The December monthly meeting of the Sierra Club – Rincon Group will highlight a slide show of Vietnam:

Thursday, December 8th – The Many Wonders of Vietnam –

Sierra Club members Tim Wernette and Carolyn Brown will show a slide presentation on their Sierra Club Vietnam Adventure trips, highlighting activities in southern, central and northern Vietnam. These trips include hiking, snorkeling, kayaking and cultural tours. Vietnam is an incredibly beautiful and interesting country and this presentation will highlight some of its most fascinating natural features.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Volunteer Southern Arizona, 924 N. Alvernon Way. This is the new name of the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona at the same location, between Speedway and Broadway.

The Sierra Club is the nation’s largest grass-roots environmental organization (founded in 1892).

The Rincon Group of the Grand Canyon Chapter, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, promotes the Sierra Club motto to explore, enjoy and protect the planet.

The Rincon Group supports education, environmental activism, and careful, informed and caring stewardship of resources as a means to preserve the planet for future generations. To that end, the Rincon Group provides educational monthly programs concerning environmental issues affecting Southern Arizona, alerts to, and information on, getting involved in environmental issues (with an emphasis on those issues of interest in Southern Arizona), the opportunity to participate in outings to explore nature in Southern Arizona, and periodic newsletters which provide articles on environmental issues affecting Southern Arizona.

For more information: www.sierraclub.org/rincon.
And coming up on their January 12 meeting, an update on the Rosemont Mine.

I used to be an avid hiker and backpacker, and have hiked with the Sierra Club in various states and countries, but never in Vietnam.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution declaring May 16 to be “International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day”. This candlelight ceremony in memory of those who have died from AIDS will be at Himmel Park tonight at the amphitheater, from 6 to 8 p.m. Please join the Tucson community in the fight against AIDS. There will be music, speakers, performances, the AIDS Ribbon on display, the AIDS timeline, information tables at this family-friend event. Lighting of candles begins at 7:30 p.m.

AIDS ribbon

Read the full text of the Resolution below, unanimously (5-0) passed by the Board on May 11, 2010 and signed by Board Chair Ramon Valadez.

“WHEREAS, people of Pima County will join those in more than 1,200 other communities in more than 100 countries to observe the 27th annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, the oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world; and

WHEREAS, the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is based on four simple principles: to honor the memory of those lost to AIDS; to show support for those living with HIV and AIDS; to raise community awareness and eliminate stigma related to HIV and AIDS; and to mobilize community involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS; and

WHEREAS, our observance in Pima County derives from the cooperation of many local agencies, including AIDS Ribbon Tucson, Be Positive Tucson, City of Tucson Human Relations Commission, Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation, Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network, Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona, and Wingspan; and

WHEREAS, HIV/AIDS continues to impact the lives of citizens of all ages, races, and genders living and working in Pima County and across Southern Arizona.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Pima County Board of Supervisors hereby declares May 16, 2010, to be:
“INTERNATIONAL AIDS CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL DAY”
in Pima County, and encourages everyone to join together in the family-friendly International AIDS Candlelight Memorial event in Himmel Park on Sunday, May 16, at 6 p.m.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 11th day of May, 2010.”

One of my dear friends F. Leo Brown died from AIDS in 1991 in New York City. I will light a candle in his memory tonight. For more info: www.candlelightmemorial.org.
_____________________________________

Please join the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona in assembling children’s back packs with toys and books, on December 2nd to deliver to about 3,200 disadvantaged children at local schools on December 4th. (This is early as the official St. Nicholas Day is not till December 6).

This year for the first time they are using environmentally friendly backpacks made of 100% recycled cotton, and distributing Spanish and bi-lingual books as well.

“A Visit from Saint Nicholas” delivers backpacks filled with toys, books, a toothbrush, and library card to some of Tucson’s most disadvantaged youth in pre-kindergarten through second grade. The backpacks these children receive may be their only holiday gift, but more importantly, the books may be their very first personal book. These children reside in some of Tucson’s most impoverished neighborhoods, and the schools that they attend are chosen to participate in the program based upon the percentage of students eligible for the government-aided free lunch program. On average, 95% of the student bodies of schools taking part in “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” qualify for the free lunch program, meaning that they come from families that are classified as very low income.”

The location for assembling these backpacks is again at the World Care center at 3538 E. Ellington (south of E. 22nd Street,east of Palo Verde Ave.) in the former Julia Keen Elementary School location. The packing party starts at 5 p.m. and goes till they are finished.

I helped pack last year after I read an article in this Tucson Citizen newspaper about the event, and there were lots of enthusiastic people helping, of all ages. And if you want to be a “Saint Nicholas” at the local schools, you can volunteer for the delivery party as well on Dec.3rd from 10 to 4 p.m.

To volunteer please RSVP to Erin Lapidus, 881-3300, x 147 at the Volunteer Center, 940 S. Alvernon, or email her at elapidus@volunteersoaz.org. And please ask your family and friends to help as well.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!