In last week's SunRiser, I wrote about the problem with the cost of coninuing to have our weekly breakfast meeting at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo.  I had hope that by the publication deadline for this week's version of the SunRiser we would have a solution.  However, the removal of Bernardo Heights Country Club from the list of possibilities severely limited our possibilities for a meeting venue.

 

There are several factors that are hampering the search.  First of all, we have been used to the quaility of the venue that meeting at a country club affords us. the surroundings for our meetings makes a country club a desirable place to mee.

 

Another factor that impacts the search is finding a suitable place to meet that is large enough and is open for breakfast.  The last factor that is a concern is the matter of cost.  The breakfast cost we have been paying at CCRB has not been available at any other venue. 

 

Please know that this matter is in the process of being researched so that a soluition can be found.  The board of directors voted at this week's board meeting to see if a solution can be found to allow us to continue to meet at CCRB through the month of May.  The delay would give us time to research alternatives and communicate those alternatives to you, the members.  The board also voted to pick up the increase in costs for our breakfast in hte interim.

 

Having attended makeup meetings at other Rotary Clubs in the area, I can state that our club was the least expensive of any of those I have visited.  For this reason, I can state that, as members, we should realize that no matter where we ultimately ultimately have our breakfast meetings, we will be looking at a greater cost than we have had in the past.  We will also have to think about whether we will want to continue to have a full breakfast for our meeting.  The matter of cost may require that we scale back to a continental breakfast situation.

 

When any more news is available, it will be presented to you, either by a presentation at a meeting, a message in the SunRiser, or both.

 

Jim Dunny

 

Congratulations to RB Sunrise International Chair, Paul Gorman, who has successfully guided a global grant proposal through all of the steps necessary to submit it at the beginning of the new Rotary year which is July 1.  RB Sunrise Rotary Club is the Primary Host Partner for Global Grant G-341.  This is a request for funding of a Surgical Weekend Program at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, CA.  The Primary International Rotary Club Partner is the Rotary Club of Tijuana Milenio Minarete, a sister club of RB Sunrise Rotary Club. 

The Surgery Weekend Program provides comprehensive, high quality medical care to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured children with physical deformities and other conditions. The Surgery Weekend Program consists of six, eight-week Surgery Weekend Cycles per year. Each eight-week Surgery Weekend Cycle includes an intensive 2-day Surgery Weekend where volunteer medical professionals provide extensive reconstructive surgeries. Throughout the rest of the Cycle, Fresh Start holds dental clinics, laser treatments, speech therapy services, and health education to ensure comprehensive medical care. At each Surgery Weekend Cycle, Fresh Start treats approximately 65 children, totaling approximately 400 children annually.

Medical treatments are provided at the Fresh Start Clinic at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, CA, USA by an all-volunteer team of medical professionals. All lodging, food, and transportation to the Clinic is provided at no cost to the family.

Conditions Treated

Fresh Start treats a wide variety of conditions ranging from congenital defects to deformities caused by accident or abuse including burns, cleft lip and palate, hemifacial microsomia, Treacher-Collins syndrome, Goldenhar syndrome, and many other conditions that can require anywhere from just one surgery to multiple surgeries coupled with neurosurgery, orthodontia, speech therapy, and other specialty procedures. Fresh Start's specialty services provide patients with personalized and individualized care that often cannot be found at other healthcare organizations or state funded programs. Fresh Start's laser clinics treat patients afflicted with deformities such as port wine stains and burns and also reduce the appearance of scars. The dental clinics provide services ranging from orthodontic work for children with cleft lip and palate to fillings and more basic care. Speech therapy services help children regain their ability to speak audibly and correctly.

Fresh Start maintains long-term relationships with patients - the majority of patients receive medical care for over seven years - and even years after they have completed the Program patients still receive follow-up evaluations and personalized care to ensure that they continue on a healthy path well into adulthood.

Target Population

Fresh Start treats infants, children, and teens suffering from physical deformities caused by birth defects, accidents, abuse, or disease. All patients have limited access to healthcare services because of their income level, citizenship status, or racial background - the approximate annual income of patients and their families is US $25,000.00 . All patients are uninsured or underinsured, and over 70% of the children treated are from ethnic minority groups.

Children enrolled in the program are mostly from the United States (49%) and Mexico (49%), with a few from other countries (2%). Of those from Mexico, approximately 90% are from Baja California.

Date	Event	Location	Time
Oct 24-26, 2014	2014 District Conference	Desert Princess Resort- Palm Springs