Team Love of Ben at the San Diego Brain Tumor Walk. We walk for you. We walk for love.
This morning I stumbled across a deeply touching event. As I was taking photos of something completely different, I noticed hundreds of people walking through the County of San Diego Waterfront Park holding signs. I had to check it out.
The San Diego Brain Tumor Walk had just begun! The event, hosted by the National Brain Tumor Society, was created to raise awareness and desperately needed funds for various important brain tumor programs, including medical research. Many brain cancers are super aggressive and deadly. 69,000 Americans will be diagnosed with brain tumors this year. No cure exists.
As you can see by the signs, this disease is personal, devastating, heart-wrenching. Can you help? Here’s the event page, where you can make a donation. Please do.
Laugh ‘n with Jen. Miss UR laugh Jen.Team Alex walks to fight brain tumors. Today funds were raised to help those affected by this devastating disease.Team Bri. Walking for my cousin. Fight on.Susie has a very rare form of brain tumor. But nothing can hold back Wonder Woman.I walk for my mom!Susie’s Superheroes are on the march! Join them!
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While wandering about San Diego taking photos for my blog, I’ve often been privileged to see school students doing really amazing things. From the very young to the college-aged, youth in San Diego are accomplishing more than just learning. They’re creating public art, publishing amazing work, beautifying the community, becoming champions, serving neighbors and people around the world, and working to build a brighter future.
Here are some past blog posts that provide inspiration.
Birds take flight above palm trees in downtown San Diego.
The astonishing success of this modest blog is hard to believe. Thank you.
This blog’s purpose is simple. It is to enjoy San Diego, to spread a little sunshine, and to help people who are doing good deeds or undertaking worthy causes.
Here are a few charities and positive organizations that would be grateful for your assistance.
Jeff, a challenged athlete who benefits from Operation Rebound, at a special marathon Spreckels Organ concert.
Right now I’m sitting at my computer on Cortez Hill, not far from Balboa Park. Sometimes I imagine–for a brief moment–that I can hear music drifting in through the window. Whether my ears are deceiving me or not, I do know that the huge Spreckels Organ is booming across the beloved urban park at this very exact moment.
How do I know this? Because San Diego’s own Civic Organist, Dr. Carol Williams, is playing the king of musical instruments today for twelve and a half hours straight! In addition to setting a new official Guinness World Record for organ playing, she’s raising money for Operation Rebound!
Operation Rebound is a division of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. They help American military personnel, veterans and first responders who face permanent disability, but who have a passion to compete in sports. An active lifestyle can help greatly when it comes to both mental and physical health. Here is their website.
The unique event today at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion helps to raise money, so that wounded warriors can obtain expensive prosthetics, specialized equipment, and funds for travel as they compete in sporting tournaments.
It is a most worthy cause.
You can donate right now! Even a few bucks helps! To do so, click here!
Operation Rebound table had images of wounded warriors who have turned or returned to sport. This organization helps challenged athletes with their expenses.Dr. Carol Williams, San Diego’s Civic Organist, is playing for over 12 hours to help raise money, plus to set a new world record!The beautiful Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park is the scene of an important Memorial Day weekend event.Jeff talks movingly about how Operation Rebound has helped him. Wounded warriors who engage in sports often need funds for prosthetics, travel to tournaments, and special equipment.At a table nearby, people were creating greeting cards that thank our troops for sacrificing for our freedom.One handmade heartfelt card reads: You Rock! Thank you for your bravery, dedication, and amazing strength.
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People at the annual Plastic Fantastic check out cars of the North County Corvette Club.
Here are some cool pics!
I was walking along San Diego’s waterfront today, with no destination in mind, when I stumbled upon a huge gathering of car enthusiasts! Members of the North County Corvette Club had come together for a fun day at Embarcadero Marina Park North, right next to Seaport Village. Their annual car show, dubbed the Plastic Fantastic, is said to be the oldest and largest all-Corvette show in the Southwest. There had to be well over a hundred perfectly gorgeous Corvettes gleaming in the San Diego sunshine!
This cool event benefits the club charity, the San Diego USO, an organization that serves active-duty, reserve, guard and military families. If you’d like, you can donate to USO San Diego here!
The San Diego USO benefited from the all-Corvette car show near Seaport Village.The King Lives–but he must be laying off the donuts, because it seems he’s shrunk a bit.Shiny metallic American flag inside the hood of a cool Chevy Corvette.Artwork on this slick sports car includes flames and a checkered flag.A racy paint job and a beautiful downtown San Diego backdrop.Lots of Corvettes were on the grass of Embarcadero Marina Park North, right next to San Diego Bay.Another colorful photo, with the Marriott Marina in the background.Corvette owners wait to hear which cars won show awards.It’s two o’clock and time to head home. Drivers are graciously thanked for attending!
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Never Stop Dreaming. It’s the face of Mickey Mouse made of quarters!
Today a very special event took place: the Miracle Mile of Quarters!
Every year, the Division 100 Miracle Mile of Quarters Kiwanis Club San Diego (that’s quite a mouthful) raises money for Rady Children’s Hospital in a unique way. Thousands of patiently collected quarters are used by local kids to create works of inspirational art! The money is then donated to the hospital!
I took some pics of the glittering artwork late this morning. I thought you might enjoy them.
Would you like to help others with this important effort? Rady Children’s Hospital has saved thousands of young lives over the years. Click here and become a hero!
