To donate, visit bit.ly\/2IkUC7Y<\/a>.<\/p>\n The city of La Mesa has been awarded a $385,000 grant from Cal Fire. The grant will support the continued growth of La Mesa\u2019s urban tree canopy and implementation of the city\u2019s Climate Action Plan (CAP). Through the grant, La Mesa will:<\/p>\n Develop a comprehensive Urban Forest Management Plan through a public process to manage the health and growth of the city\u2019s tree canopy for the next 40-50 years.<\/p>\n Conduct education and outreach to the public around urban forestry best practices to promote proper care and stewardship of urban trees.<\/p>\n Plant 200 trees along the right-of-way and in public parks to expand the urban canopy within the city.<\/p>\n La Mesa will partner with multiple organizations to implement the grant project, including Urban Corps of San Diego County, La Mesa Beautiful, Tree San Diego, and West Coast Arborists. The project is expected to begin this summer and will extend through the first quarter of 2022.<\/p>\n La Mesa has been designated a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the past 39 years. In March 2018, the City Council adopted the CAP, which charts a course to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2035 from the 2010 baseline year. The CAP also establishes a target to plant 500 new trees by 2020 and expand the urban tree canopy from 18% to 33% by 2035 in an effort to sequester carbon and reduce heat island impacts. Funding from Cal Fire will directly support implementation of these goals.<\/p>\n For more information about La Mesa\u2019s CAP and urban forestry efforts, visit bit.ly\/2FgA7HO<\/a>.<\/p>\n On June 3, the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce held the inaugural Taste of San Diego \u2013 East event at the Town and Country San Diego in Mission Valley. The event is a rebranding of the Taste of La Mesa event that was held in the city of La Mesa for 10 years.<\/p>\n The new location and name was a risk for the chamber, but was deemed a necessity because the event had outgrown its previous location at the La Mesa Community Center.<\/p>\n Patrons did not seem to mind as the large ballroom at the Town and Country was mostly filled all evening long. Guests began arriving around 4:30 p.m. and were treated with sample bites of grilled steak, pulled pork, platters of cheeses and carved meats, mini cakes, shrimp cocktail, pizzas and much more. There was also a silent auction for guests to bid on.<\/p>\n On June 6, Cox Charities hosted its annual Cox Scholars celebration at Coasterra Restaurant. This year, in celebration of its 20th anniversary, Cox Charities awarded a total of $100,000 in scholarships to 20 students \u2014 $5,000 each \u2014 the largest amount ever awarded in scholarships by the foundation.<\/p>\n Helix Charter High School student Elias Gracia was one of three Grossmont Union High School District students to be awarded the scholarship. Gracia will attend Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania in the fall to study behavioral economics and be the first in his family to earn a degree from a four-year university. He is passionate about the importance education has on breaking the cycle of poverty and shedding stereotypes. Gracia volunteers on a bus route through the community to help bring people to church free of charge. He currently lives in Lemon Grove.<\/p>\n Another GUHSD winner is Spring Valley resident and Monte Vista High School student Jeanette Chen, who became a student ambassador through the Better Business Bureau after a family member fell victim to a scam. She plans to pursue a career in finance.<\/p>\n Steele Canyon Charter High School student Ian Hurd was recognized for volunteering at a local food pantry that serves war refugees, despite having Asperger\u2019s syndrome, which makes it difficult for him to deal with social situations. He plans on studying physics.<\/p>\n Cox Charities is the philanthropic arm of Cox Communications and is funded by employee donations, matched by Cox, and overseen by an advisory board consisting of employees who volunteer their time.<\/p>\n When Cox Charities was established in San Diego in 1999, a scholarship program was created to help local youth in their quest for a higher education, particularly those who stayed focused on their education despite facing adversity in their young lives. Through Cox Charities and the company match, Cox employees in San Diego have awarded $1.6 million in scholarships to more than 650 students.<\/p>\n For more information on the Cox Scholars program, visit coxcharitiesca.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n The San Diego Architectural Foundation (SDAF) has announced the return of the 43rd annual Orchids & Onions program with the opening of public nominations for the best and \u201cnot so best\u201d projects in San Diego County. The SDAF\u2019s mission is to educate and promote outstanding architecture, landscape, interior, and urban design to improve the quality of life for all San Diegans. The community can submit their nominations now until July 6. Projects that garner the most online interest during the nomination period become eligible to be nominated for a People\u2019s Choice Award in August.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>Orchids & Onions provides the community an opportunity to be a part of a larger discussion about the quality of San Diego\u2019s built environment and how it impacts their day-to-day life,\u201d said Laura Warner, Orchids & Onions program co-chair and principal architect for CityWorks. \u201cIt provides San Diegans the opportunity to share their thoughts about what makes for a good or bad place that ultimately results in better planning, growth and future development of San Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n Participants can nominate projects for the following categories: architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, interior design, historic preservation, and miscellaneous. The miscellaneous category encompasses other environmental design features such as public art, lighting programs, and wayfinding systems.<\/p>\n Following the nominations period, which began June 1 and runs through July 6, a group of design professionals determine the official Orchids & Onions based upon the submissions. Between Aug. 1 to Aug. 31, the public can vote online for the People\u2019s Choice Award. The community-based program culminates with the Orchids & Onions Awards Ceremony at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel on Oct. 3. The public can nominate a project at orchidsandonions.org\/nominate<\/a>.<\/p>\n Recycled sports equipment retailer Play It Again Sports held a grand opening at its new La Mesa location on June 13. The new shop is located in the La Mesa Springs shopping center at 8011 University Ave., Suite C-4.<\/p>\n
\nLa Mesa receives urban forest management plan grant<\/h3>\n
\nTaste of San Diego \u2013 East a success<\/h3>\n
\nLocal students win Cox scholarship money<\/h3>\n
\nOrchids & Onions nominations begins<\/h3>\n
\nPlay it Again Sports opens in La Mesa<\/h3>\n
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