Dust off your boots and western attire to attend an evening of fun! Dinner, gaming tables, slot machines, silent auction, and much, much, more! The 3rd Annual Denim & Diamonds Casino Night is Saturday, October 9 from 7-11pm at the Aransas Pass Civic Center.  For more info, or to purchase tickts/tables call Pat Martinez 361-790-6196 and visit the SPCA website www.spcasanpatcounty.com. Plan ahead...please include SPCA San Pat County in your 2011 Budget!

Aside from parents, who has the most influence on our young people?

Coaches!!

And that’s why The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is having their FREE “Coaches Appreciation Dinner” on Wednesday September 22, at 730 pm, at the RMB Fairgrounds in Robstown.

Sponsored by Braselton Homes, the Special Guest Speaker will be Rodney McGee, College Quarterback, High School Coach and father of Dallas Cowboys QB Stephen McGee.

Make your reservation today for this free event by calling 853-3883. The deadline to make your reservations is September 17.

Attention all coaches! Make your reservation and come fellowship with other coaches as the Coastal Bend Chapter of “The Fellowship of Christian Athletes” shows their appreciation for your work with athletes in high school. Call 853-3883 today!

The Coastal Bend Fellowship of Christian Athletes presents their Annual Golf classic at Padre Isles Country club, 14353 Commodore Drive in Corpus Christi on Friday, October 22-2010 from 11:30am till 5pm.  $400 per team, $100 per individual. Includes lunch, gooodie bag, rangeballs, cart and drinks! 4 Player Best Ball, Max Par Tournament, 1st-3rd Place Team Trophies, Cash Prizes, Mulligan Raffle, Hole Prizes, Hole-in-One Prize! SPONSORSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE!! fmi CALL 853-3883 or email coachhonea@aol.com today!

This year, thousands of dogs will die of heatstroke inside parked cars. Their people thought that their little errand would only take a minute or that it wasn’t THAT hot, but delays happen, and temperatures inside a car quickly rise in the summer—even when the window’s cracked open. NEVER, ever leave your dog inside a parked car. Your dog depends on you. In warm weather, keep him or her safe at home. For more information, visit PETA.org

Old MamaCita's Restuarant @ 3200 Surfside North Beach Corpus Christi SEPT 4TH, 2010, SATURDAY LABOR DAY WEEKEND. Pre sale tickets available till August 16th for $35. Enjoy free beer, food, limited edition Inza's t-shirt, koozie and poster.  Music and cash bar...music provided by Bush Bullitt. $10 per person at the door  day of show.
FMI call 361-299-1268 or email txot2@aol.com.
 

Corpus Christi Independent School District will kick-off Operation K.E.Y.S., a community walk aimed at encouraging students to return to school. A partnership with CCISD, the Diocese of Corpus Christi, and the City of Corpus Christi, the event will target students who have not enrolled for the 2010-2011 school year and encourage those students to return to school to complete their education.

The Operation K.E.Y.S. Walk will be held on Saturday, September 11, 2010, from 8 a.m. – Noon.  A kick-off celebration will be held at Miller High School beginning at 8 a.m. Teams of volunteers will depart from each of the District’s five high school campuses (Carroll, King, Miller, Moody, and Ray) and visit homes of middle and high school students who have not returned to school.

Last year, over 300 community volunteers made nearly 400 home visits. As a result of Operation K.E.Y.S., 233 students returned to school. Seventy percent of the students who returned are still pursuing or have completed their education, including 25 graduates and 9 GED recipients.

Volunteers are needed to reach out-of-school youth. To volunteer, please visit the District’s web site, www.ccisd.us.

For more information, please contact Marci Fischer, Office of High School Completion, at  844-0432, ext. 182.

Training and preparations are underway for the 7th Annual Conquer the Coast cycling event, this year paying homage to Texas icon Nolan Ryan. The event takes place Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25, and offers some of the best cycling courses in the Lone Star State. Riders have a chance to take a short 25-mile cruise along the Corpus Christi shoreline or ride the 65-mile course that takes you along the scenic views of the Coastal Bend and the chance to cycle with dolphins!

New this year is also a shorter, 10-mile cruise designed for beginner and younger riders, that will follow the same route as the 25-mile ride along Shoreline and Ocean Drive. The 7th Annual Conquer the Coast will also give riders an opportunity to own a special keepsake from this year's ride, a commemorative Nolan Ryan number "34" rider jersey that honors the Hall of Fame pitcher's record 7-no hitters during his magnificent 27-year major league career.

