorships and advertising opportunities are also available.
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 Editor@EsteroBayNews.com.
