Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego Weekly Announcements March 27, 2007

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Next Meeting Our next general meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at 6:30 pm at Kansas City BBQ, 610 W. Market Street, Downtown San Diego. We're looking forward to seeing you!

Recap: Rotaract Celebrates St. Patrick's Day Rotaract celebrated St. Patrick's Day as our March social event by joining up in Balboa Park for the parade – watching the floats and dance troops light up downtown. We then headed over to the festival in Balboa Park to enjoy some great food, great music, great beer and great fun. We even had two of our own Rotaractors as Leprechauns! We sang, an "jigged" and enjoyed the beautiful March weather of San Diego. Mark, Jamie, James and Bridget enjoy the drink of the Irish. Rotaract gang celebrates St. Patrick's Day. Our own Rotaract Leprechauns!

Welcome to Our New Members! Rotaract is a great way to network, make friends, and help the community. Joining Rotaract is fun and easy. To become an official member you have to...      – attend three general Rotaract meetings,      – attend one community service event,      – attend one social event,      – attend one meeting of our sponsoring Rotary Club,      – pay a one-time $28 enrollment fee, and membership dues of $30 twice a year. Congratulations to our new members, who have recently fulfilled these requirements, thereby demonstrating a willingness to dedicate their time and energy to both Rotaract and the philantropic causes we support. The fact that you are joining our club shows that service is fun!           • Sara Lynn Headden           • Amanda Scott A special welcome back to a former long-time member, who is returning to San Diego and to her Rotaract family:           • Michelle Wright We are glad to have you with us! We welcome all of you to the Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego family!

A Look Back: Recent Events Community Service: Model UN Conference March 24 & 25 (Saturday & Sunday) The local Rotary Clubs needed volunteers for the Model UN conference for menial tasks and as overnight chaperones on both days. Social: Celebrating Rotaract's 39 Years March 18 (Sunday) Celebrating the 39th anniversary of Rotaract, Downtown Rotaract Club, North County Rotaract Club and Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club joined for a delicious evening of multicultural cuisine. Social: Rotaract Celebrates St. Patrick's Day March 17 (Saturday) Rotaract celebrated St. Patrick's Day by joining up in Balboa Park for the parade – watching the floats and dance troops light up downtown – and then heading over to the festival. Community Service: San Diego Food Bank March 10 (Saturday) We shared a great community service event with the UCSD Rotaract Club at the San Diego Food Bank, packing boxes of canned and dry goods that would eventually be delivered to senior citizens in need. After the Food Bank, both chapters headed to an excellent Indian buffet. Community Service: Valentine's Desserts and Bingo February 17 (Saturday) We had a great day at the Senior Center playing bingo and enjoying delicious desserts. The seniors provided the bingo and about fifteen Rotaractors brought plenty of desserts and bingo prizes. Social: Ray at Night February 10 (Saturday) On the second Saturday of each month, North Park's Ray Street galleries open until 9:00 pm. The closed off street allows people to walk to all the different galleries and to enjoy music, wine, and various forms of entertainment. Later that night, we headed to Nunu's for some cocktails. Community Service: Rotary International Assembly Book Donation Project February 01 (Thursday) Volunteers packed, taped and moved boxes containing 1,250 "Newborn Literacy Kits" for local charities. Community Service: Rotary International Assembly Book Donation Project January 30 (Tuesday) The spouses of District Governors Elect from around the world brought about 1,800 books to San Diego which were personalized by them, packed, and delivered to local charities by District 5340 Rotary clubs. Social and Community Service: Windansea Beach Clean-Up January 27 (Saturday) We headed to the beach with Surfrider and San Diego Coastal Keeper for a Windansea Beach Clean-Up. Afterwards, we headed to The Shack for some lunch and more fun.

San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Meeting The San Diego Downtown 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: March 28 4-Way Test Speech Contest Finals April 04 Kathleen Sellick President and CEO Rady Children's Hospital April 11 Summer Stephan Chief of the Sex Crimes Division of the San Diego County District Attorney "Alarming growth in rape by intoxication" April 18 William Lansdowne Chief of Police, SDPD "Community outreach and the developments in the Department" For last minute changes, please check http://www.sdrotary.org!

Members' Bulletin Board Woofstock: A Festival for Dogs and People April 14, 2007 (Saturday) 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Balboa Park – Park Boulevard & Presidents Way Join Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) for a doggone groovy day of fun that includes yummy food, fabulous vendor booths, Kids Fun Zone, dog agility, Best Dog Trick & Grooviest '60's costume contests, and hourly opportunity drawings for very cool prizes. Early risers can also join us for the fundraising Peace, Love & Walk 'n' Roll Fun Dog Walk in Balboa Park. Top fundraiser for CCI wins the esteemed prize of getting their dog on a new product package! Admission is $5, with $2 off coupons available at Dog Beach Dog Wash. Parking is free all day at the Festival. Registration for the Fun Dog Walk is $35 and includes a cool tie dye t-shirt, a sWAG bag with happy surprises and admission into the Festival. Sponsorship and vendor opportunities available, too. For more information call 760-901-4300. 13th Annual San Diego Walk for Animals May 05 (Saturday) 7:30 am - 12:00 pm Crown Point Shores, Misson Bay Bring your favorite four-legged friend and join more than 3,000 fellow animal lovers to help support animals in need at the 13th Annual San Diego Walk for Animals! Join the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA on Saturday, May 5, from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. for this celebrated pet-friendly event, "Walk of Fame" themed event at Crown Point. Walkers will enjoy a pancake breakfast, live music, great prizes for top pledge winners and a Vendor Village filled with lots of pet-friendly products and services. Sponsorships still available. For more information and to sign up, please click here! Invitation: Trip to Italy! May 31 (Thursday) - June 03 (Sunday) Italy An invitation from the Rotaract Club in Guastalla, Italy: "Dear Rotaractors, The Rotaract Club of Guastalla (District 2070, Italy) is proud to invite you to a exciting weekend in the Italian country at the border between the Italian regions Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy. Eight Rotaractors from all over the world will be our guests from Thursday 31st May to Sunday 3rd June 2007, we will visit cities and towns of our area, enjoy local food (world-famous Parma ham, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salami, and many kinds of home-made pasta come from this region), visit local businesses, have a lot of fun together, and enjoy Rotaract's international spirit. Taking part to the event is completely free, RAC Guastalla and its sponsors will take charge of everything but the flight from your country to Italy." If you are interested in this opportunity and would like to learn more, please email Bridget. Make-a-Wish Foundation® of San Diego: 5th Annual Wags for Wishes July 06 - 08 (Friday - Sunday) 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Del Mar Horse Park, 14550 El Camino Real, Del Mar The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of San Diego presents the 5th Annual Wags For Wishes, the largest and most comprehensive dog show on the West Coast. With over 2,000 competitors and 15,000 spectators expected, Wags For Wishes has everything: agility, dock dogs, herding, flyball, lure coursing, disc dogs, Jack Russell Terrier events, obedience, dockdogs and conformation. Admission is only $5.00, children 12 and under are free! So come out and help make wishes come true. Your support of this wonderful event will enable us to grant the wishes of children who are battling life-threatening medical conditions. Make-A-Wish Foundation® of San Diego granted wishes to 160 children and we expect to grant even more this year. From a laptop computer for a child who spends too much time in the hospital, to a dream Disney vacation for the entire family – no wish is too big or small. 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@sandiegorotaract.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 Fast Facts • Worldwide, about 800 million people over age 15 lack basic reading and writing skills. More than 64 percent of them are women. • About 113 million children do not attend school. Statistics from UNESCO. http://www.rotary.org/interactive/archive/200609/