Clubs & Organizations section

BY JOE NAIMAN

Preparation for fairs and other events in the not-so-distant future will keep Ramona’s clubs and organizations busy in April, although the clubs also had significant activity in March.

The Ramona Pregnancy Care Clinic will hold its annual Walk for Life fundraiser on April 16. All proceeds from the walk, in which participants can gather donations from sponsors or pay a $25 entry fee, will allow the clinic to provide such services as free pregnancy tests, peer counseling, free prenatal exams, prenatal vitamins, nutrition counseling, prenatal classes, baby and maternity clothes, and other supplies. The 2 1/2-mile walk will begin and end at Collier Park on E Street between 6th and 7th Streets and will be followed by games, entertainment, brunch, and ice cream. Pledge forms and additional information can be obtained by calling the Ramona Pregnancy Care Clinic at 789-7059.

On April 19 the Burn Institute will benefit when some of Ramona’s firefighters take part in the annual “Give Burns the Boot” countywide boot drive; during the morning and evening commutes that Tuesday the firefighters will collect donations in their boots to benefit the Burn Institute. For additional information contact the Burn Institute at (858) 541-2277.

Ramona’s Curves fitness franchise was part of the Curves International “Curves Food Drive” March 7-11 to benefit local food banks. The fitness club waived the service fee for women bringing a bag of groceries, and others were encouraged to drop of non-perishable food items.

The Ramona Garden Club event featured Stacy Bablewski of “Faux Designs by Stacy”, who presented a workshop on creating faux designs in a garden. The president of the Ramona Garden Club is Iris Price, and she can be reached at

(760) 788-8035 for additional information.

Ramona’s Homebirth Support Group met March 16 to discuss the topic “Homebirth and the Family” which covered such questions as sibling and grandparent attendance and reaction of extended family. The group meets on the third Wednesday of each month, and on April 20 the topic will be “Birth Stories”. For more information about the homebirth support group contact Karen Wallace at 787-0302.

On April 23 the Ramona Council of Arts Unlimited will host a talent show and Italian dinner. All proceeds will be used for the council’s scholarship program which assists children interested in the arts and college art majors. The dinner will begin at 5:30 and will be at Sun Valley Charter School on Main Street, and a raffle will also be part of the festivities. For additional information on the Ramona Council of Arts Unlimited contact Jill Bacorn at 788-0914.

Jill Bacorn is also the director of the Little People’s Learning Center Preschool, and a fundraiser to replace the flooring in the classrooms will be held April 16 at Ramona United Methodist Church. The activities between 3:00 and 6:00 will include a carnival, Ramona’s largest musical chairs game, a silent auction, food, pony rides, a jump facility, and face painting. The phone number for additional information on the carnival is 789-3435.

The Ramona Unified School District choral group’s March activities included the Ramona Jamboree March 19, Cabaret Night at Ramona High School March 22, and the Ramona Elementary School Spring Choir Concert March 23. April activities include the Olive Peirce Middle School Spring Choral Concert April 20 and the “Sing for the Red, White and Blue” Barnett Elementary fifth-grade musical April 27.

The Olde Ramona Hotel Gallery will feature local artist Lavina Stromberg on April 9 between 2:00 and 4:00. Stromberg’s “Two for the Yangtze” exhibit will include Chinese ink sticks and art brushes which will be available for hands-on experience by the public. For additional information call Loretta Alfonzi at 789-3682.

The Ramona Women’s Connection met March 16 to feature a celebration of Ireland along with Marcia Gehris, who was once with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians band and who spoke on “What It Really Means to Be a Star”. On April 20 at the Ramona Sizzler the Ramona Women’s Connection will hear Margaret Esther, the children’s librarian for the Ramona Library, speak on keeping children cyber-safe. Esther will provide tips on filtering the Internet for children and describe the library’s filtering program. She will also describe the new “Kid Web Pages” offered by the library. The luncheon meeting, which will begin at 11:30 a.m., will also include speaker Marilyn Dronenberg, who lives in Fallbrook and will share “Making Your Love Story a Masterpiece” with the group. Reservations and other information may be obtained by calling Francine Abbott at 789-1526 or Carol Miles at 788-1348.

