Presented by: Dianne McCutchan, NSC Consulting and Information Manager

This hands-on workshop clarifies elements of successful grants to strengthen and enhance your fundraising efforts. You will learn:
• How to clarify your message
• What donors expect
• Steps to creating professional proposals
• Strategies to obtain ongoing funding
• Effective stewardship of contributions

Through interactive exercises, participants will write and take away the basic elements of a grant proposal based on a project they are currently working on!

Tuesday, February 5
9:30 am – 4:30pm
First Bank of San Luis Obispo
Court Street Training Facility
997 Monterey Street, Third Floor, SLO

Fee: NSC Member $90 $80 if paid by February 1
Nonmember $170 $160 if paid by February 1
Member agencies may send additional participants for $60 each.

Dianne McCutchan is the Consulting and Information Manager at NSC. She returned to Santa Barbara in 2005 after having worked for a year and a half as Executive Director in Los Angeles. For 3 years she was Community Challenge Grant Project Coordinator for the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County, overseeing the implementation of a collaborative project with four grant program partners. While working as a member of the Grant Writing Team for Santa Barbara County Planning and Development in 1999, Dianne gained experience applying for Federal funds and managing grant application schedules. She taught at both Santa Barbara City College and Antioch University. Dianne earned her B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from UC San Diego and her M.A. in Ethnography from UCSB.

HEARTS Obispo 2’s expanded show and sale will be held this year in two different SLO Creamery locations including ARTS Space Obispo at 570 Higuera St., Suite 165, from January 22nd through February 14th.

This event benefits ARTS Obispo’s many community programs including Arts Curriculum Assistance, Open Studios Art Tour, ARTS Obispo News and Art After Dark. Proceeds from sales will be split 50/50 between participating artists and ARTS Obispo, a non-profit arts advocacy group that works to advance the arts in San Luis Obispo County. For more information call (805) 544-9251.

This class, for NSC members only, will teach how to use and optimize search efforts on the comprehensive, continually updated online databases of foundations for finding funding, available to members in NSC Resource Centers. Sessions include training on the Foundation Center Search Online Platinum version, GuideStar and other resources. The class is a prerequisite to using these resources at NSC.
Fee: $15 NSC Members Only
Registration and pre-payment are required.

Santa Maria
Community Cornerstone Center for Nonprofits
120 E. Jones Street
Workshop Maximum: 4
Wednesday, February 6
9:00 am – 11:00 am

The cast is made up of 30 local residents from ages 8 - 40 years old. Not only is this a great show, but included in the price of the ticket is all you can drink wine and cider, and an array of delicious desserts. Tickets are a minimum of $30 donation and are now available by calling 473-0377. The show runs from February 1st to February 16th with performances Friday and Saturday nights @ 8pm, there will also be 1 Thursday night performance on February 14th @ 8 pm. The Studio PLayers Theatre is located at 116 W. Brach St. in the Village of Arroyo Grande. Ticket reservations 473-0377.

Café Musique, a local acoustic quartet featuring violin, accordion and vocals, celebrates the release of their first CD, “The Dancer”, at two upcoming CD concerts in Los Osos and Cambria.

The first show will be in Los Osos on Saturday, February 9 at Trinity United Methodist Church at 4pm .

The second show will be in Cambria on Sunday, February 10 at Cambria Presbyterian Church at 3pm.

The Cambria show is also a Benefit Concert for the Cambria Children’s Music Scholarship Fund. The group features Brynn Albanese on violin, Duane Inglish on accordion, Craig Nuttycombe on vocals and guitar and Piper Heisig on vocals, bass, and percussion. Special guest Fred Murray will be joining the group on bass for both shows. More information may be found at www.cafemusique.org.

Saturday, February 9th 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM ~ Sunday, February 10th 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Come and Enjoy 22 Dealers of Antique Furniture, Glass, Jewelry, Art, Postcards & Collectibles Gift Baskets & Prize Drawings ~ Donation $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00 Tickets are available at the Door ~ Drawing held on Sunday at 4:00 PM Winner need not be present Show and Sale Admission ~ A $3.50 donation per person will benefit the Society's Museums.

