The 5^th Annual Oakland Indie Awards were a smashing success! On May 13^th, Oaklanders honored local artists and small businesses at the Indie Awards. Check out photos of the event at http://www.flickr.com/photos/onepacificcoast. The Oakland Indie Awards encourages people to recognize the community, economic, environmental, and political impact of supporting Oakland’s locally-owned businesses and artists instead of chain stores. It also provides rare opportunities for recognition for the small businesses and artists that make Oakland such a wonderful, creative place. Finally, it’s a chance for Oaklanders to just celebrate Oakland by enjoying Oakland food, wine, chocolate and music.

Congratulations to the Indie Awards winners:

• Business Greenie Award – The Rising Loafer Café & Bakery

• Artist Greenie Award - Jamie Vaida

• Pillars – Montclair Vet Hospital & Give Something Back

• Innovative Newbie – Back to the Roots Ventures

• Ripple Effect – Mandela Foods Co-operative

• Socially Responsible Rockstar – Karen’s Flowers

This event would not have been possible without the support of our committed sponsors including: Mattmar Group, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass, Uptown Apartments, Dan Carroll and Stasia Obremskey, Pete Higgins and Leslie Magid, Blue Heron Catering Company, SuperPrint, Exploratorium, Jack London Square, California Waste Solutions, First Solar, YMCA of the East Bay, City of Oakland, Urban Legends Winery, East Bay Community Foundation, Ron Beller and Jennifer Moses Family Foundation, Bay Area Derby Girls, Oakland Outlaws, AnewAmerica, Kipp and Sara Howard, Nancy Neel, and Bruce and Susan Kelley.

UrbanFire is offering a unique opportunity to help you create your business plan with the The 5-Finger MBA (Micro Business Accelerator). In the 5-Finger MBA (formerly Launch Pad) program, you’ll spend four Saturdays from 9am to 1pm from September 10th to October 1st answering a series of questions in an environment to help you concentrate.

If you’ve procrastinated or dreaded the thought of writing a business plan, this process is ideal for you! For one thing: there’s very little writing. The four hours are broken into four segments, each geared to stimulate your creativity, improve your answers and organize the five most important areas that create successful businesses. Your final product will be visual and easier to execute into reality.

You must have a serious business concept developed or have recently launched a new business. Graduation from an entrepreneurship program, business school or experience in the field of your business is helpful. You must have a passion for what you do. For more information or to sign up for the program, visit www.urbanfire.org.

How to Stand Out From The Rest

Being prepared for a job search campaign increases your chances of success. Join us for a discussion on how to deal with the various aspects of the job search including resume writing, job interviewing, thank you letters, and ultimately, entertaining job offers.

Bethany Eggman brings 7 years of experience educating children and adults about various financial topics. For the past 9 years she has worked at a credit union where she teaches employees and credit union members about financial topics. Bethany has obtained two Master’s Degrees in Education, both focused on teaching adults.

Please sign up by emailing ywmoney@ywca-berkeley.org with RSVP 9/20 in the Subject line and your full name in the body of the email. 

Free!!!
Monday September 20, 2010 6:00pm - 7:30pm
YWCA Berkeley / Oakland
2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA. 94704
Tel: 510.848.6370;
E-Mail: ywmoney@ywca-berkeley.org
Website: www.ywca-berkeley.org

Pro Arts is hosting its Annual Gala this Thursday, June 3rd, from 6-8 PM.  Come check out their new location and enjoy live entertainment, music, great food, and inspired art!  Tickets and more information are available on the Pro Arts website: http://www.proartsgallery.org/ebos/event.php

On June 23rd, leaders in asset-building and anti-poverty organizations worked together with leaders in public health agencies to host a one-day symposium on the growing connection between socio-economic status and health.  This coalition of organizations, the Health-Wealth Connection Collaborative (HWCC), hopes that the symposium will launch a new movement for health and wealth equity in the Bay Area.  The HWCC’s goals are to create a shift in how organizations, specifically those that work to alleviate poverty, and public health officials think about health and the causes of poor health, as well as to provide the structure for said organizations and officials to come together to make the connections between health and wealth building disciplines.  In providing this structure, the Health-Wealth Connection Collaborative aims to propose solutions and formulate action steps for closing the health-wealth gap.

