Join Home of Guiding Hands for a morning of art and tea! The 3rd Annual Arts & Tea Celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, at the Ronald Reagan Community Center in El Cajon.

Reservations to attend are $25 in advance, or $35 at the door. Sponsorships are also available, including the opportunity to sponsor a Home of Guiding Hands resident to attend. Tickets and sponsorship information may be obtained by calling (619) 938-2854; or via email: marcy@guidinghands.org.

On Saturday, May 17th from 1:00-5:00 PM, Guitars in the Classroom (GITC) in collaboration with Hornblower Cruises & Events, will offer a free professional development seminar for teachers at The Abbey, which is a Hornblower historic venue at 2825 5th Avenue in San Diego! This special music integration workshop will show teachers the basics of playing simple guitar, singing with students, teaching songs, and facilitating classroom songwriting while meeting state educational standards.

For more information on this event please visit the Guitars in the Classroom website at www.guitarsintheclassroom.org  or call (858) 755-2239.

A rally for education will be held on Wednesday, May 21st to highlight the programs and staffing that are in danger of being eliminated due to the budget cuts. The rally will be held in the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot at 7:00 pm. The parking lot gates will open at 5:30 pm. High school bands, choirs, cheerleaders and a JROTC Color Guard will be featured at the rally. Winners of speech, essay and poster contests will be announced. Students are encouraged to wear their sports uniforms or school colors. The San Diego Unified Council of PTAs is sponsoring the rally.

Students, parents, teachers and the community from all San Diego County school districts are invited to attend. For additional information, contact Ruth Johnson at (619)276-2209 or Paula Day at (619)475-5020.

The Council for Supplier Diversity presents a Benefit Jazz Concert featuring Gerald Albright and special guest Phil Perry on Thursday, May 22nd at the Balboa Theatre. 

For registration and sponsorship information, visit www.supplierdiversitysd.org

Community Coaching Center (CCC) announces the 2008 Beach Bash for Autism, taking place on Saturday, May 31st at the Wave House in Mission Beach. The event features live bands, island food, drinks, games, silent auctions, raffles, wave riding and surf demos on famed Bruticus Maximus and more.

All proceeds will help CCC fulfill its mission to nurture the development of socially appropriate skills and behaviors in school aged individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders while promoting community acceptance and inclusion.

Contact Deanna Askin at daskin@communitycoachingcenter.org or 571-214-7173 for information on this exciting event or for information about sponsoring the 2008 Beach Bash for Autism.

The Letters of Hope organization is asking for, simply that.  Letters of hope to send to our military personnel who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Cards and letters that offer love, support and understanding for our military -- along with donations of simple comfort items that are on our soldiers' wish list, such as wash cloths, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, books, magazines, DVDS and any kind of packaged junk food (a fun treat from home).

Last year, Letters of Hope touched over 100 soldiers, and we're looking for even bigger and better support in the future!  There is a donation box at El Cajon Ford, 1595 E. Main Street, El Cajon.  You can also call 619-980-9638 or contact Stacy Lynes at the email link below for additional information.

Creative Expressions Art Studio is a non-profit organization. It's purpose is to keep art alive by: offering art work shops, art exposure,opportunities to express individual creativity, art scholarships to underprivileged families, and by supporting living/local artist. Their next art benefit 'Norma At Night and Friends' will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2008 from 2-8pm. Come out and enjoy incredible art, music entertainment, and light refreshments while raising funds for art scholarships. There will be a mini solo concert with saxophone player, Melvyn W. Patterson at 6pm.

Your donation of $10 at the door is appreciated and tax deductible. Please support our own, living/local artist and our effort to Keep Art Alive. (all art is available for purchase) To make a donation for this cause, contact Norma directly at 619 508-4741. To sumit art for consideration, log onto www.creativeexpressionsartbenefits.com Thank you.

For more information visit www.creativeexpressionartstudio.com

Did you know that last year more teens abused cough medicine and prescription painkillers than ecstasy, meth and heroin combined? The Partnership for a Drug-Free America encourages you to educate yourself about the prescription drugs teens are abusing. Communicate the dangers of abusing prescription drugs to your teen and Safeguard your medicine cabinet and ask your other family and friends to do the same.

For more information please visit www.drugfree.org.

Help foster kids put their best feet forward! Now through May 18th Sleep Train will be collecting new shoes for local foster kids. Remember foster kids range in ages–from teenagers to infants, so new shoes big and small are needed.

For locations near you, please visit www.sleeptrain.com or call 1-800-378-BEDS. Sleep Train knows, not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child.®

Help keep your local beaches clean! Join San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation in protecting San Diego's precious water resources. Volunteers will work outdoors maintaining the beauty of the beach by removing litter. All supplies provided - fun project for the whole family! Cleanups are from 9am -11am. For more information visit www.sdcoastkeeper.org or www.surfridersd.org.

MAY- Coastkeeper
10th – Del Mar – 15th Street/Powerhouse Park. Meet at the grassy area next to the Powerhouse.
24th – Mission Bay - Fiesta Island. Meeting point TBA
JUNE - Surfrider
14th Oceanside – Buccaneer Beach
28th - Pacific Beach - Crystal Pier. Meet by the north side of the pier.
JULY - Surfrider
26th – South Mission Beach. Meet next to public restrooms by the parking lot and lifeguard tower.
AUGUST - Coastkeeper
9th - Carlsbad - Tamarack. Meet at the end of Tamarack Street.
23rd - Pacific Beach Drive. Meet at the end of PB Drive.
SEPTEMBER - Coastkeeper
6th – La Jolla Shores. Meet by the lifeguard tower.
OCTOBER - Surfrider
11th - Torrey Pines State Beach. Meet at the lifeguard tower by the entrance to the South parking lot
25th - Mission Beach – Belmont Park. Meet at the grassy area on the south side of roller coaster
NOVEMBER - Coastkeeper
8th - Seaside Beach, Encinitas - Meet in the parking lot.
22nd - Ocean Beach Jetty - Meet at Dog Beach.
DECEMBER - Surfrider
13th - Imperial Beach Pier - Meet by the north side of the pier at the end of Elm St.