Chaparral Elementary: Kids In Action Give Back

With a desire to teach young children the importance of giving back to their community, Kids In Action was created by a group of Chaparral Elementary School parents, headed by parent Dan Luken. Meetings occurred once per month during the school lunch break, when students showed up at the Kids In Action table to sign up and help out on projects.

Over the past year, projects have included making hand-decorated place mats for nursing facility patients, making lunch and conducting a food drive for the homeless, making uplifting cards for children at local hospitals and more.

Today, 250-300 Chaparral students participate in Kids In Action every month, meeting on the second Wednesday. For their Nov. 14 project, the kids will be putting together care packages to send to our troops. They are called C-RATS and will be delivered by a group called Operation Independence. Follow Kids In Action by logging on to their Facebook page.

MAKE THE SEASON BRIGHT FOR A VALLEY ELEMENTARY FAMILY

The Valley Elementary PTA is asking for your help in making the holidays special for a Valley family in need by supporting the 2012 Adopt-A-Family Program. Here’s how you, your friends and local businesses can help:

• “Adopt” a family. The PTA will match you with a family and provide their wish list. You return the gifts, unwrapped, between Dec. 3-7. The PTA will deliver the gifts anonymously.

• Monetary donations: Please make checks payable to Valley Elementary PTA.

• Gift card donations: $10, $25, $50 gift cards to Stater Brothers, Von’s, Arco, Mobile, Shell, Wal-Mart or Target. Please indicate the amount on the card.

• Volunteer: The PTA needs assistance sorting packages and making deliveries.

Contact Blanca Fisher at (619) 888-5734 or email blanca@thefishers.com.

CELEBRATING VETERANS

As you know, Veterans Day is Sunday, Nov. 11. The Poway Veterans Park Committee and VFW Post 7907 invite you to commemorate the day by joining in a ceremony at the Poway Veterans Park. It is open to the public and begins at 11:00 a.m. The Veterans Park is located at 14135 Midland Rd., across from Old Poway Park.

The ceremony will honor past, present and future members of the armed services, beginning by posting the colors on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Gunner McKinney, of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, will be guest of honor. The Veterans Park cannon will be fired twice at the end of the ceremony. All are invited to continue celebrating at VFW Post 7907, 12342 Old Pomerado Rd., for a free BBQ lunch.

POWAY ROTARY WANTS YOUR BLOOD

Halloween is this Wednesday, which happens to be the regular meeting day for the Rotary Club of Poway, which meets at noon at the Poway Brigantine restaurant, 13445 Poway Rd. in the Creekside Center. The guest speaker is Maritza, founder of San Diego Ghost Hunters, who will talk about her team of paranormal investigators. If you’ve thought of joining our group of service-above-selfers, this is a perfect time to visit. Call me, Bill, at (858) 231-3619 and let us know you’re coming.