The coalition’s first event, the Health-Wealth Symposium, was its first step in realizing its objectives.  The symposium brought together individuals from health, social service, and financial asset building organizations; public and elected officials; businesses; financial institutions; and the coalition’s funders.  Guests listened to panel presentations on cutting-edge research about health-wealth efforts and outcomes and participated in small group discussions about the topics presented by the guest speakers.  In the morning, participants discussed the issues their organizations faced when promoting health and wealth so that they could learn from each other about ways to better present this information.  In the afternoon, participants brainstormed actions to begin to make positive changes.  Participants noted the commitment they all had to their work in either the health or wealth industries but that all were very eager to engage and learn from those working in other fields.

The symposium focused on cross-organizational learning and sharing as well as collective brainstorming and ended on a positive, forward-looking note.  Participants left energized to apply new strategies and ideas to their own work and to continue the conversation of the health-wealth disparity in our nation.

For more information on the Health Wealth Connection Collaborative and information from the symposium, visit the collaborative’s website.

Not only did OneCalifornia Bank win a Best of the East Bay Award, but so did some of our Oakland Unwrapped members!  Congratulations to our fellow Best of the East Bay Winners on Oakland Unwrapped!

Oakland Museum of CA: Best Face Lift

Oaklandish: Best Locally Made Kids’ Products; Reader’s Poll: Best Locally Made Products; Reader’s Poll: Best Men’s Clothing; Reader’s Poll: Best T-Shirts

Pendragon Books: Reader’s Poll: Best Book Store

Pro Arts Gallery: Reader’s Poll: Best Arts Organization

Yoshi’s Jazz Club: Most Balanced Kid’s Meal

Check out these and other winners at the Best of the East Bay Party on August 6th in Jack London Square!

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Art and Soul, Oakland’s live music and art festival in downtown Oakland.  The event takes place on Saturday, August 21st and Sunday, August 22nd.  This year’s lineup features well known groups, including Cake, MC Hammer, En Vouge, Tony! Toni! Toné! as well as local East Bay talent.  The event also features a Family Fun Zone for kids, art and artistic creations for purchase, lots of yummy food, and more!  Tickets are available for purchase online.  To purchase tickets and find out more information, check out their website here.

The Rockridge District Association is pleased to bring you “Rockridge Out & About” on Sunday, September 26th.  This event will showcase the best of the Rockridge and North Oakland neighborhoods, including local businesses–from boutiques to restaurants to book stores and more–as well as health forums, live music and dancing, cooking demonstrations, children activities, a fashion show, and more!  For more information, visit their website.

Last year’s Eat Real Festival was a huge hit, featuring local food, street food, homemade ice cream, local beer and wine, presentations, music, and more.  If you weren’t able to make it last year, be sure to check it out this year!  The event runs from Friday, August 27th to Sunday, August 29th and features local food from around the Bay.  For details, visit their website.

New this year is Saturday’s Eat Real Bike Tour!  From 12-4:30, peddle along Oakland’s waterfront, meet local culinary artists, and sample their creations.  Tastings will be at Linden Street Brewery, Numi Teas, Vice Chocolates, and Urban Legend Cellars.  To purchase a ticket and find out more information, visit http://hesternet.net/events.html

The OneCalifornia Foundation staff continues to search for fun and unique items listed on Oakland Unwrapped!  Here are some of our favorites for the month of July:

Shea Butter Cream from Skincare by Feleciai

This smooth shea butter cream scented with lemon, orange and notes of sweet basil is a must have.  Skincare by Feleciai is all natural and handcrafted with love in Oakland.

Glass Pendant from Bridgland Studios

Check out this beautiful orange, purple, and pink disk from Bridgland Studios.  The color selection is unique with a striking result and the design is gorgeous.

Memberships at Chabot Space & Science Center

Searching for something fun to do this weekend? Visit Chabot Space & Science Center, which hosts events and exhibitions for people of all ages. And don’t forget to visit the observatory-in the afternoon, you can view the sun, moon, or Venus from the telescopes, and at night, your view of the sky is spectacular. Families looking for a fun outdoor adventure should check out the new family/group overnight event, Slumber with the Stars.  Memberships are available at the Center and online.

Find these and other cool items on Oakland Unwrapped!