Judges look at the fun, original artwork. Kids assembled quarters collected by local Kiwanis Club Divisions.Division 100 Miracle Mile of Quarters Kiwanis Club San Diego created this annual event to raise money for Rady Children’s Hospital.Inspiration Fountain in front of the pediatric hospital shows children flying kites.Photo of beautiful Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California. This is a world-class life-saving medical facility that touches thousands of lives.Kiwanis International, founded in Detroit, Michigan, is 100 years old!Artwork fashioned from shiny silver coins depicts two infants.Rady is the sixth largest children’s hospital in the country! It was established in 1954.A dolphin and a heart glitter in the sunshine.Kids (and adults) created unique artwork with the quarters. Millions of dollars have been raised over the years.Absolutely anyone can help out when it comes to a good cause! Kiwanis is celebrating its centennial this year.Hundreds of coins form one huge happy coin!Discover the Cure!Service is Timeless.A chef made of coins serves up a Kiwanis birthday cake!Most of the artwork emphasized service.Do you want to build a future?Bright coins on the long red carpet form thoughtful works of art.Young lady places coins to form a cool image as the art competition nears its conclusion.Unlock your heart with service.Be a hero for your community.Key leaders take the risk.Like Big Hero 6, service is super!Kirby is going to smash difficult diseases!Robot Hope and robot -ful.The Miracle Mile of Quarters is a special San Diego tradition.
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Got extra fruit? Got time? Help fight hunger and have a load of fun, too!
Do you love to be out in the San Diego sunshine, among friendly people and fragrant fruit trees? Do you hate to see delicious, nutritious fruit just lying there on the ground, beginning to rot? Do you, perhaps, own fruit trees in your backyard and struggle to give the abundant harvest away? Would you like to help some hungry people?
If you’re looking for a fun opportunity to volunteer and make a positive change in the lives of San Diegans, read on! Some fantastic ladies whom I met at EarthFair need your help! They’re the Glean Queens!
These three ladies are making the world a better place. Join them!
The Glean Queens have undertaken a very important project. It’s called CropSwap. The perfectly named CropSwap (part of their organization ProduceGood) solves a huge problem. The problem of tragically wasted food–locally grown fruit, to be exact.
Sunny Southern California is thick with citrus and other fruit trees. Many residents have them on their property. Many of the established trees provide more fruit than a family can possibly use. Why should the excess become useless garbage?
Help save valuable, nutritious oranges, lemons, limes, avocados, tangerines…you name it!
According to the USDA, a whopping 40% of crops go to waste. And here’s another shocking statistic: 20% of San Diegans have difficulty getting enough food to eat.
CropSwap coordinates fruit tree owners and volunteer pickers, and arranges the collection of excess fruit that would otherwise be wasted. The fruit is then delivered to San Diego food banks. An excellent (and common sense) idea!
So all you fruit tree owners and future volunteer pickers in and around San Diego! Click here to visit the ProduceGood website and learn how you can personally help, in a very tangible and rewarding way, to fight hunger!
You can easily make a positive difference in San Diego!
Spread the word!
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Young ladies perform classical music in Balboa Park to raise money for a very worthy cause!
A group of talented young people in San Diego have a lofty ambition. They want to make our world a much better place!
This afternoon I was walking along when I happened upon two members of the Westview Music Outreach Club skillfully playing classical music. They had attracted a small crowd on El Prado in Balboa Park. Their sign really caught my attention:
Westview High School Music Outreach of San Diego has important plans! Its mission is to spread riches of music.
The club is already engaged in many positive activities! Check out their website.
I don’t see why the Westview High School Music Outreach can’t became an enormous success. With a little help anything is possible. Their (and your) generous musical gifts might touch and enrich thousands of lives! Can you help them succeed?
High School students actively working to change the world into a better place!
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At the corner of Ash and Front Street, a San Diego firefighter volunteers to collect donations to assist burn victims.
If you’re driving about San Diego County today and you see a fireman standing at an intersection holding up a boot, throw lots of money in!
Today a small army of San Diego firefighters are volunteering to collect donations for the Burn Institute. The Burn Institute’s mission is to help the victims of severe burns recover from a devastating and very difficult situation. The organization has a strong focus on children. Be generous!
Television reporter and firemen spread the word about today’s Fill the Boot campaign throughout San Diego.Fill the Boot generously to help the Burn Institute help children who’ve suffered from critical burns.
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Participants in Susan G. Komen three day walk fighting breast cancer.
As usual, I ran into an unexpected cool sight during a walk. I was returning home from Balboa Park early this afternoon when I noticed a bunch of people wearing pink lining Park Boulevard. Sure enough! San Diego’s Susan G. Komen three day walk to raise money to fight breast cancer was underway. It was heading down the homestretch!
I took a bunch of pics as I continued home along the route of the walkers. They had roughly one more mile to go until the finish line at downtown’s Petco Park stadium.
San Diego walkers cheered by pink-wearing supporters on Park Boulevard.Mile 59. Just one mile to go to the Petco Park finish!Lots of fun pink stuff greeted the walkers along their route.Guy helping with traffic wears pink and lots of pins and buttons.Encouraging signs were everywhere along this beautiful section of the San Diego route.Someone stenciled LOVE on the sidewalk.Hydration station awaits some oncoming anti-breast cancer walkers.Cars coming down the street honked and featured optimistic messages.San Diego police officer wears pink for the special occasion.Someone wrote a personal encouraging note in chalk on the sidewalk.This cool bystander guy has a pink mohawk!U GO GIRL
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Cool San Diego Sights! 