High School Interact Clubs And Rotary Club Of La Jolla Join Forces To Build 21St House In Mexico For Needy Families

By Sally Fuller (LJ Light Article) –

Volunteers from the Interact Club at La Jolla High and The Bishop’s School were joined by members of La Jolla Rotary to build the 21st home for an impoverished family in Tijuana.

You may also read the article HERE on La Jolla Light’s website

The home design is 16×20 feet with a small sleeping loft. The homes are unheated, have no running water and no electricity.

 The non-profit Project Mercy manages all the client-side considerations. Clients are evaluated based upon their family needs, legal rights to the property, and other considerations. To date, Project Mercy has arranged construction of more than 1,500 homes in Tijuana neighborhoods.

The total expense is $4,600 for the building materials, the cement foundation, building supervision and two or three local framing carpenters. An outhouse with a septic tank is an additional $900. Funding comes from generous Rotarians, community members and Interact Club fundraising.

Volunteers need to be in good health and must possess a passport or green card. The build day begins with a rendezvous at Mission Bay Visitor’s Center at 5:30 a.m. The home-build begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends by 4:30-5 p.m. Due to unpredictable border waits, return to the visitor’s center ranges from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. At the end of the day, everyone is tired but happy!

Some people ask is it dangerous? Mexico is a developing country with well-publicized problems and attendant risks to visitors. Construction work is potentially dangerous and precautions are taken to reduce the likelihood of injury.

Plans are to build again in early March and late June. To join the effort, visit rotarycluboflajolla.com and click on “contact us.”

Oct. 28, 2014 Speaker: Carmen Chavez, Casa Cornelia – Central American Refugee Children

Beginning last year and specifically in the last few months, there has been an overall increase in the apprehension of Unaccompanied Children from Central America at the Southwest Border.  You may have seen it in the news. An experienced attorney, whose organization provides needed services to these children going through the legal process, will provide an informational overview and background on the issue of children traveling alone to the U.S. from Central America.  Come learn about this current issue regarding unaccompanied children at our border.

Biography

Carmen Chavez was born and raised in San Diego. She graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. degree in Political Science. While in college she became very involved in community service, especially in the area of human and civil rights.  She continued her dream to service the community through public interest law by attending Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, CA graduating in 1999.  While at Loyola she participated in Moot Court, Public Interest Law Foundation and La Raza Law Students Association.

After passing the California Bar Exam, she began working at Casa Cornelia Law Center fourteen years ago and currently serves as the Executive Director overseeing a staff of 17 and a volunteer base of over 300.  Casa Cornelia is a non-profit law firm in San Diego providing quality pro bono legal representation to victims of human and civil violations eligible for humanitarian protection under the law.

She started her service at Casa Cornelia as the recipient of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship, which allowed her to provide legal services to indigent victims of abuse and those seeking refuge from persecution and torture in their home countries.  As a Staff Attorney and then Associate Director, she handled VAWA, U Visa, T Visa, NACARA, Naturalization, and asylum cases affirmatively and defensively (Immigration Court and Board of Immigration Appeals), Special Immigration Juvenile Status (SIJS) for children and has argued successfully before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals several times.  During this time, Carmen has given numerous presentations and trainings to the legal community, social workers, law enforcement, students, community groups, faith community, parents and clients in San Diego County and elsewhere. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Lawyers Club and the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association.

Oct. 14, 2014 Speaker: Judy Keene, Next Step Service Dogs – How Dogs Help & Heal Veterans w PTSD

When long-time friend Sally Montrucchio launched Next Step Service Dogs in 2012, Judy was compelled to help such an amazing cause where a small group of people can make a huge positive impact in the lives of wounded warriors with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Judy’s background includes a BA and MA in English from the University of Delaware, college teaching, and over 30 years as a publications manager/technical writer for hi tech startups and companies such as HP. Now a full-time volunteer administrator for Next Step Service Dogs, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Judy Keene is enthusiastic about their mission of training service dogs for veterans with PTSD, and hiring veterans to have careers as service dog trainers.

Her top goals include recruiting wonderful volunteers and with them, support service dog work to enhance and save veterans’ lives.

