Take a closer look at Rotary - and see what it has to offer

by Ken Dower

Look out for the big fundraising event - Ramona Casino Night!

As president of the Ramona Rotary Club, I would like to tell you a little bit about Rotary International and what we, as a local service club, do in the community. Then, I want to invite you to participate in a brand new fund raiser we have planned for Nov. 8.

The Ramona Rotary Club was formed in 1937 through the efforts of John Fansher, our first Charter member. We meet at the Sizzler every Tuesday for lunch and fellowship. Special guest speakers come to our meeting each week to address the club with a variety of programs that concern both Rotary and our community.

On a global scale, Rotary International, an organization all Rotary Clubs belong to, supports humanitarian efforts to other countries throughout the world by helping stamp out polio, providing wheelchairs to those who cannot walk, establishing village banks and sending medical teams to perform dental and surgical procedures for children and adults who would not otherwise be able to have access to them.

The motto of Rotary is "Service Above Self." Locally, we provide scholarships to Ramona, Montecito and Julian High School seniors, we annually support Ramona High School Grad Night, Ramona Library, Boys & Girls Club, Senior Center, Rotary Youth Leadership Camp, Four-Way Test Contest, and we honor students from Ramona and Montecito high schools as Students of the Month.

On an international scope, our local Rotary Club has supported the Pan American Institute middle school in Tijuana for many years, through our gifts of equipment, holiday baskets and annual sponsorship of individual students.

The big Rotary event of every summer for the past 11 years has been the celebration of the 4th of July, with our annual picnic and fireworks show, financed by contributions from individuals and businesses in Ramona. We see this event growing in attendance every year, a family event which Rotarians love to do, for which we work very hard and sincerely appreciate the community support we get year after year. The spaghetti dinner and rummage sale are Rotary events you may have come to over the years. The Rotary Club also puts the flags up on Main Street to honor our national holidays and other special events.

Our next big and brand new fund raising event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Mountain Valley Ranch, just east of town, past Magnolia on Highway 67. We are calling it Ramona Pioneer Casino Night. Between 6 and 10 p.m., come to the barn dressed as your favorite character from the Old West and win the costume contest. Come to gamble - we will give you free chips to get you started at the roulette, craps and blackjack tables. Taste some wine from our local wineries and enjoy the snack food from a variety of local restaurants, all included in the $25 price of admission.

Admission tickets will be sold at the door for the same $25 price. If you would like to get your tickets in advance to guarantee your attendance at this inaugural Rotary event, call Rotarian Sharon Greene at either (760) 500-1407 or (760) 788-6960.

And that's not all: The fund raiser will include both a silent auction and a live auction. Bid on gift certificates to play golf, go to a hockey game, free use of an RV, fine dining at several local restaurants and steak houses, car service and car repair. Bid on golf and baseball equipment, food, candy, wine and gardening baskets, bails of hay, a keyboard, bicycles and others items too many to list, and more are still coming in.

To top that, we are giving a grand prize of $2,500 to some lucky winner of the reverse raffle. We have sold tickets for this raffle at $25 each. The last ticket drawn that night after all others have been pulled will win the $2,500. You do not need to be present to win. There may be some tickets left; only 200 were printed, so the odds are absolutely great for you to be the winner. Call Rotarian Murray Hiatt at either (760) 787-9380 or (760) 419-0922 to get your raffle ticket for that big prize.

So now, you know a little of what we as Rotarians do throughout the world and here in Ramona. Don't miss this opportunity to attend Nov. 8 event. It starts at 6 p.m., so come early, win big and keep in mind that the purpose, besides you having a great time, is for Rotary to pour all the funds raised that night back into our community.

For more information, call me, Ken Dower, on my cell phone at (760) 822-8294.