Old Mission Rotary meets Tuesdays at noon in the community room at the Copley-Price Family YMCA, 4300 El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego. Parking is free.
Get ready to show off your knowledge of all things San Diego at our fun trivia night fundraiser - it's going to be a blast!
Mission Valley Evening Rotary invites you to join us at Novo Brazil Brewing Mission Valley for a night of fun and friendly competition. Test your knowledge of all things San Diego while supporting a great cause. Gather your friends, form a team, and get ready to answer questions about our sunny city. Prizes await the top trivia masters, so bring your A-game! Let's come together for a memorable evening filled with laughter, good drinks, and a dash of friendly rivalry.
You can sign up either as an individual or as a team of up to 4 members. Each round will include one San Diego focused question in addition to general knowledge questions. Delicious food and drinks will be available for purchase from Novo Brazil Brewing. Please arrive at 3:30pm so we can start promptly at 4:00pm. Attendees are encouraged to dress in San Diego themed attire so wear your favorite Padres jersey, rep your Aztec gear, wear your favorite beach look, or get creative!
We're fundraising to pack 10,000 high-protein meals for the San Diego Food Bank to be distributed to San Diegans experiencing food insecurity. California food banks are seeing more families requesting food assistance now than before the pandemic, and fewer donations of food. Our goal is to provide thousands of shelf-stable, protein-rich meals to the San Diego Food Bank to help them meet the demand for healthy food options. You can learn more and contribute to our fundraiser in partnership with The Outreach Program and Old Mission Rotary here.
With the help of Old Mission Rotary and a matching grant from Rotary District 5340, we’ll be able to pack over 10,000 meals if we reach our goal of $1,450. Any additional funds raised our goal will go to the Mission Valley Evening Rotary Foundation (MVE Rotary Foundation). The MVE Rotary Foundation is the grant giving arm of Mission Valley Evening Rotary which provides funds to local and international organizations. Mission Valley Evening Rotary is an organization of business and young professional leaders based in San Diego that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the community. Click Me to get your tickets now.
On Tuesday, December 17th, the always animated and entertaining Gary John Collins served as club host and delivered a WHO I AM NOT!
Most of us know Gary as an entrepreneur and owner of the Air Conditioned Lounge in North Park but did you know that he also has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked for General Dynamics as a rocket scientist!
Gary's passion is coaching and watching sports with his 11 year old son and told us that he once had a dream to become a sportscaster. In college he even diverted from his math and science curriculum to take communications courses.
He was on the verge of changing majors when his grandfather told him in an emotional and private moment how proud he was that Gary was studying engineering and how much he was looking forward to seeing him graduate with an engineering degree.
Gary doesn't ever regret his life path and how he might have been a sportscaster. As Gary said it is WHO I AM NOT.
Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant to the Girl Scouts of San Diego
Courage, Character and Confidence...
Girl Scouts create the world they want to live in and strive to make it better every single day. They explore their strengths, take on new challenges, and can always be themselves, regardless of background or ability.
Girl Scouts lead the way as they discover who they are and how they can make the future a brighter place. Girl Scouts are supported by adult volunteers and mentors right here in our community as well as millions of alums around the globe,
Thanks to generous supporters and community partners, Girl Scouts San Diego provides innovative programs and a wide range of activities for more than 24,000 girl and adult members throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. The San Diego council maintains programs and service facilities in Balboa Park, Escondido, and Carlsbad, as well as two mountain camps in Julian, CA. Camperships are available to help girls from struggling families participate in Day, Weekend and Summer Camps.
On Tuesday, December 17th, the Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant of $7000 to the Girl Scouts of San Diego for a new electrical breaker box for Camp Winacka near Julian. The aging electrical system from 1973, in the Morningside camp grounds will receive a much needed upgrade.
Girl Scouts Director of Philanthropy, Karen Cook, and Foundations Relations Officer, Tracy Browns accepted the funds and presented a fun and informative program on Girl Scouting in San Diego.
Photo: (L-R): Tom Sandler and Donna Maytum of the Art Pratt Foundation, Girl Scouts Director of Philanthropy, Karen Cook, Aryanna Edwards, Girl Scouts Foundations Relations Officer, Tracy Browns, Stan Vogelsang Judi Copeland, Art Pratt Foundation President Lee Kaminetz, Old Mission President Bob Chalfa and Shari Stauder.
Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a Grant to Copley-Price YMCA
Old Mission Rotary has a long history of support for the Copley-Price YMCA going back even before the opening of their current state of the art facility10 years ago.
When the new complex first opened in 2014, the Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary funded a student study center where teens from nearby Hoover High have been doing homework ever since in a quiet space after school.
On Tuesday, December 10th, The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant of $5000 to the Copley-Price YMCA Executive Director Julian Villegas. Julian is also a member of Old Mission Rotary. The funds will be used toward membership scholarships to reduce joining, monthly and program fees for families and to pay for deserving kids to attend summer camps.
The annual Copley-Price Holiday Celebration will serve 1400 mid city kids with gifts and entertainment and members of Old Mission Rotary provided some toys and gift cards. The Art Pratt Foundation also presented a grant to pay for helmets for kids to safely ride bicycles and skateboards that will be distributed at the YMCA Holiday Celebration. You can't give away a bike or a skateboard without a helmet!
Photo: Members of Old Mission Rotary present Copley-Price YMCA Executive Director, Julian Villegas with a grant of $5000 from the Art Pratt Foundation.
Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a Grant to Sharia's Closet
In 2017 Shamine Linton established Sharia's Closet with a mission to provide free emergency clothing to people who have an immediate need for clothing. It was the result of eleven years of work that began with her collecting and distributing from her home clothing to people throughout the city of San Diego struggling with homelessness, addiction, unemployment and other financial hardships. Sharia's Closet is dedicated to empowering people with clothes to promote self-esteem and self-identity within our community.
Shamine accepted an Art Pratt Grant of $4000 on October 8th. The funds were used for tablets for staff in the retail store.
Eric Benink served as club host on Tuesday, December 3rd
Eric Benink served as club host on Tuesday, December 3rd and took the opportunity to pay tribute to his 99 year old grandfather.
Johannes Benink was born in Holland in 1925 and during the German occupation in WWII he was sent to Germany as forced labor. Conditions were harsh and food was scarce. Young Johannes escaped on several occasions only to be caught and returned to his work camp. During one of his escapes, the starving and freezing Johannes came across a farmhouse on Christmas Eve. Nobody was home and he helped himself to a string of sausages hanging in the kitchen which he says to this day was the best Christmas dinner of his life. On another escape attempt, he was welcomed into a home by a sympathetic German family who fed him and gave him a bed for the night. In the morning when he woke up, the German police were waiting in the house to arrest him.
At the conclusion of the war, Johannes rode a bicycle over 200 miles back to Holland and arrived home to the delight and astonishment of his parents.
After the war, Johannes served in the Dutch army and was sent to the colony of Indonesia where he met a woman of Chinese descent whom he married (Eric's grandmother). In 1962, the family left Holland for the United States.
Eric's story of his grandfather reminds us what amazing people immigrate into the United States and enrich our country.
When you become a member of Old Mission Rotary you begin a journey that lasts a lifetime.
Your time, energy, and a passion to improve your world are all you need to “Get involved with Rotary”
Become one of Rotary’s people of action or explore the many opportunities we have for anyone — whatever your age or interest — who wants to improve lives in communities near and far.
Join Rotary’s 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
Old Mission Rotary brings together people across generations who share the ideals of service, leadership, diversity, friendship, and integrity and wish to create lasting change in the world, in their communities, and in themselves.
This history of the past 75 years of our Club is dedicated to all of our past presidents. Take a moment to click on the image and read our history.
Remember the Bwana of Old Mission, Mike Rogers is our longest tenured member. He joined our club in 1962. That is remarkable.
Read his section on our past presidents in the beginning of the history. Dave Blum who kept the Tom Baumann Old Mission Rotary History Book is included. Win Bishop's photo albums are included. Many parts of Matt Risi's past newsletters are included.
In the "About our Club" section of our website are all the individual sections of the History. You can download and save them for yourselves.
Read and offer edits or updates. Unlike a regular printed book, this is a living document that I can update till end of my time.
Join us at the Copley-Price Family YMCA in City Heights – Kensington at 4300 El Cajon Blvd. We meet on Tuesdays at Noon for lunch, fellowship and guest speakers that make a positive difference in and around our community. All are welcome to attend.
Copley-Price Family YMCA is "Located at the Corner of Fairmont and El Cajon".
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