Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego Weekly Announcements January 17, 2006

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Next Meeting Our next general meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 6:30 pm at Kansas City BBQ, 610 W. Market Street, Downtown San Diego. Our guest speaker tonight will be Dr. Suresh Subramanian, the Executive Director of the Power of Love Foundation. Check out the details below. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Guest Speaker: Dr. Suresh Subramanian January 17 (Tuesday) 6:30 pm Kansas City BBQ Our guest speaker at the next general meeting is going to be Suresh Subramanian, Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Power of Love Foundation and member of the board of the Global AIDS Alliance. The Power of Love Foundation is active in the struggle against AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and seeks to increase effectiveness of prevention of the disease. Before co-founding the organization, Suresh spent many years in management positions in the high-tech industry. The Power of Love Foundation is a US non-profit that was officially founded in 2002 by Suresh Subramanian, Alka Subramanian and Ellen Furnari to develop community responses to the AIDS crisis in Africa. For some years, the founders had been traveling to and funding programs in Kenya and Zambia independently. They found two significant problems that moved them to action. First, while the fight against the AIDS epidemic was being fought in the communities, little funding was going there. Second, what little funding was going to community AIDS relief organizations was most often needed to fulfill immediate on-the-ground requirements. Little flexibility existed within these organizations to design and test new, potentially more effective models of response. The founders believed that by utilizing technology and business processes appropriately to build creative solutions, a great opportunity existed to increase the output of care from each dollar donated. By increasing the output, more funding could be attracted to communities. Their mission is: To turn back the tide of the global AIDS epidemic through innovative community responses that increase the effectiveness of prevention and care efforts. Their vision is: A world where the AIDS epidemic is in continuous retreat and people living with HIV have access to loving care and treatment in an environment free of stigma and discrimination.

Holiday Party Recap The Rotaract White Elephant Holiday Party went down on December 17, 2005 and man, was that a good time or what!?!? For those who didn't make it, let us say you guys missed a heck of a party. The White Elephant exchange saw everything from 42-inch Walking Dolls with Budweiser holsters to a number of unmentionable (at least in this newsletter) adult-oriented items. Everyone had a great time, between the gifts, the roaring firepit, the dance floor and, of course, the people. Don't miss the next one - you'll be glad you took our advice! To view more Rotaract pictures click here.

Rotaract's Tijuana Homebuilding Inspires Donations Every October, the Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego crosses the international border into our neighboring Tijuana to build two or three homes for families without. We get up early, get home late, get our fingers dirty and at the end of the day are proud yet humble to welcome a family into their new home. Each trip we make, members are continuously blown away by how much we in turn are touched through giving back. This truly is a culmination of Rotaract's ideals as it touches upon international understanding and outreach, community service, and fundraising efforts. Monies are gathered throughout the year through various means: our 'Bitches and Brags' donations every week, half of our football playoff squares donations and through generous contributors. It is amazing how through this event, year after year, we as a community are inspired. This year, we are grateful to have inspired two people to give of their funds to help support this cause. We are very excited and thankful to recognize Meryl Miller and Rich Talbert for their generosity in donating funds to build an entire home in Tijuana this year! Watch for a 'Thank You' card this week at our meeting!

Whale Watching Tour January 28 (Saturday) Noon Dana Point Landing Arrrrh! Come aboard, before we get to keelhaulin' ya. We be going on a whale watching tour, mateys! That's right, it's Grey Whale season, as they make their migration to the warm waters of the Southern Pacific to calve their young. Dana Point is our launch point to see these incredible animals make this amazing journey through our local waters. The plan is meet up at Dana Point Landing on January 28, 2006 (Saturday) for the 12:00 pm whale watching cruise. Ticket cost is $25/person. Click here for details. I would recommend purchasing your tickets online ahead of time, to be sure that there will be space. I would also recommend getting there by 11:30 am to make sure you get on in time. It's a two hour cruise. Be sure to bring warm clothes, sunglasses, sunblock, binoculars and a camera. Look for the evite with these details and a bit more, shortly...

Danielle Esposito to Be New Fundraising Chair The Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego is excited to welcome Danielle Esposito to our 2005-2006 Rotaract Board as our new Fundraising Chair! Danielle was instrumental in our Jazz for Juvenile Diabetes 2005 event and is looking forward to maximizing our contributions for Ace of Hearts, which is our fundraiser in May. Please congratulate Danielle as she takes on this board position and leads us in our 2006 fundraising ventures!

