RB Sunrise Rotary Helps Children in Poway
Posted by Jim Dunny
on Dec 12, 2015
Holiday Gift Fair at Valley Elementary School
 Gift Fair in progress
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 Sue Herndon, originator
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 RB Sunrise members at the breakfast buffet area
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 2 members of TJ club with Nasrin Barbee at right
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Since December 2010, RB Sunrise Rotary Club has partnered with the PTA at Valley Elementary School in Poway to assist them in their Holiday Craft Gift Fair. It was in 2010 that our president that year, Al Watson wanted to have a holiday activity for children. RB Sunrise member Sue Herndon knew about the Gift Fair at Valley Elementary School because her daughter once taught there. With Sue’s help, we were able to partner with the PTA at Valley Elementary School in Poway. That first year RB Sunrise Rotary Club provided gifts for the children to select and wrapping paper to wrap the gifts. Valley Elementary School has a large population of hispanic children and others who are eligible for not only the free school lunch program, but also the breakfast program. For that reason, that first year our club also supplied breakfast items as well.
Now, six years later, the event is continuing to serve the indigent children in Poway. We continue to provide gifts for the children to select, wrapping paper, breakfast items (cereal, milk, orange juice, and bananas). Our club members arrive early so that we can help to set up the multipurpose room at the school and decorate it as well.
This has become a fun holiday event for our club. An additional aspect of this activity is that from the beginning, it has also been an international event as well. Each year, several members of our sister club in Tijuana (Club Rotario Tijuana Milennio Minarete) travel to Poway to participate with us. Their presence helps to make the parents of the children feel welcome because they can communicate in Spanish with them.