Poway Gives Back: Rotary Expands, Feeds & Reads

POWAY ROTARY EXPANDS TO SCRIPPS RANCH

For the past 50 years, The Rotary Club of Poway has been an integral part of the little city in the country, supporting schools, spearheading cleanup projects, involvement in the Poway Senior Center and various fundraising programs. Now, the club is expanding its membership and service above self into the community of Scripps Ranch, which until now has not had a Rotary Club. Members will work with the Scripps Ranch Civic Association (SRCA) to identify projects and assist with established fund-raisers and events.

As such, the club will now be known as The Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps. Meetings will continue to be held on Wednesdays at noon at the Brigantine Restaurant in Poway, located at 13445 Poway Rd. in the Creekside Center. Those considering membership are invited to attend for a free lunch and great camaraderie. Contact me at AGLABill@gmail.com.

RC POWAY-SCRIPPS FEEDS CHILDREN'S MINDS AND TUMMYS

It has been an annual project of the Rotary Clubs in District 5340, from Fallbrook to the desert to the Mexican border, to deliver a new Websters Dictionary to each third grade student in the district. On Friday, the third-graders at Tierra Bonita Elementary put down their smart tablets long enough to receive their dictionaries from members of the Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps. They marveled at how easily words like “polio” and “ethical” can be found without batteries. OK, call me old-school. I still think that once you find a word and its definition in a printed dictionary you never forget it. Tierra Bonita was one of four local schools we delivered to last week.

As for the tummy, club members were on hand last Tuesday at Feeding America, the local food bank that supplies about 73,000 hungry school children, seniors and families nutritious meals every week in our area. We bagged fresh oranges destined for school lunches for a couple of hours. This is a great bonding exercise and way for your business or organization to give back. Feeding America counts on volunteer help. Find them at feedingamericasd.org.

BREAKFAST AND HOLIDAY FAIR AT VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club co-hosted a breakfast, winter craft fair and holiday gift giveaway on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Valley Elementary School for hundreds of area families needing a little extra Christmas cheer this year. They were assisted by our sister Rotary Club from Tijuana. RB Sunrise President Paul Sullivan explained there's nothing like seeing a child select a gift for his or her mother, getting it wrapped and taking it home knowing there will be something for them under the tree. The club meets Tuesdays, 7 a.m. at the RB Country Club. 

WE WANT TO KNOW

If your restaurant is raising relief funds, your business is raising money for a local school foundation, or your daughter has done an outstanding job collecting teddy bears for hospitalized children, we'd like to pass it on. Send news of Poway giving back to shauntel.lowe@patch.com.