December fun, including Christmas Sing-a-long Dec. 17

By Erin Weidner

Rancho Santa Fe Community Center executive director

This Sing-a-long evening is most definitely a more-the-merrier event, so bring a friend, a colleague or a neighbor! Before you say, “I’m not singing”, think about it: everyone brings a bottle of wine and something they’ve cooked to share with the group; we’ll visit, have a glass of vino and catch up while White Christmas plays in the background; and then we’ll pass out lyrics (in large enough font to read without readers) to your favorite Christmas Carols and the pianist will begin to play on the Garden Club’s grand piano.

Truth is, we all remember singing carols, and we’ll sing along in the car occasionally, but we think we cannot sing, and certainly not in front of others! We can. With the lyrics in hand, a holiday beverage consumed, and the piano playing, you’ll be surprised what you can do! For me, this Christmas tradition began in Park City with a friend’s player grand piano and we didn’t even have the delight of a live pianist! Trust me, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear after a couple of songs and you’ll think, “Wow, this is fun!”

The Community Center is co-hosting this evening with the Garden Club. While we are both membership based organizations, this event is open to all Ranch residents. There is no cost to the evening, so think of it as a Friend-raiser. We want you to see why it’s a great idea be an active part of your community. Meet us at the Garden Club at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17, and wear something festive for the holidays. If you have questions in the meantime, please call me, Erin Weidner, at 858-756-1480, or Steve DiZio at 858-761-7499. We’ll see you there!

Sign your kids up for Winter Camps — Dec. 19 through 23

If you’re in town during Winter Break, the Community Center is offering an array of fun- filled, field trip days for our Rancho youth. We have a week-long session of Winter Day Camps for grades K-5 that include rock-climbing, bowling, a tour of PETCO park, a visit to the San Diego Food Bank, and an action-packed Friday at the RSFCC gym with ping pong challenges and holiday crafts. Our Thanksgiving Camps sold out, so go online to RSFCC.org to reserve your spots for this week. We only have 15 spots available.

Come along on a Low Tide Beach Walk Thurs, Dec 22

Thursday Dec. 22 is our second Low Tide Beach walk and several people have written in asking when we’re doing this again. You can meet up at the Community Center to ride down together, or meet at Fletcher Cove, at the base of Lomas Santa Fe Drive, at 1 p.m., where there is free parking. This will be a leisurely stroll, and a terrific way to unwind before the holidays envelope us with all the love, family and friendships we can handle. Sunshine or clouds, we’ll be there as it’s just a matter of dressing appropriately.

We’ll search for seashells, sand dollars (I always find at least one) and other gifts laid out for us by the sea. A local ocean enthusiast will join us to help us better understand tides as we walk and talk. Last month there were several members who couldn’t find us down at the beach, so this time I’ll bring a bright red cabana with RSFCC taped to the side, so that we’ll have a meeting spot. I’ll be there from 12:45 p.m.

Community Calendar goes online by month’s end

Finally(!) we expect to have a truly collaborative online Community Calendar up and running by the start of 2012. Every non-profit organization in town will now have the opportunity to upload their activities to this calendar where all our community can see what’s happening at a glance. This will help us to fulfill our mission to truly be the “heart of the community”.

Ongoing Rec-In-The-Ranch programs will be easier to find and follow

Look for our new bulletin board at the RSFCC and online in our emerging eCommunityCalendar. Yoga and Jazzercise have an ongoing, enthusiastic group of participants. Join in the fun, and make some new, like-minded friends:

Yoga: Tues & Thu 8:15-9:15 a.m. Ongoing

Jazzercize: Mon & Wed 9:15-10:15 a.m. Ongoing

*Core/Boot Camp: Tue & Fri 8:15-9:15 a.m. Beg. Jan 1

*Core Strength Training/Boot Camp will be taught by our Stand Up Paddleboarding instructor and fitness enthusiast, Cameron Trickey, beginning in January, with some demo classes in December. These first classes will be complimentary, so that you can see what all of the buzz is about. Fast, burst interval is just what we need to mix things up, and keep our muscle groups guessing.

We’re looking to start the year off right with drop-in Volleyball, Men’s weekend basketball clinics, a ballroom dance class (that looks like it will start with a dozen people), and we’re bringing back a morning walking group. We’ve been asked (& responded) for a weekly stretching drop-in session for all those walkers and runners who park in the village, before they hit the trails, as flexibility is an essential part of lifelong fitness. Whew!

RSFCC Year End Appeal is under way

For those of you who don’t know, the RSF Community Center is an entirely privately funded 501(C)(3). We do not receive any federal or state funding as do the majority of recreation centers across the country. Traditionally, our Year End Appeal garners about 40% of our individual donations. Last year we had 54 community members that donated. My hope for this year’s appeal is to increase the number of donors and family foundations willing to contribute so that we can meet our budget while lessening the individual financial burden.

Ideally, we’d like for our programs themselves, and our fundraisers to keep us in the black, but we’ll need a bit more time to make it to that level of sustainability, but we will! I am asking not only for your financial support, but for your willingness to get involved to help bring these programs to fruition.

As you are considering your year end contributions, please consider adding “Your” RSF Community Center to your planned giving. I am always available by phone, or to meet in person, to answer any questions you might have or to provide financials for your charitable giving accountant to review. You can also go online to RSFCC.org and click the Year End Appeal icon.

Thank you for all your suggestions and help in these last few months. We have made great strides together. I can always use a helping hand, a champion for an individual program or a volunteer, so please don’t hesitate to send me an email (EWeidner@RSFCC.org) or stop by “your” Community Center and introduce yourself.