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Staffers
Get in Holiday Mood at
Annual Pancake Breakfast
By Heather Holliday I December 13, 2004
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| Retiree Gloria Moreno and Adela V. Crespin,
both of Geisel Library’s catalog department,
have been attending the annual holiday pancake
breakfast since its inception 30 years ago. |
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UCSD
retiree Gloria Moreno
and Adela V. Crespin,
both of Geisel Library's
catalog department, have
been attending the annual
pancake breakfast since
the event began 30 years
ago, when vice chancellors
and associate vice chancellors
actually flipped the pancakes
themselves."It's a tradition,"
said Crespin. "We get
together; we take pictures
with Santa; and we hope
to win a prize."
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Mareline
Martin, fund
manager in
the department
of medicine,
said that
the breakfast
was a good
way to meet
other UCSD employees. |
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The
two former staffers were
among the hundreds of UCSD
employees and family members
who came to the Price Center
Ballroom Wednesday morning
for some holiday cheer.
Attendees at the sold-out
affair enjoyed pancakes
and coffee with their campuswide
co-workers. Many attendees
of the 30th annual event
donned festive red sweaters
and jackets, with a few
sporting Santa hats. Food
was served by Chancellor
Marye Anne Fox as well as
by UCSD's vice chancellors
and associate vice chancellors.
After eating, many waited
to hear if their name was
called for a raffle prize.
Staffers also shot photos
with Santa Claus and donated
gifts for a toy drive that
benefit children at UCSD
Medical Center's Burn Unit
and Kaiser Permanente's
Pediatrics unit.
Mareline
Martin, a fund manager
in the department of medicine,
said that this is the
first year that she has
attended the pancake breakfast
and was surprised by how
festive it was. "I never
expected everyone to be
all dressed up for the
occasion," she said, adding
that she was also surprised
when Chancellor Fox approached
her, shook her hand and
said, "Hi."
"I'm not wearing my glasses,
so I didn't recognize
her," said Martin. "Then
I looked at her name tag
and realized I was talking
to Chancellor Fox."
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| Groups – in this case staffers from IR/PS –
paid a dollar to have Polaroid photos taken with Santa. |
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Michelle Gill, who works with extramural funds in business and financial services, said that the event helps her get in the spirit of the holidays. "It feels cozy," she said. "Everyone comes together and you get to see people you haven't seen all year. Plus, it's also a good cause." Donations and raffle tickets benefit funds like the Bob Gudgeon Memorial Fund, which provides needed materials to hospitals.
Outside,
in the lobby, booths were
set up for the Holiday
Fair. There the Chicano/Latino
Staff Association collected
money and children's gifts
to assist eight needy
Latino families during
the holidays. The UCSD
Staff Association collected
used eyeglasses and sunglasses
for MEDICO, a nonprofit
company that provides
free medical, dental and
optometric care in developing
countries. The group also
delivered previously purchased
poinsettias as a fundraiser
for staff scholarships.
The Veterans Association
at UCSD collected men's
clothing for the Vietnam
Veterans San Diego Shelter.
The Visual Arts Group
sold calendars, cards
and jewelry by UCSD staff
members, with a portion
of the proceeds going
to benefit staff scholarships.
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| Faculty and staff donated toys to benefit children at
UCSD Medical Center 's Burn Unit and Kaiser Permanente Pediatrics. |
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