Tickets available at the door. South County Regional Center, 800 W. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande, CA For more information visit our website at: www.SouthCountyHistory.org

Shown at the SLO City/Cty Library 995 Palm Street

The book Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle outlines a new way of life that can deliver twice the satisfaction for half the resources. What we eat, where we live, where we work, and what we buy are all topics of discussion, and all can be assets that build immunity to over-consumption. The book’s underlying theme is that current, unprecedented rates of consumption can’t and won’t continue. “Because of resource shortages, a reduced capacity of the environment to clean up after us, an epidemic of debt, a longing for meaning and purpose, and a deep-seated instinct for ecological stability, we’ll invent a joyfully moderate and culturally abundant lifestyle,” author David Wann writes.

For more info: www.davewann.com

Performing at this annual event will be the Wind Quintets, Trombone Choir, Clarinet Ensemble, Brass Quintets, Saxophone Quartets, Brass Choir, and Horn Ensemble.

Tickets are $8 and $10 and can be bought at the Performing Arts Ticket Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

To order tickets by phone, call 756-2787 (SLO-ARTS). A 10 percent discount is given to patrons who buy season tickets to four Music Department events through the Performing Arts Ticket office; a 15 percent discount is given on tickets to five or more events.

Tickets may also be purchased at the door the night of the concert.

For more information about the concert, contact the Cal Poly Music Department at 756-2406 or http://music.calpoly.edu. "A Night at the Mission" is sponsored by the Cal Poly Music Department, College of Liberal Arts and Instructionally Related Activities program.

Community Outreach
For those whose work includes reaching out to clients, volunteers, members, donors, or the community at large.

Topic: Effective Government Relations
Facilitator: Niki Sandoval, NSC Community Outreach Specialist Center
Guests: Courtney Kienow, District Representative, Assemblyman Sam Blakesle
Wednesday, February 13
8:30 am – 10:00 am
Community Cornerstone for Nonprofits
120 E. Jones St., Santa Maria

Organized by the Nonprofit Support Center and Cal Poly Continuing Education

Houston Jones, a quartet to sextet, featuring the stunning, left handed, upside down, acoustic and electric guitar playing of Glenn Houston and the golden tenor of Travis Jones (guitar), plus the double bass and harmony vocals of Chris Kee and the percussion and harmony vocals of Peter Tucker. When the eclectic fiddle and mandolin of Chojo Jacques joins them they have 3 of the 4 original Waybacks on stage. In some shows the piano and accordion of Henry Salvia are also added. Though all the band members are resident in the San Francisco Bay Area, they originate from all over the US and have about 180 years of collective professional music experience! Describing thier music as 'high energy Americana', they usually sizzle through a mix of blues, folk, country, bluegrass, Celtic, gospel, and jazz, mixing original material with the best from others. They now have 4 CDs out (three studio and one live) and two years ago stormed the main stage at the Strawberry Music Festival, where they were voted the best new band and Travis the best new vocalist. Last year they toured extensively, appearing at several major US festivals. They are surpassingly good, great fun to see live. They will be debuting material from their 4th CD, Calico Heart. http://www.houstonjones.com

Houston Jones is interviewed by Sonnie Brown on Public Radio KCBX at 3:00 pm.

Houston Jones, featuring the left handed, upside down, acoustic and electric guitar playing of Glenn Houston and the golden tenor of Travis Jones (guitar), the double bass and harmony vocals of Chris Kee and the percussion and harmony vocals of Peter Tucker. When the fiddle and mandolin of Chojo Jacques joins them they have 3 of the 4 original Waybacks on stage. In some shows the piano and accordion of Henry Salvia are also added. All the band members now reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, but are from all over the US and have about 180 years of collective professional music experience! Describing thier music as 'high energy Americana', they sizzle through a mix of blues, folk, country, bluegrass, Celtic, gospel, and jazz, mixing original material with the best from others. Great fun to see live! Hear them debut material from their 4th CD, Calico Heart. www.houstonjones.com

Most of the world's population now lives in cities. Will these rapidly growing centers of human life be sustainably designed cities, or out of control slums?

Join Santa Barbara Permaculture Network as we explore the future of cities with three films that suggest the possibility of cities that are not only sustainable, but a joy and inspiration to live in.

