Bay Area Green Tours is hosting its second Farm to Fork tour of the season on August 15th.

We at OneCalifornia Bank are excited to announce that we are leaders in providing SBA loans to Bay Area small businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.  Thanks to our SBA team, led by Robert Gebauer, the amount of lending for our small size and young age is amazing.

 In the first nine months of the fiscal year 2010, out of the 80 banks in the San Francisco SBA District Office, OneCalifornia Bank was 6th in terms of number of loans and 10th in number of dollars lent for the nine month period between October 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010*. We generated a total of $5.75 million in loans during this time. In fact, we lent more dollars than Citibank, Bank of America, Bank of the West, and JPMorgan Chase in this district.  Pretty impressive considering we’ve only been around for 3 years and their assets are on substantially larger than ours!  We look forward to having them join us in increasing the amount of loans being made to our local small businesses.

We are proud to be able to help many businesses in stay in operation (and grow!) during hard times, and in turn help retain and create jobs in our local community.  This is what our work is all about - strengthening our local economy to benefit community members of all income levels, races and walks of life.  You support our clients every day without knowing it, from a Hispanic bakery in San Pablo to a recycling retail business in Oakland, to a restaurant in San Francisco.  Thank you for supporting us in this work!

For enlightening facts about how small banks across the country are helping our communities, see this article in last month’s newsletter.

*for 7a loans

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.

Want to make social media work for your business?  The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is continuing its series of workshops this summer on social media and what it can do to help generate more interest in your business.  The third of five workshops is entitled “How to Effectively Market Your Business Against Larger Competitors Using Social Media.”  This workshop will focus on how to develop effective messaging and proven social media techniques that will deliver the greatest return for your marketing dollar.  The workshop takes place on Thursday, August 19th, from 8 AM-10 AM.  For more information and to register, check out the Chamber’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.

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!

The Consumer Credit Counseling Services of San Francisco host a number of free financial education workshops every month that cover a multitude of financial-related topics.  From better money management to information for first time home buyers, there is a lot of useful and relevant information presented in these workshops and worth checking out.  Workshops are free, but you do have to RSVP to save a spot in the workshop.  For more information, check out the CCCS website.