UC Democratic Club
The newly launched University City Democratic Club will be hosting a community mixer with drinks and hors d’oeuvres on Monday, Jan. 21, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Smokeyard restaurant in the Westfield UTC shopping center. Tickets are $8 for current members and $10 general admission, and available through Eventbrite. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to Black American Political Association of California (BAPAC) Youth Activities in honor of Martin Luther King Day. A special Martin Luther King tribute will be presented at 6:30 p.m. by Dr. Willie Blair, president of California BAPAC. The event is an opportunity to regroup with new founding members, and to reach out to the community-at-large. They are on Facebook @UniversityCityDemocrats. Recreation council meetings
Get involved with local recreation councils by attending one of their monthly meetings. Upcoming are: • Doyle Park Recreation Council – Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m., 8175 Regents Road. Meetings are typically the fourth Tuesday of the month. • Standley Park Recreation Council – Jan. 24, 7 p.m., 3585 Governor Drive. Meetings are typically the fourth Thursday of the month. Giving back: volunteer opportunity
Is your New Year’s resolution to make a difference in the life of a child? Here’s your opportunity. Doyle Elementary EARs (Everyone A Reader) program is searching for a Thursday reading tutor. You will read with students who have been identified by their teachers as needing help. Training is available through San Diego County Office of Education at community sites or at Doyle Elementary. The tutoring commitment is about two hours on Thursdays for the remainder of the current school year. Materials are provided and you’ll be working with the same students each week. Tutors substitute for one another for appointments, traveling and unexpected events. For more information, contact [email protected]. For information specific to Doyle Elementary, contact Carol Parham at [email protected] or 858-864-3141. Blood drive
San Diego Blood Bank Bloodmobile will have a blood drive on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Sprouts Marketplace on Governor Drive from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. You’ll find the Bloodmobile in the center of the parking lot. Busy times are 8 to 10 a.m., so sign up in advance at mysdbb.org. The last blood drive in November collected 30 successful pints. Anything in the 30s is considered above-average. Make sure to eat your beans and greens in the days before you give blood, and if you’re sick or on antibiotics, skip this blood drive. Also, keep in mind that your body will temporarily be down a pint of life-giving liquid for about a day, and depending on your body size, that could be 10 percent of your total blood. So, drink lots of water before and after you give blood, and stay cool. Because the UC blood drives have done well for years, there will be an extra blood super crew person to help speed things along. Donating blood gives you the satisfaction of helping others, plus you get free snacks. The blood drives for 2019 are scheduled for Saturdays on March 16, May 11, July 13, Sept. 14, and Nov. 9.