Town Council readies to dole out grant money The Ocean Beach Town Council (OBTC) is now accepting 2011 applications for grants to local organizations and groups. Grant money is distributed through the Ocean Beach Tree Festival Committee, which provides an opportunity to receive funds raised by the annual Community Tree Festival.  OBTC officials said more than $10,000 was distributed last year. Past grant recipients have included: • Loaves and Fishes Outreach Ministry • Point Loma High School Football Boosters • The Ocean Beach Historical Society • Peninsula Girls’ Softball • Sunset Cliffs Surfing Association • Ocean Beach Planning Board • Ocean Beach Community Foundation • Friends of Famosa Slough To be considered, OBTC officials are asking organizations and groups to submit a one-page letter to [email protected] or to mail them to P.O. Box 7225, Ocean Beach, 92107, describing the respective organization, plans for what is to be done with the funds and the grant amount desired. Applications should be submitted no later than May 30. Grants are open to all, but OBTC membership is strongly encouraged, said officials. Recipients will be asked to provide a quarterly update that will be posted to the OTBC website. Successful grant recipients will receive a one-year membership to the OBTC, renewable annually. Loma Portal’s Home, Garden Tour set to bloom Loma Portal Elementary School is embarking on its fifth annual Home and Garden Tour to bolster campus funding in the wake of budget cuts. The event, one of the school’s major fundraisers for the year, helps fund Loma Portal’s music teacher, music program and classroom supplies, according to organizers. This year’s Home and Garden Tour will feature between eight and ten homes and gardens in the Loma Portal neighborhood. Participating homes will showcase a variety of unique attributes, from historical restoration to grand outdoor entertainment areas, to home remodels and living to xeriscape designs and clever uses of space. Also planned is a craft fair and a raffle featuring wine baskets, spa getaways, home store and restaurant certificates, organizers said. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning at the school, 3341 Browning St. The admission/donation is $20. Tickets may be purchased at the school or online at www.lomaportalele-mentary.com, either in advance or on the day of the tour. For more information, call (619) 223-1683 or visit the above website. Optimists slate event to aid Peninsula youth The Optimist Club Foundation of Point Loma will host its 48th annual “Golden Grand” fundraising event on Friday, May 6 at the San Diego Yacht Club. The proceeds from the event are used to fund the Optimist Club’s community service programs, including aid and development for youth programs in the Peninsula area and support for the organization’s American Flag program that recognizes the contributions of veterans and active duty serviceman and servicewomen. Optimist Club members display more than 150 American flags along a two-mile stretch of Rosecrans Street every Sunday and each holiday throughout the year. Optimists are also asking the community for support through monetary donationz. All donations to the Optimist Club Foundation of Point Loma, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with federal ID number 33-0630243, are tax deductible. Special recognition benefits are also offered to our corporate sponsors at www.pointlomaoptimist.org. Donations in the form of vouchers for goods or services can be sent to Optimist Club of Point Loma, CO Donald Gruhl, senior vice president and chief loan officer, Sunrise Bank, 1350 Rosecrans St., San Diego, 92106. Donations in the form of goods will also be picked up at your convenience. To arrange a pickup, call (619) 243-7890, or email [email protected]. OB Exposed! photo contest deadline nears The popular OB Exposed! contest, featuring the best amateur photographic images of Ocean Beach and Point Loma, is just around the corner. The deadline for submitting photos is Tuesday, May 10 and entries must be submitted to the OB Business Center, 4876 Santa Monica Ave. There is a $1 entry fee per photo when photographs are dropped off. The 17th annual contest is open to all skill levels and ages, and the judging event will be held Friday, May 13 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Masonic Hall, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. The only requirement to participate is that photos be taken solely in Ocean Beach or Point Loma. Categories include: • Best in Show • Best Color • Best Black & White • Best Vintage (historic) • Best Special Effects • Best Child’s Under Age 16 and • People’s Choice Photos from a professional category will be on display but not judged, according to organizers. For more information and a complete set of entry rules and specifications, visit www. obhistory.wordpress.com. Fundraising event to benefit Make-A-Wish  The San Diego County Credit Union will host its third annual “Roll Out the Barrel” wine and food-tasting event May 14 to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego. The event will feature food and wine sampling from top San Diego restaurants and artisanal wineries from around the world, as well as a raffle, silent and live auctions and live entertainment by KUSI’s Brad Perry and The Acoustic Fingerprints. Organizers said all event proceeds will be used to grant the wishes of children in San Diego who are battling life-threatening medical conditions. The event takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, 2441 Shelter Island Drive. General admission is $125 or entry into a VIP lounge is $200, which includes specialty wines, spirits, food and a post-event VIP mix and mingle. Participants must be at least 21 to attend. For tickets or more information, visit www.makeawishgala.com. To learn more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wishsandiego.org, or call (858) 707-9474. PLNU students spend a day in a wheelchair On April 15, Point Loma Nazarene University’s Delta Alpha PI — an international academic honor society for students with disabilities — hosted its second annual “Day In A Chair Awareness” event on April 15 with HeadNorth, a local nonprofit organization serving individuals and families with spinal cord injuries. “Day In A Chair is a rewarding and enlightening experience giving individuals first-hand experience and insight into the life of a spinal cord injury survivor by volunteering to spend a typical day in a wheelchair,” said Michele Bart, HeadNorth executive director. “The purpose of these events is to build understanding and awareness. Point Loma Nazarene is a great example of a student group that has really taken to heart the challenge to get involved and help create awareness for physical disabilities.” Nearly 40 students and faculty members dedicated part of their school day to being in a wheelchair. In addition, students organized a fundraising component for this year’s event to raise about $30 per student.  A portion of the dollars raised was donated to HeadNorth to help fund programs for individuals with a spinal-cord injury. For more information, call Karolyn Baker at (858) 350-3193. AAUW to host free women’s wellness event Spring is in the air for gardeners and non-gardeners alike. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) San Diego Branch invites the public to attend a women’s wellness event focused on the health benefits of gardening on Saturday, May 7. The event takes place in the community room of the Hervey/Point Loma Branch Library, 3701 Voltaire St. Kathy Jones, Ph.D., a retired professor in exercise and wellness and a San Diego master gardener, will speak on wellness, weight loss and the integrated lifestyle offered through gardening. The event also will feature a floral arrangement demonstration by Rita Kuehn, San Carlos Garden Club Member. The free event runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. To RSVP, call (619) 299-0778, email [email protected], or visit www.aauwsandiego.org.