Developing a Generous Heart

Carmel Valley Gives Back

Tumblings of pumpkins, the succulent smell of roasting turkey and festive Christmas scenes are such fun things to anticipate and enjoy as the holidays approach for the community of Carmel Valley San Diego. Along with these holidays come many opportunities for all of the community to express a spirit of giving to those less fortunate.

Here are three great local programs; two of which are nice ways to help your kids, develop a generous heart.

Ocean Air Rec. Center Toys for Tots/Food Drive
Ocean Air Recreation Center is holding a “Toys for Tots” drive as well as a food drive over the next few months to help provide for the needy in San Diego. Bring any new or like-new toys and canned food items to the Rec Center, 4470 Fairport Way, San Diego, CA 92130

Christmas Care Packages for Romanian Orphans
Join Wave Church as they put together Christmas Care Packages for orphans in Romania! Wave Church partners with Heart 2 Heart and sent their own Steven and Haley Perez to Romania to begin three years of love and service to an orphanage they have visited over the last few summers. Wave is eager to support their efforts to care for these disenfranchised young ones and would like to open this opportunity up for the community of Carmel Valley San Diego to participate in as well. The deadline for this project is coming up quickly — packages must be turned in by Sunday, October 30th, so they can be shipped on time. These are the specific instructions for putting packages together: Christmas Care Packages.  Wave Church meets at Ocean Air Rec Center, 4470 Fairport Way, San Diego, CA 92130, 10-noon on Sunday mornings. Drop your packages off then!

Water For Christmas Fundraiser Dinner
Help support One Billion Thirsty, a local non-profit organization that works towards providing clean drinking water projects around the world. Unbelievably, 1 BILLION people are living without access to clean and safe drinking water; this organization is looking to dramatically change that! A fundraising dinner will be held on December 1st at Tommy V’s in Del Mar. Ticket cost is $100 and can be purchased through the website, onebillionthirsty.org. All the proceeds from this event will go towards providing clean water to villages around the world. My husband and I were able to participate in this last year, and in addition to enjoying lovely food and wine, we were treated to an inspiring presentation of exactly what One Billion Thirsty does to provide a permanent solution to areas currently without clean water. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy your families and the spirit of giving that goes along with the holidays!

There are few things that energize Candy Stokes more than facing a room full of tumbled furniture and art with the challenge of transforming it into a buyer’s delight for resale, or a happy place for a family to live and flourish in. She recently took her passion and opened up her own staging and redesign company, Studio C Home Design. Four years ago, Candy and her husband Clay shifted their belongings and four children from the SF Bay Area to Carmel Valley, where Clay is co-pastor of Wave Church. In their spare time, the Stokes’ love to explore San Diego, find good places to eat, and hang out with their family and friends.