The San Vicente Valley Club’s next meeting will be April 27 at the San Vicente Inn. A tribute to Mother’s Day will include an “Off-Broadway Gala”. Social time will begin at 11:00 a.m., a brief meeting will commence at 11:30, a luncheon will follow the meeting, and the gala will begin at 1:00 p.m. Further information on the San Vicente Valley Club can be obtained by calling membership chair Pat Barker at 787-8511.

Soroptomist International of Ramona hosted the Soroptomist International District 2 Winter Workshop at the San Vicente Inn February 26. More than 100 Soroptomists from Southern California clubs attended the meeting and luncheon. Keynote speaker Dorothy Mitchell gave a speech titled “If You Want Success You Have to Circle Your Own Wagons”, and Ramona High School’s Janette Hill received the District II Violet Richardson Award for her volunteer service to high school girls. Hill, who conducts training sessions on sexual harassment awareness and the dignity of young women, will be considered for the Desert Coast Region Violet Richardson Award which will be presented at the Desert Coast Region Spring Conference in Anaheim April 15-17. Additional information about the chapter may be obtained by calling membership director Gina Seashore at 788-4315.

The Soroptomists will also be selling drinks at Ramona’s annual Children’s Festival and Crime Prevention Fair will be held April 30 at Collier Park from 10:00 to 3:00. The event includes bike safety engraving, crime prevention displays, hands-on activities, jumbo jumps, face painting, balloons, glop, and entertainment. Information on volunteering or attending may be obtained by calling Brenda Foreman at 788-1456 or Linda Lowe at 789-8570.

Prudential’s annual Community Garage Sale will be held April 23. Prudential handles the advertising and provides signs for participants’ yards, and maps will be available at the Main Street Prudential office. For additional information call 788-3043.

Montecito High School will be hosting a spaghetti dinner April 8 from 5:00 to 8:00. Profits from the dinner will be given to students in the form of college scholarships. For tickets and additional information, call 787-4314 or 787-4317.

The Ramona Rotary Club’s March meeting speakers included a representative from the San Diego Hospice March 1 on what hospice care is, Israeli and Palestinian co-speakers March 8 on a project to send wheelchairs to their common Holy Land for young people injured in the conflict there, Ramona Municipal Water District board member Tom Brammell March 15 on an upcoming vote to pay more for improving services, and former Illinois governor Dan Walker March 22 on the book he has written about water issues in the West. April meetings will begin with Dr. Charles Fraley, who operates Ramona’s radiology facility and will speak on osteoporosis April 5. On April 12 the guest speaker will address the San Dieguito River Park, and on April 19 the club will be visited by tsunami relief providers. The April 12 meeting will also see the participation of the Tijuana Oeste club. Further Rotary information can be obtained from president Chuck Demund at (760) 788-1011.

The Ramona Rotary Club’s annual July 4 Family Picnic and Fireworks Show is soliciting booth and activity signups as well as sponsors; for additional information on booth and activity signups (limited to local non-profit organizations) contact Patrick Osio at (760) 789-0516.

The Ramona Kiwanis Club activities in March included a visit to the Valley Center club March 11, the club meeting March 12 in which all 11 Ramona Rodeo Queen contestants appeared and gave brief speeches, the Highway 78 cleanup project March 12, a visit to the Del Mar Fairgrounds March 13 for the Ugly Dog Show (the townwide “Bow-wow Pow-wow” dog show will be held at Community Park on June 12, and the visit to the dog show was used to plan the upcoming Ramona show), the monthly assistance with the setup and takedown for the Ramona library book sale March 19, and the Kiwani Cats harmonica band entertaining at the senior center dinner March 19. April activities will include the April 16 assistance with the library book sale and Kiwani Cats visits April 24 to the Ramona Food and Clothes Closet Antique Fair and April 30 to Pioneer Days. Darrell Beck is the President of Ramona’s Kiwanis chapter and can be reached at 789-2534.

The Ramona Stars 4-H Club hosted a countywide Small Animal Learning Day March 12 in which the chapter’s dog group organized a dog show and the poultry group organized a poultry show. On April 16 Beth Prinz, the community leader of the Ramona Stars 4-H Chapter, will be in charge of Art and Design Day, a countywide event at the Rancho Bernardo Swim and Tennis Club which will include stained glass, quilting, designing animal pens and gardens, and other non-animal activities. The 4-H members are getting ready for the Del Mar Fair and the Ramona Fair, and in March the swing group received their pigs to raise. Potential new members as well as other interested citizens can contact Beth Prinz at 788-8991 for additional information.