A Free Ride Helps the Hungry

The Sacramento Regional Transit District invites you to take a free ride on the RT Holiday Bus.  Hand-painted by RT employees and their families, this colorful 40-foot holiday bus will travel different routes throughout the Sacramento region until Sunday, January 2, 2011.  (For routes and dates, visit www.sacrt.com/holidaybus.stm.  For specific trip information, please call 916-321-2877.)



An RT bus "before" decorations...





...An RT bus "after" holiday decorations




Passengers will have the opportunity to deposit cash or check donations in the farebox and/or place a non-perishable food item in the special collection box on board. 

All donations will directly benefit River City Food Bank, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency food and housing assistance to over 40,000 clients in Sacramento County each year.  The River City Food Bank recently suffered major fire damage with over 8,000 pounds of food destroyed.  For more information about their organization, please call 916-446-2627 or visit www.rivercityfoodbank.org.

Inside the President's Helicopter

We're so proud of local author Jackie Boor!

This long-time supporter of the Florin Road Foundation and the Florin Road Partnership has a newly released book, Inside the President's Helicopter:  Reflections of a White House Senior Pilot by LTC Gene T. Boyer with Jackie Boor.  

Boyer was the first pilot to fly a sitting President and First Lady into a combat zone.  He recruited the first three African-American pilots to fly for the White House, one of which was his co-pilot the day President Nixon resigned.  Boyer flew in 49 states and 17 countries, racking up 6,900 hours of helicopter flight time and 368 combat hours - with no crashes!  This is an amazing memoir that gives the reader a rare insider's view of Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford as well as other notable passengers, including the Shah of Iran, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, actor John Wayne, and many others.

You can meet Ms. Boor - and get the fascinating story behind the book (a 15 year endeavor!) - at her book signing on Sunday, December 12th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Avid Reader at Tower (1600 Broadway, Sacramento). 

For more information, please call 916-441-4400 or email avidreadersac@aol.com.

Stress-free Holiday Shopping (Really!)

We'll take the stress out of your holiday shopping at www.igive.com/FlorinRoadFoundation. 

It's FREE and easy to sign-up!  Searching or Shopping means a donation and there's a $5 bonus for your first purchase at over 900 stores like Amazon, eBay, Expedia, Pottery Barn, QVC and many, many more. Plus you SAVE money with exclusive coupons and free shipping.

These donations do add up and help offset our operational expenses.  And many of our Florin Road corridor merchants participate in the program. Several stores allow you to place your order online and then quickly pick-up at the store when it's convenient for you.  That's a great way to save time and not have the hassle of standing in long lines.

As a small non-profit, the best part of the igive.com program is that we don't have to pay any fees to participate.  And you won't pay extra to participate, either. The donations come from the stores you search or shop.  It's really a win-win for everyone.  So give it a try today and let us know what you think of the program.  Happy Shopping!

A Florin Road Toy Story

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department-Central Division Crime Prevention is coordinating a Christmas Toy Drive for needy families in South Sacramento. 

New, unwrapped toys for children and teens can be donated during business hours at 7000 65th Street, Sacramento (next to Burlington Coat Factory).  The toy drive ends Monday, December 13th.  For more info, call Laura at 916-876-8322.

The U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program has two drop-off locations on the Florin Road corridor. You can donate new, unwrapped kids' toys at Teen C.E.R.T. (3500 Florin Road, Sacramento) until Thursday, December 16th.  For more info, contact Teresa or Eliza at 916-801-3170 or 916-271-2187. 

You can also donate at Midas (6308 Florin Road, Sacramento) until Friday, December 17th.  Call Collen at 916-393-0131 for more info.  Your donations go directly to benefit our community.

The CHiPs For Kids Toy Drive is on through Monday, December 20th.  This holiday project is a partnership between KCRA 3 and the California Highway Patrol (CHP).   New and unwrapped toys are collected for hospitalized and disadvantaged children in our community.  The toys are then distributed through UC Davis Children’s Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Shriner’s Hospital, the Salvation Army, WEAVE, Head Start, Boys and Girls Club, Operation Rudolph, and other community service organizations.

You can drop off your donation at the CHP’s South Sacramento area office at 6 Massie Court, Sacramento (near Stockton Boulevard & Mack Road).  For more info, call them at 916-681-2300.

