Rancho Santa Margarita, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/20/2009 -- The Rotary Club of Coto de Caza/Rancho Santa Margarita today announced it has joined forces with the Saddleback Valley YMCA and Camp Pendleton Armed Service YMCA, Boy Scouts of America Troop 636, and the Tesoro High School Interact Club to launch a comprehensive Marine relief initiative called Families Left Behind. The program will assist the families of the thousands of U.S. Marines now serving faithfully in Iraq and Afghanistan—collecting funds to provide them with food, incidentals and other extraordinary expenses for the holidays through the base YMCA.

“Our goal is to make life a little easier for those left behind by the brave Marines fighting for our country,” said John Carpenter, president of the Rotary Club of Coto de Caza/Ranch Santa Margarita, said. “The holiday season is the ideal time of year for us to demonstrate our support to the military, and the Rotary Club is honored to play our part. By pooling our resources, our community can make a profound impact just by giving these families one or two fewer things to worry about during these months.”

As the holiday season approaches, Families Left Behind is requesting the support of local businesses and the community in order to raise much-needed funds that will directly help the wives and children of Marines now fighting overseas. Also committed to the cause, the Boy Scouts of America Troop 636 and the Tesoro High School Interact Club will be collecting donations outside local grocery stores.

The holiday marine relief fund drive will kick off Nov. 1 and continue through Dec. 10. Donations can be made to The Rotary Foundation of Coto de Caza/Trabuco Canyon, P.O. Box 80914, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688. All donations to Families Left Behind are 100 percent tax deductable.

About the Rotary Club
The Rotary Club of Coto de Caza/Rancho Santa Margarita, also known as Coto Rancho Rotary Club was founded in 1983 by members of the Rotary Club of Mission Viejo. Originally named the Rotary Club of Coto de Caza, the club was renamed in 2001 to include the new city of Rancho Santa Margarita. Coto Rancho Rotary Club is a service club with members from diverse business, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Its members are business professionals and philanthropists who live and/or work in Coto de Caza, Rancho Santa Margarita and Ladera Ranch. Club members meet weekly to share fellowship and to plan community, international and vocational service projects. If you have an interest in Rotary, please contact Ken Upton at (949) 253-5892.