Chamber Recognizes Local Leaders for Outstanding Community Contributions

​At its July 17th Award & Recognition Luncheon, the Oceanside Chamber recognized several chamber members for their outstanding contributions to our community. The event took place at the El Camino Country Club in Oceanside, with over 160 attendees. In addition to recognizing the “member anniversaries” of dozens of businesses, the Chamber honored six awardees that have served the community in a variety of capacities.

Honorees were as follows: Small Business of the Year: Sew O’side; Non-profit of the Year: Solutions for Change; Military Service Partner of the Year: USO Camp Pendleton; Arts & Culture Partner of the Year: Oceanside Friends of the Arts; Corporate Citizen of the Year: Tri-City Medical Center; and Oceanside Chamber Citizen of the Year: Marva Bledsoe

The Chamber also recognized three of its major partners, Tri-City Medical Center, Genentech and Frontwave Credit Union for their “extraordinary contribution of time, talent and treasure to the mission of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce.”
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Here’s a look at our winners:

Small Business of the Year: Sew O’side

In 2011, Amanda Gerard started her own business, Kylie’s Closet, a handmade clothing boutique for both children and adults. As a then mobile business, she attended many Chamber events to promote her unique products and to build valuable business connections.
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In 2018, Amanda took the leap and opened her first storefront in Oceanside, a shared space with a fellow Chamber member. As customer interests and orders grew, so did her business. Amanda began to offer sewing classes to locals looking for a unique, hands-on experience. She decided to open her own separate shop not far from her original spot, a now 1,700 sqft location called Sew O’side. Sew O’side houses her original Kylie’s Closet brand and also offers sewing classes, sewing camps and project workshops. Due to her focus on education, Amanda established partnerships with local schools to provide a special opportunity for students to take her classes in exchange for class credit. She continues to stand as a strong pillar in our business community, providing advice to and resources for fellow small business owners.

Non-profit of the Year: Solutions for Change

Solutions for Change is dedicated to solving family homelessness permanently – one family, one community at a time -- by helping disadvantaged, underserved families break the cycle of poverty. They have a unique model that blends affordable housing, educational opportunities, employment training and health-related solutions to help families gain permanent independence. Using a 1,000-day personal development academy, Solutions for Change rewrites futures for homeless families through case management, counseling, structured classes and workforce training, giving them the tools needed to secure jobs and maintain self-sufficiency.
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The impact is significant: upon program completion, all participants find livable wage jobs, and eliminate their dependence on government subsidies empowering them to provide for their families and become active, contributing members of their communities. Since 1999, Solutions has helped over 950 families and 2,400 children out of homeless.

Military Service Partner of the Year: USO Camp Pendleton

Long before the USO on Camp Pendleton officially opened, Center Director, Ann Jarvis, stood at the forefront of our military outreach efforts. For the past two years, Ann and her team have been important supporters of the Chamber’s annual Armed Forces Day Operation Appreciation event. The USO has also been a collaborative partner through their willingness to share valuable resources with fellow members at our Military Affairs Forums and at briefings for our Military Mentorship Program.
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In March of 2019, the USO opened its center on Camp Pendleton. The new center includes both offices for USO staff and a space for Marines and their families to gather. It is equipped with computers and laptops, wi-fi, gaming systems, refreshments, a lounge area, and more. The center continues to serve over 35,000 military families, providing live entertainment, donations and other resources at events ranging from military homecomings to holiday parties, even baby showers. With their new space the USO can continue to grow and provide a multitude of programs, resources and services to support military personnel and their families.

Arts & Culture Partner of the Year: Oceanside Friends of the Arts

The First Friday Art Walk Oceanside has expanded significantly since it was restarted in March of 2017 under the new direction of the Oceanside Friends of the Arts.
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The Oceanside Friends of the Arts, a Non-Profit 501c3 Foundation, was established in 2016 with the goal of promoting Oceanside and surrounding communities as an important arts, culture, entertainment and tourism destination that catalyzes economic prosperity and a high quality of life for Oceanside’s future. The Oceanside Cultural District was recently selected as one of California’s 14, premier state-designated cultural districts by the California Arts Council. The California Cultural Districts program aims to leverage the state’s artistic and cultural assets. Fundraising proceeds will go to support First Friday Art Walk and scholarships for high school graduates to further their art education.