You can also donate at the Les Schwab Tire Center at 5501 Florin Road, Sacramento (near Burlington Coat Factory) between 8 am and 6 pm, Monday through Friday, and 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday.  Their phone number is 916-422-4460. 

For a list of suggested donation items, please visit www.kcra.com/chipsforkids.

Shop Florin Road Sears on Thanksgiving Day for Deals & Donations!

For the first time in its history, Sears will open from 7 am to noon on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25.  This includes their store at Florin Towne Centre! 

If you can't make it in person, you can still shop online and save big with many Internet-only specials.  And your purchases can help the Florin Road Foundation! 

Just visit our shopping portal at www.igive.com/FlorinRoadFoundation or the Sears link on the "Foundation" page of our website at http://www.florinroad.com/.

There's NO extra charge to shop through these links--the merchant makes a donation to us based on your eligible purchases.  It's a win-win!  So what are you waiting for?

Are We Having Fun Yet? YES!

It's hard to believe that one fundraiser just ended and we're already planning for the next one!

You don't want to miss our 9th Annual Beach Blanket Bingo event on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at Florin Road Bingo in Sacramento.  We'll be announcing more details here and on our website at http://www.florinroad.com/ in the months to come.

In the meantime, we'd love to hear from guests at this year's (or a prior year's) bingo event.  What did you enjoy the most about it?  What can we do to improve the experience?

Some changes we're considering for 2011:  adding more bingo games and more door prizes, as well as offering cash prizes. 

Tell us what you think!  You can post a comment on this blog or you can email us at Florinroad@aol.com.

On the Road in November

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…which means it’s time for Sleep Train’s Secret Santa Toy Drive!  From November 1 through December 12, all Sleep Train locations are accepting donations of new, unwrapped gifts for foster children and teens.  This includes toys, games, sporting equipment, electronics, CDs, and DVDs.  Drop off your donation at the Sleep Train Mattress Center at 6001 Florin Road in the Florin Towne Centre.  

A special shout out to our friends at Hometown Buffet for their upcoming Military Support Weekend.  In honor of Veterans' Day and our military personnel, their area restaurants will feature specially priced meals for veterans, music, and guest appearances.  Staff will also be offering coupons, good throughout the month of November.  The festivities will start at 11:00 am on Friday, November 5 and continue at 7:00 am on Saturday, November 6 and on Sunday, November 7.  Don’t miss the fun!  Visit Hometown Buffet in Southgate Plaza at 4300 Florin Road, Sacramento.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as viewers of “Antiques Roadshow” can attest.  Here’s your chance to find that hidden gem at the Annual Fall Rummage Sale at the Buddhist Church of Florin.  There are hundreds of items for sale, all priced to move.  The event is Saturday, November 6, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, at 7235 Pritchard Road, Sacramento.  Free parking!

Speaking of trash…don’t dump that e-waste!  Take it to the E-Waste Event sponsored by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Crime Prevention Unit.  On Saturday, November 13 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm you can drop off your items at the Central Division Substation, 7000 65^th Street, Sacramento (behind Burlington Coat Factory).  Acceptable items include TVs, monitors, laptops, computer towers, DVD players, printers, VCRs, stereos/radios, phones, video games, and microwaves.  No appliances or batteries!  For more details, call On-Site Electronics Recycling at 209-234-7994.

Can you believe the frantic holiday shopping season is almost here? 

Take some of the stress out of your to-do list by visiting our shopping portal at www.igive.com/FlorinRoadFoundation. 

As the site says, "Searching or Shopping means a donation. It's just that free and easy. A penny or more per search, a $5 bonus for your first purchase and up to 26% of your purchases at over 730 stores like Amazon, eBay, Travelocity, Home Depot, Staples, and many, many more. Plus you SAVE money with exclusive coupons/free shipping deals."

And believe us, these donations do add up and help offset our operational expenses.  And many of our Florin Road corridor merchants participate in the program. Several stores allow you to place your order online and then quickly pick-it up at the store when it's convenient for you.  That's a great way to save time and not have the hassle of standing in long lines.

As a small non-profit, the best part of the igive.com program is that we don't have to pay any fees to participate.  And you won't pay extra to participate, either. The donations come from the stores you search or shop.  It's really a win-win for everyone.  So give it a try today and let us know what you think of the program.  Happy Shopping!