Modern cities have been designed for cars, and have the potential of grinding to a halt without oil as a cheap resource. Life threatening global environmental problems mandate rethinking how we design our cities in balance with living systems.

Films to be shown: ECOCITY World Summit, 7th International Ecocity Conference Preview: Short film promoting upcoming Ecocity Conference in San Francisco, CA, with speakers from past and future conferences, including 2008 keynote speaker, Jaime Lerner, former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil. A Convenient Truth, Urban Solutions from Curitiba Brazil: A documentary sharing ideas to provoke environmental-friendly and cost-effective changes in cities worldwide, focusing on transportation, recycling, water harvesting, ecological urban parks, and social strategies for affordable housing, that transformed Curitiba into one of the most livable cities in the world. Learn the story of Mayor Jaime Lerner as he instigated a city and its planners to move forward to innovative sustainable city design more than 30 years ago. City Repair: Visionary architect Mark Lakeman discusses the movement that inspired and guides the grid structure of a typical American city into a vital social commons with Portland's City Repair Project (www.cityrepair.org).

Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA, on Thursday, February, 21 at 7pm for a donation of $5

Katherine Arthur, soprano, and Susan Azaret Davies, piano, will perform two famous works: Aaron Copland’s “Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson” and Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.” Songs composed by Cal Poly faculty member Kenneth S. Habib, set to poems by E.E. Cummings, will also be performed.

The “Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson” was Copland’s first major vocal piece, and some consider it one of the great song cycles of the 20th century. Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915," set to excerpts from James Agee's poem, is a nostalgic look at Agee's native Knoxville, Tenn. The work depicts an evening in the American South, narrated by a child who seems, at times, to transform into an adult. Both parts are sung solo soprano.

Habib's “Poems of E.E. Cummings” is a cycle of eight poems that have been arranged in pairs. The opening pair is from “Chansons Innocentes.”

Tickets are $10 for the public and $8 for seniors and students. A 10 percent discount is given to patrons who buy season tickets to four Music Department events through the Performing Arts Ticket office; a 15 percent discount is given on tickets to five or more events. They are on sale at the Performing Arts Ticket Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

These performances are presented by the Cal Poly jazz ensembles at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, in Harman Hall at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly. Tickets for the concert are $12 and $15 for the public, $10 and $13 for senior citizens and Jazz Federation members, and $6 and $10 for students. They are on sale at the Performing Arts Ticket Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. To order by phone, call SLO- ARTS (756-2787).

Patrons who buy season tickets to four Music Department events through the Performing Arts Ticket office will receive a 10 percent discount; a 15 percent discount is given to those who buy tickets to five or more events.

The concert is sponsored by Cal Poly's Music Department, College of Liberal Arts and Instructionally Related Activities program. For more information, call the Music Department at 756-2406.

San Luis Obispo
Guest: Janice Fong Wolf, Director of Grants, SLO County Community Foundation
Facilitated by: Maria Fabula, NSC Regional Manager
Wednesday, February 27
8am to 9:30am
Coast National Bank Community Room
500 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo
Refreshments generously provided by Coast National Bank

The Mike Raynor Group is Jacob Odell on Guitar, Dylan Johnson on Bass and Mike Raynor on Drums. To view featured Artists and full schedule go to www.myspace.com/mikeraynorgroup

Here is a little about Kathleen Grace: What happens when an artist fuses the harmonic beauty of jazz with the lyrical power of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell? The answer is found in the music of Kathleen Grace. Hailed as one of the most exciting newcomers on the scene today, Grace is blessed with a sound as pure as a bell ringing. Her crystalline delivery captivates her audience whether she is singing an American classic or an award-winning original.

"After a glowing recommendation from Chris Vognar, I decided to make a getaway to the Elephant Room Friday night. I got there just in time to see the Kathleen Grace Band. The music was absolutely lovely. I kept trying to think of a word to describe the Los Angeles jazz vocalist whose voice is mellow and pure. The title of her new CD captured the description perfectly: Songbird." - Tracy Brown, Dallas Morning News

Following up her critically acclaimed debut CD, Sunrise (2005), Kathleen Grace has now embarked on an eclectic musical project, The Kathleen Grace Band. Their first recording, Songbird, is on the Monsoon label.