November 25, 2014 Speaker: Herb Johnson, San Diego Rescue Mission

Herb Johnson, President/CEO, puts his extensive executive experience to work leading the San Diego Rescue Mission, an organization that, literally day-by-day, makes the difference between life and death for many in our city.

Mr. Johnson, who holds a MBA from the Harvard Business School, had a dynamic career in the business world, including leading Summit Concept, a unique Supply Chain and Executive Partnership Firm based in San Diego. He also served as Executive Vice President for Supply Chain Management of Premier, Inc., and as President of Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., a $14 billion Group Purchasing Organization. In addition, he was President of the Council of Logistics Management, the leading association of supply chain executives in the world.

His record of 30-years in supply chain, logistics and operations management, and national and international distribution have established him among the nation’s most gifted business leaders.  He also served with distinction in critical roles for CVS Corporation, a $16 billion pharmacy chain with drug stores across America.

Mr. Johnson and his wife Carol have five children and 12 grandchildren. They live in Kensington and are active members in Christ United Presbyterian Church. Additionally, they both spend significant time serving on several boards throughout the county.

September 2, 2014 Speakers: Sarah Adams & Colleen Howard, Voices for Children

One of the first CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) organizations of its kind to be established in the United States, Voices for Children (VFC) is a private, nonprofit organization serving San Diego County. It transforms the lives of abused, neglected, and abandoned children in foster care through a network of volunteers who advocate for the rights and well-being of foster children in the courtroom, in schools, and throughout the community.

After graduating from VFC’s “Advocate University,” CASAs become sworn officers of the court and are assigned by VFC to advocate on behalf of children who have become dependents of the San Diego County Juvenile Court system. CASAs lead their case children through the complex, confusing foster care system, striving for resolution in a way that best serves the needs of each child. They are fact-finders, reviewing all records, and interviewing teachers, doctors, and others with special insights about the cases. They speak in court on behalf of their children, offering objective recommendations to the judge in terms of each child’s particular needs. Most important, they become a supportive friend and mentor to their case children, in many cases, the only adult in these young lives that are not paid caretakers.

By all accounts, CASAs make a significant difference in the lives of their case children. Foster children with CASAs are healthier and happier than those without CASAs. Foster children with CASAs do better in school and are more likely to graduate than those without CASAs, and are less likely to become delinquent or abuse drugs. In addition, foster children with CASAs get more help while in the system and are more likely to find safe, permanent homes.

Click HERE to visit Voices for Children’s Starry, Starry Night benefit page. Buy tickets and support foster children of San Diego.[divider]

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Sarah Adams

Sarah Adams is the Director of Volunteer Recruitment for Voices for Children, working toward their vision of providing a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for every child who needs one. She has worked on nonprofit volunteer programs for over 13 years, spanning the gamut from small grassroots efforts to large structured programs—proving to her that there is nothing volunteers can’t do! Sarah serves on the Volunteer Administrators Network Council and leads trainings on all things volunteer-related.

Outside of work, Sarah is a Master’s student at USD, volunteers for Surfrider Foundation, and serves on the board of HandsOn San Diego. [/one_half] [one_half_last]

Colleen Howard

Colleen Howard is retired from a long career in sales in the financial industry sector. She moved to La Jolla eight years ago from Northern California, although she was “born and raised in Texas.” Her son is now 29 years old and getting married next summer in La Jolla at the Seaside Forum. In May of 2012, Colleen became a CASA and has been with the same child, who lives in a group home, ever since. She writes, “Playing tennis, golf…and bridge…is great; however, giving back to others in a meaningful way helps balance me. I’m excited to share my experience of being a CASA with everyone in hopes of inspiring others to add this opportunity to enrich their lives as it has mine.” [/one_half_last]

January 28, 2014 Speakers: Rotary 4-Way Test Student Speech Contest

[custom_frame_right shadow=”on”][/custom_frame_right] The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings

The purpose of the 4-Way Test Speech Contest is to help youth, Rotarians and the community-at-large to more completely understand, encourage, and foster the principles of Rotary and the objects of “Service Above Self.”

Today, Rotary Club of La Jolla plays host to local high school students who will seek to express the ideals in our 4-Way Test. The topic for the speech is to be the student’s choice, however, the speech must show clearly the practical application of all four points of the Rotary Four-Way Test.

