Rancho La Quinta hosts Adopt-a-Marine-for-Thanksgiving event
Fifty-five Marines from Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms disembarked buses on Nov. 24 and walked single file to the Rancho La Quinta Racquet Club, where they were greeted by the La Quinta High School Band playing the Marines’ Hymn and more than 100 applauding community members.
The main entrance of Rancho La Quinta was lined with U.S. and Marine flags, creating a festive welcome to the Adopt-A-Marine for Thanksgiving event coordinated by the Marine Committee and funded by members of the Rancho La Quinta community.
President of the committee Tim Black invited Marines, spectators and community officials to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance. Black previewed the day's planned activities consisting of a putting contest, a PGA instructor on the driving range, pickleball and tennis, a longest drive and fastest serve contest, bocce ball, Ping-Pong and relaxing by the pool. Each Marine was assigned a host family for the day’s events, which were followed by a traditional turkey dinner.
Rancho La Quinta General Manager Monica Davis thanked the Marine Committee for coordinating the event and said to the Marines, “You can’t be with your own families this holiday, so welcome to our family.”
Rancho La Quinta board of director member Ava Shephard welcomed the Marines and stated she came from a military family with her grandfather serving as a Tuskegee Airman. Veteran Marine and La Quinta City Council member Steve Sanchez thanked the host families for their patriotism and recalled many a holiday he spent on duty and away from family. La Quinta Mayor pro tem Kathleen Fitzpatrick told the crowd her husband is a veteran Marine, and La Quinta City Council member John Pena joked that he had T-shirts older than some of the Marines.
As each host family was called, one or two Marines stepped forward and introduced themselves and their hometown. The tradition of Rancho La Quinta families hosting Marines was started in 2009 by Dr. Roy Pitkin, a retired Navy physician who treated Marines during his long career.
Committee member and hosting family Meredith Bettencourt said, “We go all out to welcome those who serve us!”
Marge Dodge serves on several local nonprofit boards supporting her passions of education, literacy and the arts.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Rancho La Quinta hosts Adopt-a-Marine-for-Thanksgiving event