For more information on the 2010 Conquer the Coast, log on to www.conquerthecoast.org for details about registration, schedule, criterium, and maps. Become a fan on Facebook, visit us at www.facebook.com/conquerthe coast or www.twitter.com/conquerthecoast.

The Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District is currently recruiting qualified volunteers to assist them in case of a large-scale public health emergency. This Medical Reserve Corps Unit consists of medical and health volunteers who assist their community during emergencies. YOU CAN HELP. Volunteers will provide public health support during disasters and other times of community need. MRC volunteers will also provide education and prevention services to improve the health and well-being of their neighborhoods and communities. Your involvement can help emergency responders be ready when needed. The Public Health District will provide specialized training opportunities as well as exercise drills. Volunteers interested in assisting with emergency response efforts may contact Jeff Martin 361-826-7280.

Scleroderma Awareness Walk/Run at Heritage Park registration begins at 7am, 9/18/10.  All welcome! Please come!!! FMI email abode_shawn@yahoo.com.

The South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center is now showcasing their Butterfly House and Anderson Bromeliad Conservatory. Both projects represent a total of $265,000 in private donations.

The Bromeliad Conservatory with roof trusses peaking at 18 feet is an 1800 square-foot structure featuring 800 plants, a winding walkway and climate control systems. The bromeliads in the Conservatory came from the collection of Nelwyn and the late John Anderson. The Butterfly House, inside the Butterfly Garden, is a 2500 square-foot netted cage with 10-foot sidewalls, stone walkways, multitudes of butterfly attractor plants and a metal water sculpture. The garden is commonly stocked with native Monarchs, Queens and many others.

Warmer weather is here in South Texas and the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center is now open daily, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., a full 12 hours through Labor Day Monday, September 6. Cooler evening hours are being added to benefit birders, nature photographers and other visitors who are interested in experiencing the beauty within the gardens and additional exhibits.

The 180-acres Gardens & Nature Center, at 8545 S. Staples Street, now showcases 11 floral exhibits and gardens; plus its wilder side including the Bird & Butterfly Nature Trail, ravine crossings, birding tower, Gator Lake, Palapa Grande, Wetland Awareness Boardwalk and observation and photo blinds.

For more information, call 361.852.1200 or visit www.stxbot.org

You can honor a Veteran by sponsoring a flag for your hero in the "Field of Remembrance" beginning Memorial Weekend 2010 and on every subsequent Memorial Weekend and Veterans Day, an area at the VFW Post 6386, 1452 Hwy 361in Ingleside will be transformed. You can sponsor a flag(s) on behalf of your loved one(s) for $40.  You are encouraged to come participate in the posting of your sponsored flag at the Field of Remembrance on May 29, 2010 and November 11, 2010 at noon. Help honor those who have fallen and those who serve.  FMI  call Deanna Rokusek 215-0482. The VFWMG is a 501c(19) Non-Profit Organization. Your donation is tax deductible. All proceeds from sales of flags will be donated to VFW programs.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of international relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, encourages volunteers to fill simple shoe boxes with toys, necessity items, school supplies, candy and hand-written notes of encouragement. The gifts are then shared with children worldwide who are suffering because of natural disaster, disease, war, terrorism, famine and poverty. For many of these children, the shoe box gift will be the first gift they have ever received, letting them know they are loved and not forgotten.

Why now—months before the holiday season?
Operation Christmas Child is not limited to just a few weeks a year. It is a year-round project, requiring months of organization and preparation to reach millions of kids around the world. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has distributed shoe box gifts to more than 77 million hurting children in some 130 countries.

HOW CAN I HELP NEEDY KIDS WORLDWIDE? It’s Simple!

PREPARE—Help enlist families, churches, scout troops, community groups and businesses to take advantage of back-to-school sales by collecting discounted school supplies for shoe box gifts.
PACK—Fill shoe boxes with school supplies, toys, necessity items, hard candy and a letter of encouragement.
Step-by-step shoe box packing instructions are available at www.samaritanspurse.org.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 817-595-2230 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org. National Collection Week for gift-filled shoe boxes is Nov. 15-22; however, shoe box gifts are collected all year at the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.

If you are a former member, we would like to hear from you. Please contact: Ettie Lou Sowders, Chairperson, 361-853-3443, tsowders@stx.rr.com or Judy Curnutte, 361-855-1604, judycurnutte@yahoo.com.