Two East County youngsters, winners of the Drew Ford/Kiwanis Club of La Mesa 7th Annual Soap Box Derby on May 16, will compete in the All-American National Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, in late July.

Bryce Taylor, 11, of Santee emerged as champion of the stock division. Super stock division champion was Hannah Lamb, 10, of El Cajon. The double-elimination derby was run down Junior High Drive next to La Mesa Middle School. Trophies were awarded for the top four finishers in each division:

La Mesa Dentist Jeff Gray has been chosen by PEOPLE Magazine and Major League Baseball as one of three finalists for the “All-Stars Among Us” campaign to represent the Padres at the All Star Game in July. To win, Gray has to receive your vote.

The Grossmont College Athletics Dept. will present “Le Tour de Grossmont College,” a fund-raising fun walk/run, starting at 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, at the college. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. at the Main Quad area on campus. The event will raise money for medical expenses for Grossmont College women’s soccer coach Howie Hawver, who is currently battling ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

May 28, 2009 (El Cajon)--Rescue Task Force (RTF) and World Emergency Relief (WER) are responding to the 7.1 earthquake that struck Honduras at 2:20 AM this morning.
“The orphanage that WER-CA sponsors has sustained heavy damage to the dormitory,” Gary Becks at Rescue Task Force informed East County Magazine.

May 17, 2009 (El Cajon) – For Leslie Day and Heather Gamble, flying is all in the family.

“My father was a World War II pilot,” said Day, who know pilots a 1951 T-28 A Korean War trainer. (photo)

May 9, 2009 (Escondido)--The independent arts organization contACT ARTS (formerly xDrop Arts Organization) is sponsoring The Harvest Project, a benefit event to help Archi’s Acres organic farm build a new greenhouse to serve more combat veterans in its Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) program. The event is on Sunday, May 17 from 1 – 6 pm at the World Beat Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park. (Photo: Ex-Navy Lt. Olaf Hansen tends hydroponic basil at Archi's Acres.)

By Miriam Raftery May 2, 2009 (El Cajon)—El Cajon Police Chief Pat Sprecco was inducted into the Grossmont College “Walk of Fame” yesterday at a ceremony in which he was honored by Congressman Duncan D. Hunter (photo) and other local leaders. Sprecco, a 1976 graduate of Grossmont, praised his fellow police officers, then revealed that he drew inspiration from his parents--who were both law enforcement officers.

April 28, 2009 (El Cajon)--On Friday, May 1, the Grossmont College Foundation will induct El Cajon Police Chief Pat Sprecco into their Walk of Fame for 2009. The public is cordially invited to attend the ceremonies honoring Chief Sprecco that will start at 9:00 a.m. at Grossmont College's Main Quad area; this is following the conclusion of the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce First Friday Breakfast, which will begin at 7:15 a.m. at Grossmont College's Student Center. The Walk of Fame is located on campus in the Main Quad area, a short distance from the Student Center.

April 7, 2009 (La Mesa)--Remember when you wanted to stay up all night just for the fun of it? Well, now you can, and for a good cause too. The American Cancer Society invites you to form a team and join its Relay For Life, an all-night, action-packed event to fight cancer on April 25th. 
           
More people than ever before are surviving cancer. If you are a survivor, this is your chance to inspire others. You can also participate to honor the memory of friends and loved ones.

By Miriam Raftery

(Canine Companions for Independence)

April 1, 2009 (San Diego County) – Disabled seniors and organizations that serve senior citizens can obtain free service dogs thanks to a grant provided by the Gary and Mary West Foundation. Canine Companions for Independence will provide dogs to help seniors throughout San Diego County with tasks such as opening doors, retrieving objects, and even alerting hearing impaired owners to ringing phones or doorbells. “CCI assistance dogs can help seniors in their homes or at treatment centers. We’d like to reach as many people as possible!” said Linda Valliant, CCI Southwest Executive Director in Oceanside.

“I really can’t imagine my life today or any time in the future without a CPI dog,” said Peter Wolcott of Santee, who relies on his golden retriever, Shelton, to fetch items and more. “It has enriched my life immeasurably, not only from the assistance aspect but also from the companionship aspect.” View a video by Rob Constantine of Wolcott and his CCI dog, Shelton:

Campus Supervisor Tim Wargo (left), Resource Officer Steve Paz, and Officer Joe Crawford spot student Brandon Lawtum-Grindle

Annual bench-press competition fosters trust between El Cajon Police Officers and at-risk teens.

By Gayle Early

March 25, 2009 (El Cajon)—Twenty-three Chaparral Continuation High School students flexed their muscles last week during a weight-lifting competition with members of the El Cajon Police Department in a show of strength and good will. Local TV stations trained cameras on the bench press, center stage, while a Channel 933 music van piped the jams, ratcheting up the already hyperkinetic energy of teens and classmates. The El Cajon Police Officers Association and Wal-Mart sponsored the event. Classmates, family, and friends poured onto the high school lawn at lunchtime to whoop, holler, and pump up the competitors.

March 17, 2009 (San Diego)--San Diego Las Hermanas, a group of East County women who raise money for East County charities, is hosting Casino Night with the San Diego Las Hermanas Riverboat Queens on Friday, March 27. The spring fundraiser is being held aboard the William D. Evans Riverboat, launching from the Bahia Hotel in Mission Bay.

By Maia Neubig

Maia Neubig is an SDSU senior who traveled to New Orleans on two separate occasions as part of the Art Relief effort.

The best part about the trips are the people down there, they are some of the nicest, most caring people I have ever met in my life. They truly love and appreciate every one of us for coming down there and never let us forget it.

By Miriam Raftery

Evelyn Ponce, 9, receives Peace Award from La Mesa-Sunrise Rotary Club President David Roberts (Miriam Raftery)

March 8, 2009 (La Mesa) — The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary chapter has presented its Peacemaker of the Year Award to Evelyn (Evy) Ponce, a nine-year-old student at Lexington Elementary School in El Cajon to honor her "outstanding work" with Peace Patrol and Bullies Beware. "She is a gifted and dedicated student with an incredible ability for peace," said Rotary president Dave Roberts. A trainer of peace patrollers who came to America just two years ago, Ponce is now translating Primary Peacemakers lessons into Spanish and has personally intervened to prevent bullying in her neighborhood. Ponce is the first child to be honored with the annual award.

March 6, 2009 (El Cajon) --“ Fashions by Dress Barn will be modeled at the Heartland Lions Club's 21st annual Touch of Spring fashion show. The event also includes a champagne luncheon featuring chicken cordon bleu, a silent auction, and a raffle--all to benefit worthy causes. The fashion show will be held on Saturday, March 28th at the Elks Lodge, 1400 Washington Street in El Cajon. Cost is $25 per person. Doors open and silent auction begins at 11 a.m.; lunch will be served at noon, followed by the raffle prize drawings.