Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego Weekly Announcements June 26, 2007

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

A Farewell Message from Our President Bridget As last week's final meeting of the year approached, I expressed my mixed emotions. Reflecting upon the past twelve months brings both disbelief in how fast the time went, yet also joy, seeing at all that our club has accomplished. Each person at the meeting had the chance to reflect on the Quote of (that) day: "I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." (Leo Rosten) Through each other and those whom we serve, we identify ways to be compassionate and to make a difference. As Sir Winston Churchill's famous words well state, "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." As noted last week, it has been my honor and pleasure to serve the Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego, as well as to be further involved with our Rotary District as a whole. Very much a part of that wonderful experience have been engaging new members and welcoming the continued participation of veteran members. With this final newsletter, the sun is setting on over the 2006-2007 year. But, too, it will soon rise over a promising 2008-2009. Thank you to all who made this past year great and to all who will make the most of the years ahead! Bridget Johnson 2006-2007 President The Rotaract Club of Downtown San Diego

June Social: Cocktails at Moondoggies June 30 (Saturday) 9:00 pm Moondoggies, 832 Garnet Avenue Summer is finally here in San Diego. Join us as we celebrate on Saturday, June 30th. We will be going to Moondoggies (832 Garnet Avenue) for cocktails as our June Social. This is a great chance to get to know your fellow Rotaract members. See you there!

2007 RI Convention in Salt Lake City: A Quick Report from Cameron Coates This last week I traveled to Salt Lake City along with 17,000 other Rotarians from around the world for the annual convention. I went to represent both our incredible San Diego Downtown Rotaract Club but also to staff a booth on climate change education. The variety of projects that Rotarians are taking on worldwide is heartening and reinforces the stunning force that Rotary is worldwide. Youth organizations and membership were highlighted by the incoming president Wilfred Wilkinson as the fundamental way to keep RI's commitment to service strong. I'm proud to report that within Rotaract our club stands out as one of the strongest and best organized. There are always ways for us to improve and I feel that I gathered many valuable pointers that I plan on passing along to the rest of you. The 2008 convention is in LA next summer where we have the opportunity to make a big showing and exhibit the excellent work that you have/will be a part of. Yours in Rotary Cameron Coates

Camtu's Trip to Italy We previously wrote about Camtu's trip to Italy. Here's a short recap: "I'm back from Italy and it was the most amazing time of my life. A highly cultural experience with attendees from the U.S. (me), Romania, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, and Denmark. The Rotaract Italy clubs were fantastic hosts, I was sad to leave."

San Diego Rotaract is Growing: New Club San Diego Rotaract is growing! A new Rotaract club is forming in the Mission Valley area. Whether you personally work or live in that area, or you know of other young San Diegans who may be interested, please spread the word. The Downtown and North County clubs are exicited to help get the club going and to support the evolution of the new branch of our local Rotaract family. Please contact Bridget with any questions or ideas. A general interest happy hour will be scheduled soon. Thank you for your support!

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: June 27 Celebration of Rotary's 2007 Projects July 01 Beginning of New Rotary / Rotaract Year July 04 TBA (Dark?) July 11 TBA July 18 TBA For last minute changes, please check http://www.sdrotary.org!

Members' Bulletin Board Travelers Aid's A Night in White June 28 (Thursday) 5:30 - 9:30 pm San Diego Wine and Culinary Center, 200 Harbor Drive, Suite 120 Travelers Aid’s is planning a fundraiser this Thursday, June 28th,at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center. The Center is located at 200 Harbor Drive, Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92101. The evening’s theme is “A Night in White” and will feature and evening of fine wines, robust ales, delicious cuisines and a fabulous auction. This event will benefit Travelers Aid’s Journey to Safety Domestic Violence Program that helps women and children who are victims of domestic violence here in San Diego. This program helps victims navigate the system through counseling and in some cases, also helps these victims flee their abusers to places of safety and support. Tickets are $40.00 per person and please wear white to show your support! Please contact Cade with any questions. Summer Kick-Off Charity Mixer Benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters of SD County June 28 (Thursday) 7:00 - 10:00 pm Bar West Support mentoring in San Diego County and have a great time while you do it! Hang out at Bar West on Thursday, June 28, 2007 from 7pm-10pm and help Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County match more children with more positive adult role models. Pre-sale tickets are available online at www.ypcsd.com for $15 and will be available at the door for $20. 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. Understanding Climate Change Cameron Coates, a member of our club, staffed a booth for a non-profit called Understanding Climate Change (or UCC) at the Rotary International Convention in Salt Lake City last week. UCC began 19 years ago as a committee of the Mission Valley Rotary Club as a response to a general desire to find out more information about the impacts of climate change upon San Diego. The goal has been to connect scientists/local experts with communities members, business leaders, and policy makers. Members of that committee have since been involved in developing speakers series, talk radio/TV shows, presentation to members of local government. UCC has generally focused on water, sea level rise, desertification, and ocean acidification among the many other challenges climate change presents. Recently, the organization has put more of a focus on solutions by supporting energy/water conservation, renewable energy production (with a focus on local biodiesel production), recycling efforts, and public transportation. Because climate change is a global issue UCC has reached out to Rotarians internationally at 2 RI conventions and subsequently created a network of almost 700 Rotarians worldwide with interest in climate change issues. Subsequently, they have found many clubs with projects focused on climate change and many RI directors and district governors with a desire to see climate change as a larger Rotary issue. UCC will continue to reach out within Rotary International to facilitate education and action concerning climate change. If you would like to be involved in UCC's efforts, please contact Cameron Coates. Roommate Wanted Looking one roommate to move into our 4 bedroom 3 bath house centrally located to everything. We are just off of Aero drive about 2 miles from the 15 and 8 and about a mile or so to the 163, 805, and 52. About the house: There is hardwood floors throughout the entire house, we have a full size laundry room with washer/dryer, 1 car garage, back yard with pool table great for entertaining which includes a gardener, living room with fireplace, great kitchen with dish washer and the house has a lot of character. My roommate and I that are staying are good friends and like to lay low during the week with work and go out on weekends. Looking for 1 roommate, male or female with similar lifestyle; laid back down to earth person to share the house with. Rent is $600 (room 10x12.5) plus 1/4 utilities (electric, cable, wireless internet) which usually works out to be around $70 month depending. Security deposit of $500 along with credit check will also be required upon move in as per landlord. Landlord dictating 9 month lease starting around July 1st or sometime before if roommates move out early. Contact me if you're interested through e-mail at ebsdsu@yahoo.com or ask for Eric @ 415-812-7370. 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 Photo Contest in this Month's Issue of The Rotarian View the winning photos from the print edition of The Rotarian, and a Web-exclusive slideshow of those that earned honorable mention by clicking here.