Spotlight

Sexual health education is often an uncomfortable topic to address, one that can be surrounded with stigma and shame, said Trish Hecker. So she stepped into the gap and founded Open Door Support, a program that helps parents engage with their kids on the topic.  “For generations, sexual health in relation to how our body […]

The statewide information and referral system 211 provides people with help and human services, disaster relief, and general information about available local resources.  Local nonprofit CommUnify oversees the Santa Barbara County helpline, which received 29,505 calls in 2021 and has been helping people since 2014, Community Services Director Kemba Lawrence said.  “It’s a staple throughout […]

The Altrusa International Foundation has several branches dedicated to serving local communities—including Santa Maria—through grants and education scholarships.  The Santa Maria chapter has donated money to the Oasis Senior Center and its senior lunch program, the Orcutt Academy Dance Team, and recently provided a $3,688 grant for the Santa Maria Library to purchase science, technology, […]

For thousands of school-age kids, the San Luis Obispo County coastline is a premier destination for epic field trips.  The Central Coast State Parks Association plays an important role in that. The nonprofit arm of State Parks routinely offers educational field trip tours at local landmarks like the Oceano Dunes, the Morro Bay Museum of […]

Steven Waiters wanted to be a writer ever since he was in high school. As he went through life, raising a family and teaching at the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, he never let that dream go.  “Writing has given me an outlet to do something different that I actually can bring into the classroom and […]

Forget making a trip to the veterinarian’s office—animal care organization C.A.R.E.4Paws is fundraising for a larger mobile vet clinic that’ll come to you.  The organization provides affordable veterinary services to low-income, senior, disabled, and homeless pet owners in Santa Barbara County. However, its recent expansion of services to SLO County in February 2022 and the […]

Young artists in Santa Maria will have the chance to dip their paintbrushes and leave their mark on the community as the city seeks help from its youth to work on a new mural that will be displayed at the city’s civic center.  “We really hope the teens take the opportunity to learn not just […]

Hypothermia kills about 700 people experiencing homelessness in the United States annually, according to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.  This year, Santa Barbara County counted more than 1,900 people who were homeless during its Point-in-Time Count. Although specific data about homeless, weather-related mortalities couldn’t be verified, Erica Bottorff—a holistic defense advocate at […]

Until 2020, the Letter Carriers Food Drive—a drive that used the U.S. Postal Service to pick up nonperishable foods from residents’ homes—was a major source of big food donations for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.  Letter carriers would deliver brown paper bags to people’s mailboxes and people would fill them up with nonperishable foods […]

Nikki Patterson had always been a huge animal person and knew one day she would work with animals full time. While she and her husband lived in Los Angeles, they had property in Buellton where they would vacation.  When the pandemic hit, the two found themselves remaining in Buellton and decided to make the move […]

Santa Maria recently gained its first two all-electric buses as part of an effort to fully electrify its fleet, which should be completed by early 2024.  The push toward a zero-emission public transportation system comes after a 2018 state mandate that requires all public entities to make this change by 2035, Transit Service Manager Gamaliel […]

In 2021, Welcome Home Military Heroes Founder Robert Tolan worked with Band of Brothers’ Founder Jeff Stone, creating a golf tournament in the span of five weeks.  “We had quite a bit of mistakes last year; none of us had ever played in a golf tournament. None of us had even really played golf,” Tolan […]