Of the things we think, say or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

September 3, 2013 Speaker: Jon Sundt – “Natural” High, Youth Drug Prevention Program

Jon Sundt is the Founder, President and CEO of the Altegris Companies, based in La Jolla. Altegris is one of the leading providers of best-of-breed alternative investments and manages approximately $4 billion and employs 110 individuals.

On the business side, in 2012, Jon received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for excellence in his field and in 2013, Jon was also named to the 2013 Investment Advisor’s Top 25 Industry Leaders.  Jon attended the University of California, San Diego with a major in Computer Science and a minor in economics. He is a member of the San Diego Coastal Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and a long-term member of Vistage International.

In addition to his business endeavors, Jon founded Natural High in 1994 after losing both of his younger brothers to drug abuse.  Natural High is a drug prevention non-profit organization that helps youth discover, amplify and pursue a natural high instead of an artificial high.

To date, Natural High provides its programs free-of-charge to more than 16,000 educators who use the materials with more than 6 million students in the United States.  In the next year, they plan to completely digitize their platform, in hopes to reach 12 million youth with the Natural High message by 2015.

When he is not working with Altegris or Natural High, Jon is pursuing his other natural highs, spending time with his family or surfing Blacks Beach.

Members of LJHS Interact Club celebrate the success of their 5/24 Car Wash and Bake Sale.

The event raised more than $500 for the club’s Tijuana home-build project. The next home-build, the club’s eighteenth home, will be on Saturday, June 22nd.

LJ Light Article: La Jolla Youth Baseball ready for championship games May 18

Ryan McCasland steals home. Photo by Michele Friszell

By Tom Murphy
La Jolla Youth Baseball (Read on La Jolla Light’s website)

The La Jolla Youth Baseball season comes to a close Saturday, May 18, 2013 with championship games in the Pinto, Mustang and Bronco divisions. Shetland doesn’t have playoffs, but a lot of kids will play post-season games on tournament teams. Pony schedules its inter-league playoffs over the Memorial Day weekend at Tecolote.

LJYB continues to lead San Diego Pony play with Aladdin maintaining its perfect record at 14-0, and On the Inside Design (OTID) moving into second place, following a come-from-behind bottom-of-the-eighth victory over Mira Mesa’s Storm.

Reed Farley pitches four innings last week. Photo by Michele Friszell

OTID went into extra innings tied 2-2 against Storm. La Jolla left the bases loaded three times along the way. Reed Farley pitched four solid innings. Mira Mesa picked up a couple of unearned runs off of closer Carson Greene. Chasing two, the bottom of the lineup produced a hit and a couple of walks.

Ryan McCasland stole home on a passed ball. With runners on the corners, two outs and two strikes, Greene crushed a high fastball into the gap that scored John Murphy from first to win the game — walk off style!

The two LJ teams face each other 5 p.m. Saturday for bragging rights. Nine Pony players will be recognized for their “Decade on the Diamond,” playing 10 consecutive years in LJYB.

Bronco division had double elimination playoff games with Pharmatek being the first team to go. Last week it overcame an 11-1 deficit to tie the game 12-12 going into the seventh inning against Morgan Stanley. MS pushed across a run to take the lead and P-tek was unable to match them, stranding the tying run on second. Last Saturday, the elimination game between Mitch’s Surf Shop and Pharmatek was a defensive and pitching battle with a 1-1 tie going into the sixth inning.

Coach Rick Macdonald executed his small-ball strategy with consecutive bunts that each produced runs. P-tek ended the inning on an interesting note with Marcus Scott on the hill, who pulled the infield in for a chat and called a hidden ball play with two outs and runners on the corners.  When the ump called “play,” the third baseman still had the ball and casually tagged the runner on third, who was called out. Unfortunately, Pharmatek was out of tricks and Mitch’s won 4-1. Alexandria remains undefeated in the winner’s bracket. Bronco championship game: 2 p.m. Saturday.

Carson Green gets a winning hit in the bottom of the eighth inning. Photo by Michele Friszell

With a 14-3 record in the Mustang division, Sector 9 continues its march through the winner’s bracket in double-elimination play. Over the season, it had a commanding lead in both runs scored and runs against, which is the secret sauce to a winning season. PacVentures and Garden Communities are playing scrappy baseball and hanging tough. RAK has been the biggest surprise with its late-season hitting and improved defense, led by Luke Roberts and Nathan Latimer.

