Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association Announces New Community Grant Award Process
Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association (SYVHA) Board President Mike Hendrick announced, “The SYVHA board has unanimously confirmed a new Community Grant Award process for 2012. Beginning immediately, SYVHA will accept applications from Santa Ynez Valley non-profit organizations throughout the year and make awards five times per year for events that can attract overnight visitors mid-week. The next deadline to apply is February 15, 2012; and the first 2012 awards will be voted on at the SYVHA board meeting on March 1, 2012.”
According to SYVHA Executive Director Mary Harris, “SYVHA Community Grant funds are to be used for non-profit special event publicity and promotions; and must include reference to overnight stays, including the website and logo of SYVHA. We will give preference to activities which occur in the Sunday-Thursday time frame and in the lower occupancy seasons, generally January through April and September through November. Grant amounts are in the $1,000 – $5,000 range. During 2011, the first year of SYVHA Community Grants, a total of $74,600 was awarded to more than a dozen Santa Ynez Valley non-profits.”
Official SYVHA Community Grant Award application forms are available by contacting Mary Harris at mary@syvha.com or calling 805-325-3528. Deadline dates for 2012 award applications are February 15, April 15, July 15, September 15 and November 15. Grant awards will be made during the following month’s SYVHA board meeting; open to the public and held on the first Thursday of each month (except July) at 9:00am at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, 555 McMurray Road, Buellton.
Harris remarked, “This new grant application process will streamline the award process. For example, February 15 is the current deadline and grants will be awarded at the March 1 board meeting. The next deadline is April 15 and grants awarded at the May 3 board meeting and so on.”
Current members of the Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association 2010-12 Board of Directors are President Mike Hendrick (Santa Ynez Valley Marriott; Buellton); Secretary Linda Johansen (King Frederik Inn, Solvang and Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn, Buellton); Treasurer Douglas Ziegler (Santa Ynez Inn, Santa Ynez); Carol Clearwater (Hotel Corque, Solvang); Bent Olsen (Solvang Inn & Cottages; Solvang) Jessy Osehan (Hamlet Inn, Solvang) and Christine Forsythe (Ballard Inn & Restaurant, Ballard).
SYVHA was formed in 2010 and is comprised of 32 member hotels in the communities of Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Los Alamos, Buellton and Ballard to administer funds collected by the Santa Ynez Valley Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) promoting overnight stays and economic vitality in the region.
For more information about the Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association, please contact Executive Director Mary Harris at 805- 325-3528 or mary@SYVHA.com or visit www.SYVHA.com
