Century 21 needs your clothing donations for a great cause. San Diego residents can drop off their unwanted clothing and accessories at the Century 21 Horizon office in San Diego to benefit people with disabilities like autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy who are receiving services at Easter Seals Southern California.
From now until Nov. 1, donations of gently worn and clean clothing and shoes can be taken to 4134 Adams Ave., Unit 101. Clothing for children and infants is greatly needed. All donations are tax-deductible.
Then on Sunday, Nov. 14, agents will host a rummage sale at the corner of Adams Avenue and Marlborough Drive where all donated items will be sold. All proceeds will go directly to local Easter Seals services.
For more information about the clothing drive or rummage sale, please contact Joe Carta at Century 21 Horizon at 619-280-5888.
"My team and I believe in Easter Seals and their mission to ensure that all people with disabilities have equal opportunities to live, learn, work and play in their communities," said Carta, Century 21 Horizon. "The clothing drive and rummage sale are a fun way for us to help out and make certain that our neighbors with disabilities continue to receive the quality services that they deserve."
Ray Lewis of Rancho Santa Fe and Robin Rond of Rancho Penasquitos were the top local fundraisers -- donating more than $35,000 between the two of them for blood cancer research and patient services -- making them the winners of this year's Man & Woman of the Year of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) San Diego Chapter.
During the 10-week fundraising period, the candidates were judged solely on their success in raising money to help LLS fund research to find cures and better therapies, and provide information and support to blood cancer patients and their families. Every dollar raised counts as one "vote." Lewis and Rond were the candidates with the most votes, and were awarded the title of 2009 Man & Woman of the Year. The candidates competed in honor of LLS's Boy & Girl of the Year, local children who are blood cancer survivors and sources of inspiration to others.
Mission Federal Credit Union, Junior Achievement, Cox Communications and Channel 4 San Diego have partnered to present the "I'm Thankful for My Teacher" campaign. The campaign is designed to give parents and children an opportunity to thank the teachers in their lives for their hard work, dedication, enthusiasm, support and willingness to go the extra mile for students and families throughout San Diego County.
During its initial year in 2008, the campaign exceeded all expectations with students sending in an impressive 4,000 thank-you messages to 600 teachers at 126 schools throughout San Diego County. The campaign also garnered two prestigious national and international awards from the Credit Union National Association for top community campaign, and a global Entrepreneurial Spirit award from the MetLife Foundation, which encourages implementation of the thank-you campaign in conjunction with Junior Achievement chapters throughout the United States and globally.
To participate, the public is encouraged to stop by any Mission Federal Credit Union branch or any Cox store through Nov. 25, to pick up, fill out and drop off a thank-you note that prompts parents and children to fill out "why they are thankful for their teacher." The contest is open to children in kindergarten through grade 12, who attend any public, private or home school located within the borders of San Diego County. At the end of the campaign, Junior Achievement staff and volunteers will tally the results and deliver all thank-you notes to teachers throughout the San Diego region, for additional recognition for our teachers.
Rewards will be given to winning teachers and their students; teachers will be notified the week of Jan. 5.
Supermarket partners Ralphs and Food 4 Less announced that they have raised $168,165.33 to support children's hospitals in the communities the chain stores serve during the summer fundraising program at their stores.
Ralphs and Food 4 Less will donate the funds to top children's hospitals and medical centers focused on children's health needs in California, Southern Nevada and Illinois.
Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego has been awarded $25,000.
On Saturday, join the San Diego River Park Foundation as it reaches a major milestone -- removing the one millionth pound of trash from the river.
The group will meet on the frontage road along the river and walk over to an area of the Mission Valley Preserve near I-5. To get to this point, drive along Sea World Drive to the South Shores intersection. Turn toward the river and then left at the frontage road. Drive almost to the end of the road for the check-in site.
This milestone could not have been reached without the thousands of volunteers who have joined the foundation for a river clean-up. The group has now passed 3,000 members, with 12,000 volunteer hours organized.
A star-studded lineup of celebrities, researchers and members of the Southern California business community will gather for the "To Save A Child's Heart" gala, a fundraising event for Kawasaki disease research, on Saturday, Nov. 7, at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.
Attendees, including parents of children with Kawasaki Disease (KD), will celebrate advances in the diagnosis and treatment of KD and honor and recognize those who have made a difference in children's health.
A key highlight of the evening will feature a special presentation by KD Foundation President Greg Chin to KD discoverer Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki, Rady Children's Hospital and UCSD's Dr. Jane C. Burns.
This cocktail-attire, red carpet event begins at 5:30 p.m. with delicious food, cocktails, and both live and silent auctions. General tickets start at $200 per person. To purchase tickets, contact Comischell Rodriguez at 858-205-3113 or comischell@aol.com. For more information, visit KDFoundation.org.
The Foundation for the Children of the Californias is hosting its annual fundraising gala, "Doin' Downtown 2009" -- a benefit for the children of Hospital Infantil de las Californias -- this Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Emceed by Alejandra Gaxiola, Televisa news anchor, guests will enjoy live entertainment provided by the Salvation Army Youth Percussion Ensemble, The Monarch School Steel Drum Band, Dancin' to New York Beat and Kevin Viner Magic. One hundred percent of the donations will benefit the Cleft Lip and Palate Surgical Program at the Hospital Infantil de las Californias.
The gala will be held at the Omni San Diego Hotel, 675 L St., San Diego. For more information, visit usfcc.org.
Peter Ballantyne of Clairemont has been awarded the 2009 Robert Metz Award, presented by the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club to honor a volunteer who uses his or her talents with exceptional spirit and attitude in producing the annual La Jolla Festival of the Arts.
"Peter gave an extraordinary amount of his time and expertise to the festival," said festival chair, Ronn Rohe, "and fully involved his sons, Liam and Lloyd, instilling in them the importance, satisfaction and fun of community service."
Ballantyne has been associated with the Festival for nearly 10 years in entertainment and site management functions and has served as president of the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club. The La Jolla Festival of the Arts is approaching its third decade, having started as a small fundraiser for the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club. The once small festival has now blossomed into a much-anticipated regional event that raises tens of thousands of dollars for disabled persons throughout San Diego.
