Pacific Beach schools make push for electric bike safety

Friends of Pacific Beach Secondary Schools (FOPBSS) provided an electric bike education and safety seminar for students and parents at Mission Bay High School on Jan. 31. The program, which was also open to the community at large, was made possible by a grant from the San Diego Association of Governments and in coordination with Scripps Injury Prevention, the San Diego Police Department, and the San Diego Bike Coalition.The number of students who ride e-bikes within Pacific Beach has increased significantly over the last year. It is estimated that up to 60 students at Pacific Beach Middle School and 70 students at MBHS use e-bikes or non-motorized bikes to commute to school on any given day.While e-bikes offer students greater independence and reduce car traffic, they also come with increased risk. According to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego Trauma Center, the number of trauma cases related to e-bikes is on the rise. Pedestrian and cyclist road collisions are also increasing. With this information in mind, parents and residents of Pacific Beach expressed a need for better education among both e-bike and non-motorized bike riders, as well as automotive drivers, to keep everyone safe on the road.“The number of students riding e-bikes and non-motorized bikes is increasing every year,” said Mission Bay High associate principal Allison West. “I think e-bikes are a great form of transportation and great for the environment, but safety is a big concern. Classes like these are important so that student riders and parent drivers know how to stay safe on the roads – especially during the hectic morning commutes.”Another e-bike safety seminar will be held at PBMS on Wednesday, March 1, from 6-8 p.m. Middle and high school students and community members from the greater San Diego area are encouraged to register for the event https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=r_OvopyyPEmuj7ixqOhHgog60q6c5bROhSIm9IVRnrhUNkg0Tjk1T0VDUDJTVDUyOFROUjY5UVU3SS4u Friends of Pacific Beach Secondary Schools is a joint Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and nonprofit corporation for both PBMS and MBHS. The FOPBSS board of directors consists of teachers, principals, and parents from both schools. For more information on FOPBSS or to make a donation, visit www.fopbss.org.The post Pacific Beach schools make push for electric bike safety appeared first on SDNews.com.

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Conrad Prebys Foundation to focus on community-based partnerships

Conrad Prebys was committed to giving back to the community he called home for over half a century. The $1 billion foundation he created ensures that this spirit of philanthropy will live on for many decades to come.In 2022, the board of The Conrad Prebys Foundation hired its CEO Grant Oliphant, a philanthropy executive with almost three decades of senior experience in the field. Oliphant and a team of staff, board members, and consultants spent the past year meeting with hundreds of community members, nonprofit leaders, philanthropists, and government officials to learn how to best use the foundation’s assets to serve the people of San Diego County.Today, the Conrad Prebys Foundation released an initial strategy built on what they heard. Focused on creating an inclusive, equitable, and dynamic future for all San Diegans, the plan will guide the organization as it engages and partners with communities, nonprofits, businesses, and government over the next several years. The strategic plan builds on a core concept of community well-being and seeks to acknowledge that every San Diegan’s sense of purpose, opportunity and belonging are respected and nurtured.“In every conversation, we had across this county over the past year, we heard about the truly incredible assets that San Diego offers and the great hopes people have for this community,” said Oliphant. “We also heard about how many people are left out and how the potential of San Diego could be so much greater if we could create more opportunities for everyone in this community to participate genuinely in its vitality and success. It became obvious early on that our plan would need to focus on using our work to contribute to building a San Diego for everyone.”The plan organizes the work into four programs driven by Prebys’ instructions and giving during his lifetime: Visual and Performing Arts, Youth Success, Healthcare, and Medical Research. The foundation’s work in these four areas will also acknowledge the importance of three issues critical to the future of San Diego: Addressing Climate Change, Embracing Our Border and Indigenous Nations and Promoting Civic Dialogue. A summary of the plan can be found at prebysfdn.org/grants. GRANTMAKINGCentral to The Conrad Prebys Foundation’s approach is a commitment to serve as a partner to the organizations and individuals who continue to work tirelessly to help the greater San Diego area meet the needs and potential of all its residents. With that in mind, the plan is framed as a living document or “learning plan,” one that will continue to evolve as the foundation implements it this year and gathers feedback from its partners. Over the first two years of this new plan, the foundation expects to grant $100 million to local community groups.“This is an important step in growing the culture of collaborative philanthropy in San Diego that centers the experience and leadership of community members,” said Megan Thomas, president and CEO, Catalyst of San Diego and Imperial Counties. “We have no shortage of needs in our region, but we also have the resources, energy, and creativity to tackle big challenges. With today’s announcement, we have a very important new ally in this work.”The foundation will update the way it makes grants as well. While the foundation previously made grants in limited funding cycles through an application process, it will expand the methods and the timing in which it makes grants to include open applications, requests for proposals, invitations, and community-led grantmaking. The foundation will provide more information about this process in the coming months. IMPACT INVESTINGAfter making several pilot investments in 2023, the foundation will invest an additional $100 million over the next 10 years in ways that advance the wellbeing of San Diego. These mission-driven investments will represent a commitment to realizing social returns through the foundation’s endowment and financial goals. HERE TO LEARN AND SERVEThe plan unveiled on Feb. 14 is designed to adapt based on lessons learned from its implementation. Kaberi Banerjee Murthy, a philanthropic leader with more than two decades of experience, who was recently hired as Prebys’ first chief impact officer, sees this as a central principle of good philanthropy.“In many ways, we are here to learn and to serve,” she said. “We want to engage the entire community in solutions that will meet the moment.“The foundation’s priority for its first two years was to provide much-needed funding to organizations doing great work in San Diego during the pandemic. Building on that, as the foundation expands its staff and deepens its relationships in the community, we are moving into a way of operating that leans heavily into partnerships and the wisdom and expertise that lives in the community.” COMMUNITY MEETINGSAs part of that commitment, the foundation will launch a series of community meetings across the county to discuss the foundation’s goals and approach, gather feedback, connect, and build relationships with community members, and provide more information about how nonprofit organizations can receive funding. Information regarding the upcoming community meetings is available at prebysfdn.org and also listed here – Feb. 23, noon-2 p.m., MiraCosta College, Oceanside; Feb. 27, noon-2 p.m., Living Coast Discovery Center, Chula Vista; Feb. 28, noon-2 p.m., transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project, Lemon Grove; March 1, noon-2 p.m., central San Diego, location TBD.“Our county is taking innovative steps and working collaboratively with the community and philanthropic partners to address some of the region’s most pressing issues,” said Nora Vargas, chairwoman, San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “Today’s announcement provides an important commitment to making a real difference in people’s lives, and it creates a unique opportunity for public-private partnerships to play a catalytic role in advancing transformative change in our communities. I look forward to partnering with the Conrad Prebys Foundation to help build a county that works for all.”The post Conrad Prebys Foundation to focus on community-based partnerships appeared first on SDNews.com.

