Parks and Recreation Commission Recognizes Volunteers
On Wednesday, September 28, the Commission recognized two separate efforts: the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise for their financial support of the operation of the West Beach Wading Pool and Shalhoob Meat Company for their support of the Santa Barbara Youth Council’s end-of-year dinner and for their past support of other youth events.
The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise provided a grant in the amount of $2,500 for the second straight year to support the opening of the West Beach Wading pool during the busy summer months. The wading pool was targeted for closure due to budget reductions by the Parks and Recreation Department. The Club’s generous support provided an opportunity for staff to work with the Santa Barbara School District Early Education Program to match these funds, so they could send participants from their school-based programs to the West Beach Wading Pool twice a week for the entire month of July. Due to the generous grant received from the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise, a total of 1,700 youth ages 6 months to 7 years old had an opportunity to use the West Beach Wading Pool for free while further developing their swimming skills in a fun and safe environment. The Parks and Recreation Department and Commission recognized the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise for their continued support of youth programs in the community.
Each year, the Santa Barbara Youth Council (teens from 13-18 years old who serve as an advisory board to the Mayor, City Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission) holds an end-of-year event to recognize the accomplishments and successes of the past year, and reflect on goals and objectives for the coming year. This event is usually a potluck dinner. This year, however, the Youth Council was given a generous donation from Shalhoob Meat Company to provide the dinner. Shalhoob Meat Company is known for their generosity to the community, especially for events supporting youth. The Department and Commission recognized the community spirit always exhibited by the Shalhoob Meat Company, and thanked them for their generous support of the Santa Barbara Youth Council’s end-of-year dinner.