Nearly $70,000 has been awarded in both grant awards and scholarships from the 2023 Festival of Trees, Altrusa of the Central Coast Foundation has announced.
“Through the efforts of the Altrusa Club of the Central Coast sponsored Festival of Trees in December 2023, the foundation has awarded grants to local non-profit organizations totaling $29,650.00,” said Dayna DeBernardi-Watson, president of the Altrusa of the Central Coast Foundation.
“In addition, $38,500.00 has been awarded in May 2024 to 42 students for their college education,” she said.
Local nonprofit organizations receiving grant awards included Community Partners in Caring, Friends of the Orcutt Library, Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library, Friends of Pioneer High School FFA, Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, Heart Aligned, Inc., Ralph Dunlap Elementary School, Santa Maria High School FFA, Savie Health, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, United Way of North Santa Barbara County, Veggie Rescue, Lompoc YMCA, and CASA of Santa Barbara County.
“The focus of the grant awards is Literacy,” DeBernardi-Watson said. “According to Wikipedia, Literacy is a continuum of learning and proficiency in reading, writing and using numbers throughout life and is part of a larger set of skills, which include digital skills, media literacy, education for sustainable development and global citizenship as well as job-specific skills.
“Literacy skills themselves are expanding and evolving as people engage more and more with information and learning through digital technology.”
“The foundation, together with the Altrusa Club of the Central Coast, a service organization that focuses on literacy and other needed services throughout our community, host the annual Festival of Trees, in the Santa Maria Valley” DeBernardi-Watson said.
“Funds raised during this event have allowed the foundation to award over a million dollar in scholarships and grants over the past 21 years,” she said.
For more about assisting in the 2024 Festival of Trees, contact Leticia Kossuth, incoming president of the Altrusa Foundation, at AltrusaCC805@gmail.com .