Pridmore still in running for Grammy

Allied Gardens resident Crystal Pridmore is still in the running to win a Music Educator Grammy Award. The Music Educator Award recognizes current educators who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools.

Pridmore, a music teacher at Finney Elementary School in Chula Vista, has made it to the top 25 nominees out on an initial list of over 3,300. As a top 25 nominee, she is guaranteed to receive at least a $500 honorarium with matching school grants.

If Pridmore is selected to be in the top 10, she will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching school grants. If she is the finalist and Grammy winner, she will be flown to Los Angeles to attend the 62nd annual Grammy Awards and a range of Grammy Week events.

To view Mission Times Courier’s feature story on Pridmore, visit bit.ly/2DBJgt1.

Crusaders Soccer update

Registration for the Crusaders Soccer Club (CSC) 2020 spring recreational season for boys and girls born between 2016 and 2005 is now open through Jan. 15. There is a $25 early registration discount through Dec. 15.

The games will be on Sundays from March 1 through April 26, with no games on Easter Sunday. Games are scheduled to be at Pershing Middle School.

“We are always looking for coaches who want to volunteer and share in this wonderful experience of coaching and motivating the boys and girls in our community through our recreational soccer program,” said Director of Coaching Rene Miramontes. “Come join this spring. We will be conducting coaching clinics to help you and your team have an outstanding experience. We also offer a $40 discount off your child’s registration.”

CSC will have six recreational all-star teams competing in the Scripps Tournament on Dec. 14 and 15 and several of the fall recreational teams are participating in other holiday tournaments throughout the county.

The CSC competitive division had a very successful season, and a number of teams finished well up in the rankings in San Diego’s countywide Presidio League. Tryouts for CSC’s initial competitive teams will be Jan. 11, 12, 18, 19, and 26.

For more information about registration and tryouts for the various age groups and divisions, visit cruzadossoccer.org.

Local property managers win industry awards

FBS Property, AMO has been a housing provider in San Diego, specifically Del Cerro for almost 50 years. At this year’s Southern California Rental Housing Association Mark of Excellence Awards, two FBS employees went home winners.

Melissa De Marco, a Patrick Henry alum and Lake Murray Fireworks Committee member, was honored by the association with the President’s Award. Nominated by the association, this award recognizes outstanding service by an individual to the Rental Housing Association and recognizes De Marco for her amazing work as chair of the Marketing and Editorial Committee. De Marco was key in the research and rollout of the rebranding of our association from San Diego County Apartment Association to the Southern California Rental Housing Association. She, along with a specialized task force, recreated the association website, Rental Advisor Magazine, all marketing material and social media content. From a pool of five other heavy hitters in the industry, De Marco was voted upon by the board of directors as the best of the best.

Maria Rohr, property supervisor at FBS, was honored by the Southern California Rental Housing association with second place in the Multi-site Manager of the Year category. This honor is awarded based on a score that evaluates a written submission (questionnaire) and an in-person interview. Rohr’s competition included 10 other multi-site managers from several leading large management firms.

Presents for Paws

San Diego Credit Union is collecting “Presents for Paws,” a special holiday fundraising campaign benefiting animal shelters in San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties. This will be SDCCU’s eighth consecutive holiday season supporting the Presents for Paws campaign.

“SDCCU is proud to support animal shelters throughout Southern California this holiday season,” said SDCCU President and CEO Teresa Campbell. “We have seen firsthand the positive impact these donations have on animals who need it most and encourage everyone to donate at any SDCCU branch location or online to help raise much-needed funds for animal shelters in our community.”

SDCCU hopes to raise $10,000 throughout the holiday season. In San Diego County, collections will benefit San Diego Humane Society; in Riverside County, collections will benefit Animal Friends of the Valleys; and in Orange County, collections will benefit the Animal Assistance League of OC. Donations will be accepted at all 44 SDCCU branch locations and online on sdccu.com/paws.

Last holiday season, SDCCU’s Presents for Paws campaign exceeded the $10,000 goal, raising a total of $13,783.

Para más información visite sdccu.com.

EITC outreach effort gets funding

2-1-1 San Diego has been awarded $376,000 from the Department of Community Services and Development to support California Earned Income Tax Credits (Cal EITC) Outreach and Education efforts. The grant will be used to facilitate outreach, marketing and education around the federal and state earned income tax credit which serves as a tax break for California’s working families and individuals, the creation of young child tax credit (YCTC), and local free tax preparation assistance.

2-1-1 San Diego will work with the Cal EITC Coalition and partner with the United Way of San Diego, Dreams for Change, International Rescue Committee, Elderhelp, Child Development Associates, and the YMCA to provide Cal EITC outreach and education specifically to reach out to likely eligible populations.

In June of this year, Governor Newsom and the California Legislature passed a budget that more than doubled the Cal EITC, making it a $1 billion program. This coming tax season, the cashback credit for low-wage earners will be available to approximately 1.7 million eligible families. That massive expansion means low-income parents with young children will be eligible for an additional $1,000 credit, and workers making $30,000 or less will be able to claim the Cal EITC in 2020.

“For the fourth year in a row, California is offering earned income tax credits for working families and individuals,” said 2-1-1 San Diego Executive Vice President William York in a press release. “We’re proud to be working to help educate our local community on the benefits of the program. It is our mission as a leading connector, educator and facilitator to provide direct access to important services and programs such as the Cal EITC.”

Studies show that children in families that receive a more generous EITC have better health outcomes, perform better in school, are more likely to attend college and have higher earnings as adults. In total, the state estimates that 3 million California households could claim the credit next year, meaning a total of 7 million people. Also, parents with children under age 6 may get an additional $1,000 on top of the existing credit.

Everyday, 2-1-1 San Diego receives 1,500 calls from the community of greater San Diego County. Available to more than 3 million San Diego County residents and in more than 200 languages, 2-1-1 San Diego serves more than 125,000 individuals and families every year, answering and making more than nearly half a million calls.

For more information on Cal EITC, visit bit.ly/37P6aeu or dial 2-1-1.