Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego celebrated its 25th anniversary at Westfield UTC on Dec. 2. San Diego County Credit Union, the Honda Dealers of San Diego County and County Supervisor Ron Roberts each made $25,000 contributions in honor of the occasion. The Season of Wishes holiday campaign to help make the wishes of local children with life-threatening medical conditions granted special wishes to eight kids with the Disney Adventure Wish by Mickey Mouse at the Hotel del Coronado on Dec. 10 BAE Systems donated 840 bikes and helmets to the USO to distribute to local military families at an event held Dec. 2 at BAE headquarters. The company donates bikes each year in support of the United Service Organizations and the U.S. military. Bikes are purchased with donations from BAE Systems and its employees The Nice Guys of San Diego hosted needy families with a Holiday Festival at Qualcomm Stadium on Dec. 6. Each family received food, entertainment and gifts provided by the Nice Guys. In addition to the party, each family received food to take home for a holiday meal and gift certificates. Home Depot was one of the sponsors San Diego-based Souplantation partnered with Father Joe’s St. Vincent de Paul’s Soup Kitchen to provide 300 homeless men and women with a warm meal Kids’ Turn San Diego, a program dedicated to helping families rebuild after divorce, raised $56,000 at its seventh annual Wine & Art Auction on Nov. 16. Corporate sponsors were Kisco Senior Living, legal consulting firm LECG, Mance Creative Design Services and the law firm of Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek Nonprofit Management Solutions held its 2008 Salute to Excellence Awards on Dec. 2 at the Bahia Hotel. Jung-Ho Pak, music director of San Diego Chamber Orchestra, was the legacy award recipient. The executive leadership award went to Junior Achievement of San Diego; The organizational innovation award went to Barrio Logan College Institute; and the technology solutions award went to the San Diego Futures Foundation UC San Diego students recently held toy-donation drives, worked on service projects in Mexico, or contributed time and talents this holiday season. UCSD has more than 70 service-based student organizations, which include UCSD Cares and the Associated Students Volunteer Connection. “Our students are generous all year round,” said Emily Marx, director of the Center for Student Involvement. “It’s no surprise their dedication to serving the community continues to thrive during the holidays.” Students in the Foundation for International Service and Health went to Mexico on Dec. 13 to sponsor an elementary school in Tijuana. In November, students and alums helped rebuild the roads in Tijuana. On campus, students and staff organized an annual toy drive, with toys donated to children staying at the UCSD Medical Center Burn Unit, Kaiser Permanente Pediatric Unit, UCSD Infant Care Center, UCSD Mother Child and Adolescent Care, and National City Boys and Girls Club.
Please send Kudos and Giving items to contributing writer Joyce Glazer at jglazer@sdbj.com.