Corporate Citizen of the Year: Tri-City Medical Center 

Since 1961, Tri-City Healthcare District has delivered high quality care while living their mission to advance the health and wellness of the communities they serve. As a community partner, Tri-City dedicates tremendous financial and in-kind resources to meet priority health needs in our community like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, as well as those social issues that impact health outcomes, also known as social determinants of health. Tri-City leverages research from the regional hospital association to guide those activities, and has made measurable advancements by partnering with local non-profits focused on food insecurity, access to care, homelessness, education, and poverty.

Oceanside Chamber Citizen of the Year: Marva Bledsoe

When Marva Bledsoe arrived in Oceanside in 1978, it did not take long for her to become joined to a cause that she would champion for decades. Marva came to Oceanside with her two small children Kirk and Katie. She supported herself and family working as a Tupperware manager, as an area advisor for the Times Advocate, and then working for Action Realty.

Four decades ago she became involved with the Women’s Resource Center, a rape crisis center founded in 1974. Marva was committed to advocating for women in crisis and in April of 1980 she became WRC’s CEO. At the time there were only two women’s shelters in San Diego County.
Marva was moved to action by the inequities of an unbalanced system, and being a mother herself was a driving force for her activism. Under Marva’s leadership WRC started working with the perpetrators of domestic violence in order to end the cycle of abuse. In 1988 Marva Bledsoe became President of the Oceanside Chamber, a role few women had filled. Even with her heavy workload and commitments, Marva kept busy as a fulltime mother, focused on her commitment to raising her children as good and responsible citizens.

While she has just retired as CEO from WRC, she will remain on its Board and active in Oceanside. Marva serves on the Oceanside Charitable Foundation, the Oceanside Chamber’s Business and Community Political Action Committee (BACPAC) and the Health and Human Services Advisory Committee for Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath.

Marva leaves the organization she has worked for and supported 40 years on solid ground. It is respected, it has contributed to the community and it has saved a lot of lives.

The following Chamber members were recognized for their longtime support of the Chamber’s Mission to “stimulate economic prosperity and foster a vibrant community.”

5 Year Anniversaries

Quarry Creek Dental Group
Anything But Ordinary Catering
Shopoff Realty Investments, L.P.
Oceanside Broiler The Eisendrath Team - Richard Eisendrath
Rotary Club of El Camino
Real Harcourts Sand and Sea Properties
Buffalo Wild Wings
All Day Heating and Air Conditioning
San Diego Coffee, Tea & Spice, Inc
Brookdale Carlsbad Kaiser Permanente – Oceanside
Senior Care Options
Frazier Farms Oceanside
Stratford at the Harbor
Paradise Falls
Pierview Properties Real Estate
Tri-City Hospital Foundation
Goat Hill Park
Elements Massage
Bread of Life
Rescue Mission Shaklee Distributor - Richard Fox
LTH & Kitchen
Jorge Alonso Auto Repair Services
101 Bagels & Subs
Coast Compounding Pharmacy
Walmart #5637 Neighborhood Market

10 Year Anniversaries

Oceanside Transmission, Inc.
Hot 2 Pop Kettle Corn / Finest City Kettlecorn
MailingList.org
Motel 6 #679
Holiday Inn Oceanside Marina - MCB Camp Pendleton Area
Oceanside Security Agency
AFLAC - Bob Waite
Coleman & Coleman Advanced Dentistry
T-Shirt Factory/On Track Printing
Copy Link, Inc.

15 Year Anniversaries

Angelo's Burgers
La Quinta Inn Oceanside
Walmart #5075
Stirling Development
Wells Fargo Bank (Oceanside/Hwy 78)
San Diego North Economic Development Council
North County Transit District
Security Public Storage
Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort
Elizabeth J. Graff

20 Year Anniversaries

Nana And Pop Pop's Sweet Shop
Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina
Automobile Club Of Southern California
Stater Bros. Markets #150
Stater Bros. Markets #151
Comfort Suites Marina
North San Diego SBDC

25 Year Anniversaries

Oceanside Marina Suites at Oceanside Harbor
MHS Family Recovery Center
Real Property Management
Pacific Coast Real Estate - Doug Thompson
Mclain Properties
Oceanside Unified School District

30 Year Anniversaries

Mission Animal & Bird Hospital Pacific Animal Hospital

35 Year Anniversaries

Richard's Mobile Tire Service
Oceanside Sea Lions Club Harbor Fish & Chips
Manheim San Diego Auto Auction, Inc.

40 Year Anniversary

Waste Management of North County

60 Year Anniversary

El Camino Country Club

70 Year Anniversary

Greenman, Lacy, Klein, Hinds, Weiser

75 Year Anniversary

Cramer Jackson

80 Year Anniversary

Mary Steiger