Bridging the World – Rotaract Preconvention Meeting 2006 June 08-11 Malmö, Sweden & Copenhagen, Denmark For the first time in the history of Rotary International the annual world conference will take place in Scandinavia and will be a joint conference in Sweden and Denmark! This year Rotaract is invited to take an active part. The theme is "Bridging the World" – a bridge between countries and cultures and a bridge within the Rotary family. It is with great pleasure we invite you to join Rotaract Preconvention on June 8th-11th and the Rotary International Convention 2006 June 11th-14th in Beautiful Malmö and Wonderful Copenhagen. The Preconvention 2006 offers a variety of educational events including vocational workshops, inspirational speeches and company visits. The social highlights will include welcome party, an International Night, sightseeing and of course a traditional Grand Gala. Along with the educational and social events, Preconvention is an opportunity to experience fellowship with other Rotaractors, lots of interaction and of course to experience what a Rotary International Convention is all about. The setting is Scandinavia, home of Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren – the place of fairytales! See the Little Mermaid, the many castles and perhaps meet the Royal families of Sweden and Denmark! Don’t miss the new concept of Home hosting B&B! Rotaractors from Denmark and Sweden open up their homes for our foreign guest during the Convention days June 11th–14th. This is the chance for you to experience the Danish concept of “hygge” (having a great time) and of course experience true international Rotaract fellowship! At www.rotaract.se/preconvention2006/ you can find more information about the social programme for Preconvention 2006, accommodation and of course register for this once in a lifetime event! To register for the Preconvention meetings on June 9th-10th please visit www.rotary.org. Please notice that the cheapest price is with registration for the social programme before January 31st 2006 and for the Preconvention, December 31st 2005. We are looking forward to see you in Beautiful Malmö and Wonderful Copenhagen, June 2006. Best Regards, Anders Forslund & Kristine Binzer Chairmen of the Rotaract Preconvention Committee

Senior Center 2nd Saturday of each month Volunteers (2-3) are needed the 2nd Saturday of each month from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm to help serve lunch at the Senior Center Downtown. Please contact Miguel for details and availability.

Downtown San Diego Breakfast Rotary Meeting The Downtown San Diego Breakfast Rotary Club is meeting every Wednesday at 7:00 am at the Symphony Towers University Club, 750 B Street, Suite 3400. Next scheduled speakers / events: January 18 Mike Murphy CEO, Sharp Healthcare January 25 Marty Hagen Executive Director, SD Natural History Museum Dead Sea Scrolls February 01 Chef Larry Channel 10 February 08 Dave Bejarano & Jim Estrada La Cuna, Inc. For last minute changes, please check http://www.sdrotary.org!

Members' Bulletin Board Roommate Wanted Share 2 bedroom 1 bath condo in La Jolla located on Villa La Jolla Drive, near the UCSD entrance. Includes: parking, pool/jacuzzi, tennis, wash/dryer in a very quiet complex. No smoking. Small dog maybe okay. Contact Gidget Rangel: gidgetrangel@hotmail.com or 858-349-7505 Households – Lots!! Must Sell! Couch w/ hideaway bed, Dryer, Recliner, Desk, 3 drawer Nightstand/Dresser, 25' TV, Square Wood w/ Metal base Table, Cross Country Skis 198' w/ unisex/womens 10 Boots & Poles, Magazine Rack, 2 Trunk Bike Racks, Alto Saxophone, 2 sets Dishes, Mugs n lil snack plate rod iron set, Connelly Slalom Ski, OS Dry Suit, Mattress & Box Springs, etc. Email kimlamie@hotmail.com if interested :) Thx. Discounted Golf Tickets & Raffle Prize Donation Opportunity January 24-29, 2006 Like Golf? Want to walk along with Tiger Woods? The North County Rotaract is selling discounted tickets for the Buick Invitational, which is held at Torrey Pines Golf Course January 24-29, 2006. This is a fundraiser with 100% of ticket sales going to the BRIGHT Families Mentor Project, which works to prevent teenage pregnancy in San Diego. Tickets to the Buick Invitational would make great holiday gifts as the Buick Invitational is a world-renowned PGA tournament. Whether you buy them for you or friends & family, you will be supporting a wonderful cause and helping teens all around San Diego. Tickets are only $15.00 (normally $18-28.) For more information, contact the BRIGHT Families Program: 858-514-7549. If you would like to purchase tickets for the Buick Invitational, please contact Valerie Orrison from the North County Rotaract Club. Post your own message here! Do you need a roommate? Trying to sell your car? Let Rotaract work for you! Post your message here in the newsletter and have it be seen by over 100 like-minded people. Just send an e-mail to newsletter@sdrotaract.org with "Bulletin Board" in the subject line. Please remember to also include a general time frame for your message, e.g. 3 weeks, 2 newsletters, or until November 1st.

Rotaract & Rotary Trivia "Project Little Shoes" Brings Big Smiles an article from Rotaract International The Rotaract Club of Kingspark Hong Kong celebrates its project that provided shoes for more than 1,100 kids. For some it may be hard to imagine, but there are children in mainland China who have never owned a pair of shoes. These children have to walk between four and six hours in their bare feet across rocks, glass, and other potentially dangerous materials to reach school. Appalled at the lack of adequate footwear, the Rotaract Club of Kingspark Hong Kong, District 3450, organized project "Little Shoes." Using a little paint, some creativity, and a whole lot of help from local Hong Kong-area kindergarten, primary and secondary students, they are bringing smiles and colorful sneakers into the lives of children in Quangxi, China.