Photos from Our Beach Blanket Bingo Fundraiser

If you haven't been to one of our Beach Blanket Bingo fundraisers, here's what you're missing:

Florin Road Bingo, voted the "Best of Sacramento"
by the Sacramento News and Review

We're going to win big tonight!

  

Wow!
We just won a $400 cash prize on one bingo game. 

  

Aloha!

  

Check out the yummy buffet from Hannibal's Catering & Events.
Yup, even the palm tree fruit display is edible.

Our event always features thousands of dollars
worth of prizes donated by local businesses.

Our happy sponsors from Elk Grove Toyota.
Thanks for your continued support!

A big screen TV,
courtesy of Walmart Super Center at Florin Towne Centre,
has been the Grand Raffle Prize for several of our events.
You can win it for only $1.00!

I can't wait to unwrap my prize!

We LOVE bingo, and we bet you will, too!

Upcoming Community Events for Oct. and Nov. 2010

Looking for something to do with your family or friends? 

Check out these events in our community:

FREE Parent-Teen Workshop Series (presented in HMONG)
Tuesdays, September 28 to November 18, 2010 (6:00 pm to 9:00 pm)
At Phoenix Park Resident Activity Center, 4400 Shining Star Drive, Sacramento.

For more info, please call People Reaching Out at 916-576-3300 or visit their website at http://www.peoplereachingout.org

Learn how to build stronger family relationships, communicate more effectively, and cope with the challenges of the teenage years.

Inside the College Admissions Process
Wednesday, October 27 (6:30 pm)
At Southgate Library, 6132 66th Ave., Sacramento.

Learn how college admissions offices evaluate applications and the differences between the CSU and UC admission processes.

"Meadowboo Mansion" Halloween Event
Friday, October 29 (6:00 pm-8:00 pm)
At Sam Pannell Meadowview Community Center,
2450 Meadowview Rd., Sacramento.

For more info, please call Dori Rhym at 916-808-6920.

A FREE event, but tickets are required. Get them at the front desk, Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm, now through October 28. This event is for kids ages 2-13 who must be accompanied by an adult.

Halloween Carnival

Sunday, October 31 (4:00 pm-8:00 pm)
At Rizal Community Center, Sacramento.

For more info, please call Sheila Surritt at 916-395-0601.

Dress up for a "fang"-tastic candy walk, costume contests, carnival games, and haunted house.

Trunk or Treat Harvest Festival
Sunday, October 31 (6:00 pm)
At Living Hope Church, 7486 Center Parkway, Sacramento.

For more info, please call 916-424-4673.

A safe and fun trick-or-treat alternative where kids gather candy from the trunks of cars parked at the church grounds.

Thank You for Supporting Beach Blanket Bingo

Thank you to all who supported our 8th Annual Beach Blanket Bingo fundraiser last month! 

Not only did we sell out of admission tickets, but for the first time ever, we sold out of raffle tickets.  Over 280 guests from across Northern California gathered at Florin Road Bingo for an evening of fun, raising more than $19,000 to directly benefit schools and non-profits in the Florin Road community. 

We are grateful to all who made this event a success, including:  Sacramento Consolidated Charities (event host), Nick Toma from "Good Day Sacramento" (emcee), Hannibal's Catering and Events, and The Bolt Bar. 

Many thanks to renewing sponsors Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Diamond sponsor), Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 447 and Walmart Foundation (Gold sponsors), Construction and General Laborers' Local 185 and Elk Grove Toyota (Silver sponsors), and California School Employees Association (Bronze sponsor).  We are pleased to announce that the Cement Masons Local 400 also became a supporter this year through their Bronze sponsorship.

An immediate beneficiary of our Beach Blanket Bingo event was Parkway Elementary School in Sacramento.  Since 2002, the Florin Road Foundation has presented awards to their students who have outstanding scores on the state-mandated STAR test. 

The number of eligible students has grown by leaps-and-bounds over the years, from 11 students in 2002 to a record 315 students in 2010!  This year's award winners were recognized at a special school ceremony and were presented with DollarTree gift cards from the Florin Road Foundation.  We are so proud of our Parkway Eagles - keep up the good work!

Please Save the Date for our 9th Annual Beach Blanket Bingo - Thursday, September 22, 2011!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to our new blog featuring news and events from the Florin Road community in Sacramento, California. 

We're excited to be using this new tool to communicate with you.  Please bear with us as we learn the ins-and-outs of using Blogger.  We look forward to your questions, comments, and yes, even your constructive criticisms.