The Vista Boys & Girls Club and the Spiering Family Foundation have teamed up with five former professional athletes to put together a first-of-its-kind Baseball Camp for North County youth. The Pro Player Baseball Camp will take place August 30th through the 31st at the Little Padres Park in Vista.

Instructing campers will be former Major League baseball players Scott Karl, Brent Hansen, Matt Nokes, and Gordon Sanchez as well as Track and Field Hall of Famer Steve Scott. Tuition for the camp is $215 and includes two days of instruction, lunch, an 8x10 color photo, and t-shirt.

All proceeds benefit the Vista Boys & Girls Club and the Spiering Family Foundation, both non-profit organizations. For more information, please contact Scott Spiering at 760-500-0204 or visit www.bgcvista.com

Ivey Ranch Park Association will hold its fourth annual Western Hoedown fundraiser from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 6 at 110 Rancho del Oro Dr. The event includes a USMC Color Guard Flag Ceremony, a Western-style BBQ by Outback Steakhouse, a Kid's Corral, horseback riding demonstrations, country western music by DJ Brenda Marshall and "Cowboy Jack" Johnson, line dancing, a silent auction and more.

All proceeds will benefit the many programs Ivey Ranch offers for the disabled and able-bodied community. For tickets and sponsorship information, call (760) 722-4839 or visit www.iveyranch.com.

Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet Job/Resource Fair is coming to San Diego, CA. Thursday, September 11, 2008, 10am-3pm.  Help us honor the brave Veterans of our Country!  To Participate contact Joe Muniz at the Veterans Employment Committee of San Diego at (619-)266-4283.  Space is limited to the first 100 participants so respond quickly to secure a good location.

This free outdoor event will showcase fine artwork by artists from throughout San Diego, Southern California and Mexico, with a special interactive area for children. There's something for everyone, including live music and dance performance, food and drinks and beautiful artwork for viewing and sale, with picturesque San Diego Bay creating the perfect backdrop!

The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) is pounding the pavement nationwide to increase awareness
and research dollars through VisionWalk, FFB’s signature fundraising event. VisionWalk will be on Sunday, September 14th at 10am beginning at Mission Bay Park - DeAnza Cove.  VisionWalk will raise money to support cutting-edge research to find the preventions, treatments and cures for retinal degenerative diseases.

VisionWalk is a 5K (3.1 miles) walk is designed to raise awareness and dollars for the fight against retinal degenerative diseases. All walk routes are wheelchair and stroller accessible. How can you help? Form a Team with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, walk as an Individual, volunteer at the walk, become a Sponsor of the Walk, make a donation to a walker.  Visit www.VisionWalk.org  for more information  

Education For Education 2008: The College Strategy Roadmap is THE EVENT for families who are preparing themselves and their children for the journey to and through college. Featuring three expert speaker presentations, a scholarship award ceremony, and access to an abundance of resources, E4E is designed to educate parents and students alike to create family-based roadmaps to guide them through the college years. Families will get the truth about sending their kids to college, from learning about financial aid, scholarships and grants to understanding the admissions process, SAT/ACT test preparation, and much, much more.

Scholarships valued up to $2,500 will be awarded to families who register prior to the event. E4E will be held on September the 17th from 5:30-9:00 p.m. at the Encinitas Community Center, Banquet Rooms A & B. Contact Monica at (760) 918-0765 or monica@boltpr.com, or visit www.education4education.com for additional information.

Response to this "Letters of Hope" posting has been tremendous -- thank you!

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).

In the past year, Letters of Hope has touched over 1,000 soldiers, and we're looking for even bigger and better support in the future!  Please call 619-980-9638 or contact Stacy Lynes at the email link below for additional information and how your donations and letters can be accepted.

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.

Are you looking for a loan to start or expand your small business? If so, ACCION San Diego can help! ACCION is a non-profit organization that provides loans ranging from $300 to $35,000 to business owners who may not qualify for a bank loan. Money can be used for inventory, expansion, equipment, cash flow and more.

It's simple to apply; the application can be found on our website at www.accionsandiego.org and the process takes less than 2 weeks. If you are looking for a small loan under $2,000, ACCION San Diego also offers a Quick Loan with a turnaround time of 48 hours. If you have questions or need more information, please call (619) 685-1380. Let ACCION San Diego help you build your credit and make your small business dreams come true!

*ACCION San Diego is a non-profit organization providing loans for low-to-moderate income business owners that lack access to traditional financing.

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.