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RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
AUG. 26, 2011
ODD Community Center exec comes back home FILES
by CHUCK SHEPHERD
By Patty McCormac
Arkansas Time Machine
In McGehee, a town of 4,200 in southeastern Arkansas, AfricanAmerican student Kym Wimberly, who had finished first in her senior class, was named only “co-”valedictorian after officials at McGehee High changed the rules to avoid what one called a potential “big mess.”As a result, in an ironic twist on “affirmative action,” the highest-scoring white student was elevated to share top honors. Said Kym’s mother, “We (all) know if the tables were turned, there wouldn’t be a co-valedictorian.” In July, the girl filed a lawsuit against the school and the protocol-changing principal.
Redneck Chronicles
(1) Roy Griffith, 60, John Sanborn, 53, and Douglas Ward, 55, were arrested in Deerfield Township, Mich., in July and charged with stealing a 14foot-long stuffed alligator from a barn, dragging it away with their truck, and using it to surf in the mud (“mudbogging”). When the gator’s owner tracked down the three nearby, they denied the theft and insisted that theirs is an altogether-different 14-foot-long stuffed alligator. (Ward’s blood-alcohol reading was 0.40.) (2) When deputies in Monroe County, Tenn., arrested a woman for theft in August, they learned that one of the items stolen was a 150-year-old Vatican-certified holy relic based on the Veil of Veronica (supposedly used to wipe Jesus’ face before the crucifixion). The painting had been stolen from the closet of a trailer home on a back road in the Tennessee mountains, where a local named “Frosty,” age 73, had kept it for 20 years with no idea of its significance.
Government in Action!
• Of the 1,500 judges who referee disputes as to whether someone qualifies for Social Security disability benefits, David Daugherty of West Virginia is the current soft-touch champion, finding for the claimant about 99 percent of the time (compared to judges’ overall rate of 60 percent). As The Wall Street Journal reported in May, Daugherty decided many of the cases without hearings or with the briefest of questioning, including batches of cases brought by the same lawyer. He criticized his less lenient colleagues, who “act like it’s their own damn money we’re giving away.” (A week after the Journal report, Judge Daugherty was placed on leave, pending an investigation.) • Gee, What Do We Do With All This Stimulus Money? The Omaha (Neb.) TURN TO ODD FILES ON A11
RANCHO SANTA FE — To Erin Weidner, her new job as the executive director of the Rancho Santa Fe Community Center is the icing on the cake of coming home. “I grew up here,” Weidner said. “My girlfriends and I would ride our horses down to Ashley’s (grocery
By Patty McCormac
“T
his is where I want to spend the next 50 years.” — Erin Weidner EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
store) and buy candy. I was 10 or 11. We won all the reading contests because we would sit out on the lawn between the library and the post office reading books.” Some 40 years ago when the community center was called Rancho Youth,Weidner said there was a wood shop. There were arts, crafts and games. They put on musicals and she learned to surf. She went to Rancho Santa Fe School when R. Roger Rowe was her principal and she graduated from Torrey Pines High School. When Executive Director Erin Leahy decided to leave the community center and return to school for her masters degree, the board decided who better to take the reins than someone who had taken part in the programs when it was still called Rancho Youth. It was Leahy who was the first to recognize Weidner would be perfect for the job and encouraged her to apply. “It’s (the job) a wonderful fit,” Weidner said. “It’s a well run organization with a wonderful staff.” She moved back to Rancho Santa Fe 1 1/2 years ago and is thrilled to be back.
