Hometown News Since 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CIV, NO. XXXVI
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
COMMUNITY
EDUCATION
Doing What They Love
AUSD to Apply for Elementary School Waiver
For past 25 years, Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County has been helping children By BRIAN WILLIAMS brian@atascaderonews.com
T
he Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County is celebrating 25 years as a chapter. For a quarter of a century now, its members have been doing something they love — helping children. “We had a wonderful group of women in the Guild, who worked as a ‘team’ with the sole purpose of forming Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County,” said founding board member Barbie Butz, of Atascadero. “Now, here we are 25 years later, looking back at our chapter and thanking you for your membership and for believing in what we do for our communities and our children.” Butz was the SLO chapter’s first president, serving in that capacity for nearly three months. It received chapter status in March of 1996. Assistance League of SLO County’s roots go back to 1991 when it was first a “Guild.” On Nov. 21, 1991, the Assistance Guild of San Luis Obispo County, a future chapter of the National Assistance League, was formed with 32 active members from
PRESERVATION
Extra- and co-curricular activities expected to return Oct. 5
throughout the county. The first board of directors of the Guild included President Caroline Craven, Vice President Membership Kathy Metcalf, Vice President Philanthropic Projects Linda Breshears, Assistant Vice President Philanthropic Projects Butz, Vice President Fundraising Claryce Knupper, Corresponding Secretary Camilla Colgrave, Recording Secretary Gladys Fiske, Treasurer Bonnie Gromacki, and Guild Liaison Anne Slocum. Craven was Guild president for two years — 1991-92 and 1992-93, Fiske followed in 1993-94, and Butz was president in 199495 and 1995-96. “During the 5 years of building the chapter, we met in private homes, the school cafeteria at Teach School, the San Luis Obispo Library, Pacific Kitchen and Bath (owned by the Metcalfs) where we sat on everything in the display room, including the demonstration toilets and bathtubs,” Butz said. Later on, they met at San Luis Jr. High and in the Board Room of the San Luis CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com
Kids received books and clothes during a past Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County’s Operation School Bell at Kohl’s in Paso Robles. Photo courtesy of ALSLOC
CHARITY
North County Womenade Donates Almost $30K To Local Families in 2020 By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com
Atascadero Rotary Donates $1,000 to Friends Of The Atascadero Lake By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com ATASCADERO — Thursday afternoon at the Lake Pavilion, the Atascadero Rotary handed a check for $1,000 as a donation to the Friends of the Atascadero Lake. Rotary member Don Giessinger presented the check to the six board members of Friends of Atascadero Lake that were in attendance to receive it. “The Atascadero Rotary Club is extremely happy to make a donation of $1,000 to the Atascadero Lake,” Giessinger said in his stateCONTINUED ON PAGE A15
EDUCATION
NORTH COUNTY — North County Womenade, a local nonprofit organization that raises money for local families that need financial assistance, has continued to serve the North County throughout the pandemic, donating nearly $30,000 in 2020. North County Womenade was founded in 2019 as a coalition of human service agencies, faith communities, and big-hearted people giving direct care to neighbors in critical need in the name of bringing the community closer together. The North County chapter comes from its predecessor’s spirit, Womenade in San Luis Obispo, founded in 2002 by local teacher Sandy Richardson. Richardson read an article in “Real Simple” magazine about physicians that wanted to help lower-income patients that couldn’t afford medical devices like wheelchairs, and the idea was born. Richardson began organizing potluck dinners, asking friends to bring $35 (or the cost of a meal out) with them to donate, and the seeds of Womenade were planted. After 16 years, Richardson retired in 2019 after helping with over a million dollars in donations and inspired more to continue the work she started. The San
COMMUNITY
North County Womenade members at a local potluck. Pictured from left to right: Marilyn Hamilton, Betsy Bloombaum, Michelle Blanc and Janelle Gorman. Back row: Teresa Baudanza and Carol Cook. Contributed photo
Luis Obispo Womenade often donated to people in need in the North County, which spawned the North County group in 2019. The name “Womenade” is a bit of a misnomer in that the organization helps everyone. Both men and women can submit requests to North County Womenade. The organization shared they could be rebranded soon with a more clear message. The nonprofit was founded by three local ladies, Michelle Blanc, a local nurse, Pastor Amy Beveridge of Bethel Lutheran
COVID UPDATE
Church, and Lisa Fraser, who works tirelessly for the underserved community with several organizations, including The Community Link and The Center For Family Strengthening. North County Womenade operates under the umbrella of the Center For Family “We started holding fundraisers and went out and got some grants as well as holding potlucks,” Blanc told The Atascadero News. And while Fraser has been able to help the group CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
DID YOU KNOW?
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees met Tuesday night, covering a broad spectrum of topics from the revised budget and cost of textbooks to the return of extra- and co-curricular activities. The board meeting opened with 21 different letters to the Board addressing several issues parents and students are having with distance learning, emphasizing reopening schools in the blended model the District presented before the Aug. 12 start date. “Thanks to all the parents that had their comments read tonight. We really appreciate your input and look forward to continuing to gather that input from all of you,” AUSD Superintendent Tom Butler said at the top of his report. “I want to thank you for continuing to advocate on behalf of your beliefs and your family values.” The Atascadero superintendent revisited the community’s comments after addressing the return of certain in-person services in his report. Butler covered various topics but began noting that there was a glitch in the most recent parent survey. While the District will not be able to use the data as several people were able to vote more than once, they did receive the comments attached and the requests for additional services and are currently working to help those families. The District will survey the parents again in the future. Wednesday, AUSD officially began providing in-person services to the most intensive special education students. “This is a positive step for us and will provide our highest need special education students with the support they need to be successful,” Butler said. “We are glad to start this gradually and will build out to address our most needy students.” While parents who want in-person teaching and the blended model will have to wait, CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
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WEATHER
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RALLY TO OPEN SCHOOLS in Paso Robles calls for faceto-face instruction | A3
WOMEN’S LEGACY FUND to host 18th Annual ‘Invest in Her’ event virtually | A4
DR. PENNY BORENSTEIN reiterates the importance of continual testing | A5
TEXAS LONGHORN CATTLE along Highway 101 finally get their story told | A13
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