Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1506025
12 | THE COLONY NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2023 | By the time you read this, Colony residents will have had another successful year of donating ball gowns, tuxes, shoes, purses, wraps and all sorts of finery to the Camp Pendleton YMCA. e gowns and tuxes are offered free at an open house sponsored by the Camp Pendleton Y for the Marine spouses who cannot afford to purchase a tux or ball gown for the Birthday Ball special events in November. is program, developed by the Y only a few years ago, has grown to the point that donations have also been sent to Marine Corps Base, Twenty-nine Palms, and Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, AZ. Now, you may say, why all this fuss over black-tie finery? Well, the Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated on Nov. 10 around the world. is day honors the history, values, and memory of our heroes who have served, and rekindles the bond which unites generations of Marines. Heavy on tradition, as all services are, this is probably the biggest morale booster for Marines, young and old. No matter where you are in the world, the ceremony is the same and has been over the years. e first bites of birthday cake are offered to the oldest and then the youngest Marine present at the ceremony. Ron Brown and I will be going to San Francisco to join the celebration. My thanks goes to all of you who have donated to this event. e response has been amazing. Many have called throughout the year asking when I can pick up their items. It is nice to know that you remember me and the program. If you missed this summer, please put the items in the back of your closet, and I will call again for them next year. e cut-off date for the collection was Sept. 1. ank you for your continued support. e Ronald McDonald House of the Inland Empire gives families a "home away from home" while their children and siblings receive medical treatment at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital and other nearby hospitals, no matter what their ability is to pay. e Colony HOA and St. Martha's Catholic Church partnered together and donated 54,705 pull-tabs in July 2023 toward this effort, as well as tens of thousands of tabs over the years. e pull-tabs are the aluminum tops from cans of soda and other beverages, which are recycled to pay for the day-to-day operations of the Ronald McDonald House. Most of the children are in critical condition, making it very important that the family is near their ill child. Like Sebastian, the second son of Jesus and Veronica Lopez, who was born with a congenital heart disease. He has endured seven surgeries, numerous physical therapy sessions and is living with a tracheotomy — all before celebrating his second birthday. While Sebastian fights for his life, the Lopez family remains by his side every day, courtesy of the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House. Your donations make a difference! Please bring your pull-tab contributions to Kimberly Evans in the HOA Office, M-F from 8:30 am to 5 pm. Special thanks to John and Marty Tighe who collect for St. Martha's Catholic Church, and to the Founders of the Ronald McDonald House Pull-Tabs Collection at e Colony, former residents Marge and Dick Miller. Ball Gowns & Formal Attire By Rita Nastri, 951-698-8640 Pull-Tabs Collection for IE Ronald McDonald House By Kimberly Evans