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“This is where I want to spend the next 50 years,” she said. Weidner says her first goal, as executive director is to widen the base of membership. She said the programs for kids are vibrant and affective, but it is time to offer some more activities for teens and adults. She has already organized the wine tasting event for adults called Soiree de vin which have been well attended. She got the idea from an event she founded in Park City, Utah, where she lived after graduating from BYU. She married and had a family, but because her youngest son was born with Spina Bifida, she became involved with him in adaptive sports. To raise money for his programs, she founded a wine
and food weekend named Red, White and Snow. The event is so successful that each of its eight years in existence has raised about $750,000 in one weekend. “It’s a special weekend and my way of paying it forward because of what they have done for my son,” she said. She has other ideas for bringing the Rancho Santa Fe community together such as putting together walking or running groups. She is working on an event called Ranch Generations, which asks everyone to bring another from another generation, which would bring all different ages to the program. She said there is interest in day trips for grown ups as well. The possibilities are unlimited she said. For teens, she is forming
a leadership group and plans to hand the activities over to them to plan, such as theme dances, picnics and fundraisers. “They can have good, clean wholesome fun,” she said. She is reaching out to other clubs, groups and organizations in the community. “In this challenging economy, we need each other more,” she said. Weidner said she wants a little known fact to become common knowledge. Anyone in the 92067 and 92091 can join the community center. They do not have to live within the Covenant. To learn more about the Rancho Santa Fe Community Center, contact Weidner at eweidner@rsfcc.org or call (858) 756-2461
Muffy Walker is nominee for volunteer of the year By Patty McCormac
RANCHO SANTA FE — Time is running out to vote for Muffy Walker to be Volunteer of the Year for her work with the International Bipolar Foundation (IBF). Walker is the founder of IBF. Nominated by her peers for the CLASSY Awards, which is the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, Walker is listed among the 25 finalists out of more than 2,000 nominations submitted on behalf organizations, businesses and individuals. She has had to undergo several rounds of elimination and the competition is down to the public vote portion of the contest. If she wins, she will be given about $10,000 for her charity. “We are also up for the most creative fundraiser by a nonprofit,” she said. That fundraiser is a fullon game show held at the Inn
Thinkers gather to discuss ideas
at Rancho Santa Fe. Contestants have clickers and answer questions on screen. Walker, a 16-year Rancho Santa Fe resident, said she works 6 to 8 hours a day for the foundation, since founding it five years ago with three other women whose children have the disorder. “We have a three part mission to eliminate bipolar disorder through advancing research, promoting care and support services and erasing the stigma associated with it through public education,” she said. “I spend a lot of my time looking for grants, getting together a lecture series of famous authors and bloggers across the world. We’re coming out with a book on healthy living with bipolar disorder,” she said. “We have an international presence reaching out to other bipolar organizations across the world.”
Walker is also a consultant to movies to make sure that mental disorders are accurately p o r t raye d on screen. She most recently consulted on the movie “The B l a c k Swan.” Much MUFFY WALKER of her work, all volunteer, is concentrated on raising money for research and helping run support groups for parents with bipolar kids, putting together an annual mental health fair, a free lecture series. “We have a lot of big name speakers like Margaret Trudeau, Glen Close and coming up in October, Patrick Kennedy,” she said. Trudeau, former first lady of Canada, and Kennedy both suffer with the disorder.
Close’s sister is afflicted. When Walker first found out her son Court Reed had bipolar disorder at age 4, there was not much advice about what to do and where to turn. Even though Walker is a specialist in psychiatric nursing and her husband a medical doctor and a Ph.D, they found it hard. “We found navigating the system was pretty difficult,” she said. They decided since there are all kinds of resources, it was important to bring them to the surface for other parents with children with the disorder. Court, now 17, is doing well and attending a special school, she said. Those wishing to vote for Walker can do so from now until Aug. 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Visit s t a y c l a s s y. o r g / c l a s s y awards/voting and vote (once) for Walker.
RANCHO SANTA FE — Once a month a group of thinkers meets at the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club to discuss world issues. These 12 are members of Great Decisions, an organization that has been around since 1954 with branches all over the country. These conversations come to conclusions that are recorded and sent to the Foreign Policy Association. From there they become public opinion that are hopefully noted by national and world leaders. “This is the country’s longest standing global affairs education program. There are over 1,000 branches in the United States,” said Holly Wilson, of Rancho Santa Fe, and one of the founders of the local branch. She and Sally O’Hare had each belonged to the organization in other states and decided to get one going locally. “She gets the credit for getting the ball rolling 10 years ago,” Wilson said. The Foreign Policy Association provides materials used by discussion groups to reach informed opinions on the issues and participate in the foreign policy process, she said. Great Decisions is based on writings of experts in the field of foreign policy from all over the world like professors at major universities, the Brookings Institute, think tanks and the like. “We have eight issues to cover during the year, what is going on in the world. Each writer has several different points of view and gives you different ways to look at the issue,” she said. “It (Great Decision) is nonpartisan, but the issues are sometimes controversial and complex.” The discussion is intended to be thoughtful and bring people together to express their ideas and opinions and learn from others. It is not an organization for people who want to get into heated back-andforth arguments. It is more for the intellectual. “You want to learn. You want to discuss. You have an open mind,” she said. “There is no arguing. It is a safe environment where people give ideas and opinions and everything is welcome. There is never a hint of confrontation. “At the end of each session there is a ballot. We send in our opinions on what our government should be doing,” she said. Upcoming topics include proliferation of nuclear weapons, global TURN TO THINKERS ON A15