LA JOLLA TOY DRIVE DISTRIBUTES OVER 12,850 STUFFED ANIMALS
 
The Care ‘n Share Toy Drive, a project of the Torrey Pines Rotary Club, distributed more than 12,850 new and gently used stuffed animals from its collection drive at the San Diego County Fair. The toys were distributed to children from eight local organizations.
 
“We could not have done it without the wonderful support of the San Diego community!” said Nancy Stoke, chair. “It is heartwarming to see both the faces of the children who choose to donate their prizes and the delighted faces of the children who receive the donations.”
 
Care ‘n Share would like to thank San Diego City Library and the many San Diego County Library locations for hosting collection boxes; NCL Del Sol Chapter and NCL Poway Chapter for their help at the Fair; and Del Mar Plaza, Two Men and a Truck, and Affordable Printer Care for their logistical support.
 
Founded by Stoke in 2009, the Care ‘n Share Toy Drive has distributed more than 95,000 toys thanks to donations from the community. For more information or to donate, go to carensharetoydrive.com.   

CONCERT EXPLORES CINEMA THROUGH SONG
 
The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library will host the concert “The World of Music and Cinema” on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., in the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room, 1008 Wall St. in La Jolla. In this concert, pianist, singer, and storyteller Bruno Leone will perform music from the movie musicals of Hollywood’s Golden Age to the musical films of the past half-century. Tickets for this event are $17 for members and $22 for nonmembers. To reserve tickets, call 858-454-5872 or visit ljathenaeum.org/art-history-lectures. 
 
UCSD TO HOST BLOOD DRIVE WITH SAN DIEGO BLOOD BANK
 
UC San Diego will partner with the San Diego Blood Bank to host a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 12, and Tuesday, Aug. 13, on Library Walk at the UC San Diego campus. Eligible donors must be 17 and older, weigh at least 114 pounds, and be in good health.

Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. To schedule an appointment, or to learn more, visit sandiegobloodbank.org or call 1-800-4MY-SDBB (1-800-469-7322).
 
UC SAN DIEGO TO HOST FORUM AND TALK ON U.S.–CHINA RELATIONS
 
Thomas Donilon, national security advisor under President Barack Obama; Stephen Hadley, national security advisor under President George W. Bush; and Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the U.S., will give a talk on U.S.- China relations on Aug. 12 at 4 p.m., at the Great Hall at the UC San Diego campus, 9500 Gilman Drive. This talk is a part of UCSD’s larger inaugural bipartisan forum, which strives to bridge the divide between Washington and Beijing. The forum spans from Aug. 12 to Aug. 16, but it will not be open to the public. For more information on the forum and the talk, and to register for the talk, visit china.ucsd.edu.
 
GOOD SAMARITAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH COMMITS TO CLEAN ENERGY
 
On Sunday, July 23, Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, 4321 Eastgate Mall, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil its new 41,254-watt AC Sullivan Solar Power system and celebrate a commitment to clean energy. This choice will save the church around $702,850 over the next 25 years.
 
“We are excited to reduce our carbon footprint. We are so grateful for Sullivan Solar Power’s professionalism and expertise,” said the Reverend Janine Schenone, rector of Good Samaritan. “Good Samaritan Episcopal Church strives to care for God’s creation in a variety of ways, such as eliminating single-use plastic and other disposable products. When we had the chance to install solar power, we jumped at it.”
 
Good Samaritan Episcopal Church plans to reinvest the hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings from the solar energy system into the church and the community that it serves. For more information about Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, visit goodsamchurch.org. To learn about solar energy and how you can join the solar energy revolution, visit sullivansolarpower.com.
 
NEXTLEFT RELOCATES HEADQUARTERS TO LA JOLLA SHORES
 
NextLeft, a full-service content marketing and SEO agency aimed at ridding the world of digital clutter, will relocate its corporate headquarters to La Jolla Shores. Located two blocks from the beach at 2255 Avenida De La Playa, the new office space is designed to cultivate an energetic and outdoorsy company culture as well as accommodate company growth. 

“We’ve grown quickly over the past three years and needed a space that reflected not only our design aesthetic but also our values as a company,” said CEO of NextLeft, John McKusick. “We look forward to continuing to grow and having such an inspiring space to do so.”
 
NextLeft is a team of digital marketing strategists with an average of 10-plus years each of agency and in-house digital marketing experience. Frustrated by the overwhelming amount of useless clutter on the internet today, NextLeft set out to help businesses improve their rankings by becoming the authority of their respective industries through creation and promotion of unique, relevant content that their customers actually want and need. For more information on NextLeft, visit nextleft.com. 

NATHAN FLETCHER KICKS OFF LA JOLLA COMMUNITY CENTER’S 2019 DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher will commence La Jolla Community Center’s 2019 Distinguished Speaker Series at a reception from 5-6 p.m. and a lecture and Q&A from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at the La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. Fletcher will speak on matters relevant to our community, such as environmental issues and alternative modes of transportation such as biking. His lecture kicks off a five-month series of lectures by local leaders who strive to improve the community. To learn more or to make a reservation for this event, call 858-459-0831 or visit ljcommunitycenter.org.