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Lark and Owl’s thin-crust pizzas take flight in Bird Rock

Lark and Owl is taking wing in Bird Rock offering pizza with a Mediterranean twist in an easily accessible location.“Lark and Owl was fermented as an idea by combining the love for good pies and 20 years of experience in the industry,” said restaurant co-owner Sarp Sekeroglu. “What separates our crust from others is the touch of local ingredients, like Ramona honey, and the addition of carefully treated water to finely milled flour and yeast.”Pointing out that deciding which pizza to eat is never an easy decision, Sekeroglu noted Lark and Owl makes it an easier choice by offering delectable unconventional items like a Margherita pie from Naples with a bubbly crust, crushed San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Or try their spinach artichoke pie with marinated artichoke hearts and organic baby spinach. Maybe their legendary Philly Cheese Steak pie with local oven-baked veggies would be more palate-pleasing to you.“Our pizzas offer the perfect combination of a crust you will love and fresh ingredients you will savor,” noted Sekeroglu. “Our casual environment and friendly customer service just keep adding to our experience.”Of Turkish extraction, Sekeroglu, a civil engineer by trade, said he and his friend Matt, a longtime pizza chef, wanted to be in business together and bring a slice of the Mediterranean to Bird Rock. They found the perfect spot in a kiosk at 5604 La Jolla Blvd. “Bird Rock is really beautiful and this is kind of Goldilocks here next to the Starbucks with an open patio and picnic tables,” Sekeroglu said.Of their company name, Sekeroglu noted, “We wanted a bird name, but we are a small shop, and nothing much around here is open late at night or until mid-morning. So we chose the lark to symbolize early mornings and the owl to symbolize late nights.”As a small business, Sekeroglu said Lark and Owl is “tight with the community and takes pride in paying attention to every detail of every order. Service is very important to us. We value our local presence and our customer’s feedback.”But there is more at Lark and Owl than just pizza. The eatery’s best-selling item, in fact, is its turkey avocado sandwich made with locally sourced ingredients from the Solana Beach Farmers Market. Acai bowls are another popular menu item along with locally sourced cookies for dessert.Sekeroglu said Lark and Owl has found a home in Bird Rock. “We’ve been here going on two years and we’d like to be here for a long time,” he concluded. “We are proud to be a part of the community.”LARK AND OWLWhere: 5604 La Jolla Blvd.Contact: larkandowlsd.com, 858-886-7028.The post Lark and Owl’s thin-crust pizzas take flight in Bird Rock appeared first on SDNews.com.

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