BY DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
Eight (8) Days, 192 Hours, 11,520 minutes—more or less, cupcake—discounting closed stores and miscalculation by a sprinkles-jammed calculator on my desk. . No, can’t be. Say it isn’t so! Here’s your cue: Get a hustle in your bustle, Dude and Dudette. Someone naughty is already serenading Santa with “Up on the Roof-top, Reindeer pause!” as he/she hands the bearded one an accumulated Wish list labeled “My Very Nice” Year: A Memoir.” Yeah, right. And Santa’s Elves play for the Lakers on their days off. (Look worried, Kobe.) Listen up: It’s too late to scream: “Unfair!” Hitch up your personal sleigh and set your course to share, to surprise, to add joy to the lives of those you love on Christmas—whether a card, a gift, a call or a visit. Click, click, click, it all counts. It all matters! Happy Holidays!
Thursday December 18, 6:00 – 9:00 PM. A different kind of “Fire Sale!” Where’s the fire? At retail store The Body Deli, 73-560 El Paseo, Suite B, Palm Desert. Thanks Desert Sun! The community- conscious newspaper made this a page one story and now you can help the Morongo Valley Fire Department (MVFD) purchase a new fire engine so it can respond to the many dangerous car crashes on Highway 62. It’s free to the public. Enjoy holiday treats and meet some of the “Highway Heroes” in person. 25% of all merchandise by The Body Deli purchased during the event will be donated to the MVFD for a much-needed fire engine. Here’s a link to the Desert Sun article, which explains why the department so desperately needs a new truck: www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/12/05/morongo-valley-crowdfunds-fire-truck/19971207 “This is one of the most severe highways in the nation, or at least in Southern California. And these first responders need so much more to do their job,” said David Parker, owner of The Body Deli who has designed a website and “Highway Heroes” merchandise to help the town raise money. “I don’t think this is just a Morongo Valley story, or an upper desert story. I think it’s a Coachella Valley story. How many people do you know that drive this highway? I don’t drive it every day … but it’s reassuring to know that help is only five minutes away.”
Today’s Last Date! Give by Thursday, December 18, 9:00 – 5:00 PM.. You’re guided by “Sell-by” Dates when grocery shopping. So, when you want to make sure our local foster kids find a gift under the tree just for them, you’ll want to play Santa when the Family Health and Support Network kicks off the 11th annual Holiday Toy Drive. FHSN is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing safe, loving homes for foster children in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Please do your part by donating an unwrapped toy or gift card, make an in-kind donation or offer a financial contribution no later than December 18, 2014. The gifts will be distributed at a private holiday celebration for children, youth, and families on Saturday, December 20. Volunteer Elves are also needed. Toys may be dropped off at FHSN, located at 74-410 Highway 111, Suite D in Palm Desert today until Dec. 18. Office hours are Monday – Thursday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Friday from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. “Children in foster care are separated from family, and siblings may be placed in different foster homes, causing additional stress, anxiety and loneliness during the holidays,” explained Sandra Austin, Executive Director of FHSN. “We want to do whatever we can to alleviate their sadness and lift their spirits by providing them with an evening of dinner, entertainment, and gift giving from Santa Claus. The goal is to provide our children with one special night where they are celebrated, empowered, and given a measure of hope.” Family Health & Support Network, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that serves high-risk children 0-21 who have been removed from their families as victims of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. For more information and to inquire about donations and volunteering, please call 760-340-2442.
Friday thru Sunday, December 19 – 21, 11:00 AM – 8; 00 PM. Go ahead, play Santa! We‘ve Got You and Your Gifts Covered by the Family YMCA of the Desert Youth and Government Teens who will wrap every one of your carefully chosen gifts from the hottest-choice Singing “Elsa Doll” to the highly- embellished “Holiday Sweater” for Uncle Joe without let-it-go, as it were. Just stop by the Wrap Booth at Westfield Palm Desert Mall. “We work for tips,*” chorus these terrific future leaders who will drop all proffered coins (legal tender paper bills, too!) into the coffer to help fund the Y&G program. For more info, go to www.ymcaofthedesert.org.
Saturday, December20, 7 PM. Holiday Magic! Take a friend to share a heartwarming holiday concert featuring the vocal talents of Patricia Welch performing seasonal favorites: Silent Night, Winter Wonderland, Joy to the World and many more. Highlights include selections from the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. The Festive Sounds of Hanukkah, Sleigh Ride and White Christmas embracing the musical magic of the season.) The Coachella Valley Symphony announces its 2014-15 Concert Series with all four concert performances at the symphony’s new home, the Helene Galen Performing Arts Center in the Rancho Mirage High School, 31001 Rattler Road. Individual ticket prices are $45 for front section, $35 for mid-section, and $25 for the rear section. Tickets for students and active duty military are $10. Individual tickets must be purchased through the Helene Galen Performing Arts Center website, www.hgpac.org or by calling (760) 202-6482 ext. 3. Please ask for the concert lineup when you make your ticket subscription selection. A season ticket subscription is $180 for front section; $140 for middle; and $100 for the rear. Season tickets guarantee same seats for all four shows. Subscription tickets may be purchased by calling the CV Symphony hotline760- 360-2222, email coachellavalleysymphony@gmail.com or visit online at www.cvsymphony.com
“Don’t Be Clueless” wants to remind you that press releases for inclusion should be in to the Coachella Valley Weekly at least two weeks ahead of the scheduled event! Thanks!