B of A Home Loans, Drache Feld and Alexandria have been eliminated. Mustang Championship game: noon Saturday.

With 10 teams in the Pinto division, Scoma Pediatric Dentistry, Donovan’s Steak & Chop House and Retirement Benefits Group have been eliminated in single-elimination format. RBC remains undefeated and like its Mustang counterpart, it dominates in runs scored and runs against, compared to the rest of the teams. Rotary Club of La Jolla, Voices for Children and Party City are very much in the hunt. Pinto Championship game: 10 a.m. Saturday.

• Following the festivities at Championship Saturday, LJYB will again serve as a host for the third annual “Home Run for Chelsea” tournament and benefit for Chelsea’s Light Foundation.

• LJYB will send a dozen teams to represent the league in the Memorial Day Tournament hosted by Tecolote Youth Baseball. Play starts May 21 and championship trophies will be handed out May 27. This tradition is a tuneup for the official PONY Sectional All Star Tournament June 22-July 2.

La Jolla Youth Baseball
Saturday, May 18, 2013 Schedule
• 10 a.m. – Pinto Championship
• Noon – Mustang Championship
• 2 p.m. – Bronco Championship
• 5 p.m. – Pony Home Finale, closing ceremony, league BBQ

• Website: lajollayouthbaseball.org

Reed Farley makes a base hit. Photo by Michele Friszell

Carson Green at the pitching mound. Photo by Michele Friszell

LJ Light Article: La Jolla Rotarians, Realtors and teens polish police storefront

Read article on La Jolla Light website

Interact Club students Tessa Lowe of La Jolla High School and Emily Halaka of University City High School paint a door at the rear of the police storefront.

Jeff Raich of Prudential California Realty and La Jolla Interact student Blake Kirland prepare to plant a donated succulent.

Members of the Rotary Club of La Jolla, the La Jolla Real Estate Brokers’ Association (REBA) and high school students involved in Rotary’s Interact Club brandished brushes, shovels and smiles to paint and landscape a long- neglected police storefront in Pacific Beach Saturday, April 27.

The volunteer effort was in honor of Rotary International’s annual Rotarians at Work Day, which promotes the organization’s concept of ‘service above self.’

Sherry Craycroft digs a hole for an incoming succulent plant. Pat Sherman photos

The building at 4439 Olney St., which also serves police who patrol La Jolla, provides a place for law enforcement and volunteer senior patrol officers to complete paperwork and take meal breaks.

The volunteers planted sod, as well as jade, aloe and other succulent plants donated by Realtor Carol Uribe. The team also painted fascia and window trimming with paint donated by Sherwin Williams. Dewhurst & Associates construction oversaw the entire project, helping line up contractors to install everything from new kitchen cabinets to bathroom fixtures and tile flooring. They include: Chism Brothers, Gold Coast Design, Adept Plumbing, D&N Electric, Dal-Tile, Studio Stratton cabinets and West Coast Drywall & Paint.

“They were unbelievable,” said project coordinator and Rotarian Nancy Gardner of Dewhurst. “They literally got all the sub-contractors involved, most of which volunteered. It was quite an endeavor.”

Rotarian and La Jolla Town Council member Nancy Gardner stands next to a holding pen for police beach cruisers (not people, she assures) inside the newly remodeled police storefront.

San Diego Police Captain Brian Ahearn, with SDPD’s Northern Division, called the renovation “a testament to how much people appreciate their San Diego Police officers.

“No words can express just how appreciative the men and women of SDPD are for the generosity displayed by so many,” Ahearn said. “We will continue to work hard for you. The storefront symbolizes the bond that brings community and police so close to one another. … The community truly stepped up to significantly improve the working conditions for their San Diego Police officers.”

Rotarians, Realtors, the La Jolla Town Council and other La Jollans raised more than $25,000 for the project, Gardner said. Another $24,000 is still needed to purchase new LAN lines and heating and air conditioning.

“It’s truly a community effort until we get it completed,” Gardner said.

— Pat Sherman