UNA San Diego - Events

On October 24th, thousands of youth and adults around the world will celebrate United Nations Day, focusing on the Eradication of Deadly Diseases, one of the UN Millennium Goals. The United Nations Association of San Diego will observe UN Day on October 11, 2007 with a tribute to global leaders committed to improving healthcare around the world. The gala dinner will be at the elegant Galileo 101 in the heart of the Gaslamp.

This annual event serves not only to celebrate our 61 years in the San Diego community, but also educate people on the worldwide programs of the United Nations to alleviate poverty, hunger and illiteracy. The evening will begin with a silent auction during the cocktail hour. The highlight of the event will be the presentation of our annual UNA-SD recognition awards.

Mr. Ted M. Alemayhu is the Founder & Chairman of US Doctors for Africa (USDFA), a non-profit organization dedicated to mobilizing volunteer Doctors, Nurses, and other health care professionals in order to fulfill the overwhelming medical manpower needs through out the African Continent. USDFA addresses urgent local needs while working for the long-term creation of self-sustaining and self-directed public health systems Continent-wide. The organization works in partnership with African Governments, NGOs, and local medical institutions across the African Continent. As one of internationally respected Humanitarian leaders, Mr. Alemayhu envisions a future for Africa in which it produces and invests the economic wealth, intellectual capital and human resources required to provide medical care to its entire people. Mr. Alemayhu is a frequently invited speaker around the United States and Abroad. Some of his previous appearances include Stanford University, NYU, The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and I-TECH.

Mary M. McKenzie, Ph.D., has served on the UNA-SD Board of Directors for seven years and is currently chair of the Education and Model UN Committee. She also serves as Chair of the Education Committee for the UNA’s Southern California Division and is Chair of the Board of Pan-American Model United Nations (PAXMUN). Mary received her doctorate in political science from UC Santa Barbara in 1994 and recently received her J.D. from the University of San Diego. She teaches at the University of San Diego and works with the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. Mary instituted our annual fall Southern California Model UN Training Day to expand knowledge of and participation in Model UN in schools throughout San Diego county. She also has been central to the development of our Sundays in the Park speaker series and is currently developing a partnership and MUN program with Colegio de la Esperanza, a school in Tijuana, to connect students in both cities through MUN. Mary is committed to fostering young peoples’ awareness of the United Nations’ role in world affairs and its indispensability in assuring a more peaceful world.

CEGUN is a grassroots movement founded in April 2006 by the citizens of San Diego, California. Our mission is to advocate to end the Genocide in Northern Uganda through a campaign to create awareness and mobilize support of advocacy and awareness. CEGUN members come from various geographic, demographic, and professional backgrounds and each is involved in other area nonprofit groups. We merged together as one voice, one team, and one campaign to show our solidarity with, and support for, the victims of the silent genocide unfolding in Uganda.

CEGUN organized and actively participated in following events:

- Northern Uganda Lobby Day, Washington D.C. - October 9-10, 2006

- Guluwalk, 2006 – October 21, 2006
- Parade for World Peace, Los Angeles – October 28, 2006
- 50th Annual International Peace Village, SDSU – November 16, 2006
- Finding Peace and Justice in Africa, UCLS – February 17, 2007
- Amnesty International, USA 6th Annual Southern California Mini-Conference – March 31, 2007
- Human Rights Week, UCSD – May 07, 2007
- 2nd Annual Social Justice Fair, La Costa Canyon high school – June 11, 2007

- UN Charter Day and International Peace Conference, San Diego - June 30, 2007

How to Donate:
By donating to our organization, you will ensure that our educational and social programs continue to reach out to San Diego’s youth, college students, and adult professionals, and bring awareness to current global issues. Your contribution will boost our efforts and will begin a transformative partnership between us.

Specifically for UN Day, you can contribute in one or all of the following ways:
All proceeds will benefit the recipients of this year’s theme.

1. Silent Auction: please feel free to offer any quality products, services, and/or gift packages.

2. Sponsorships or donations: Please feel free to offer a monetary donation to contribute to the program of this year’s UN Day theme.

Interested in supporting a worthy cause? Or perhaps, your professional skills and/or personal endeavors are similar to this year’s UN Day theme. Please feel free to contact our office at 619-233-3970 for your inquiries.

If you are interested in volunteering some of your time to any of the coordination and production of this year’s theme, we are more than interested to have you aboard! All volunteer work is subject to change and is non-paid. Please contact our office for more information.

If you feel that you have any special talents or work with a professional dance company, theater group, and/or voice company, you or your organization may be a perfect candidate for performing in this year’s theme. Please contact our office immediately as open time slots to perform are closing. Thank you for your interest.