By Judy McCarty

April will be a very busy month for the Navajo Canyon Republican Women. In addition to our regular monthly meeting, we will host a free community candidate forum on Friday, April 22, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 6556 Park Ridge Blvd., off Navajo Road.

Republican candidates competing for elected positions representing the area will be present to meet and greet those who attend and will speak briefly. Refreshments will be served. Previous NCRWF candidate forums have drawn a large and lively crowd and we hope the community-at-large will take advantage of this opportunity. There are no space limitations at St. Dunstan’s, but we hope you’ll let us know you are coming so we can plan ahead. RSVP to ncrwf99@gmail.com and put “Candidate Forum” in the subject line.

Our luncheon meetings continue to draw large crowds to The Brigantine in La Mesa for our lively presentations by outstanding political leaders. Next up is our April 12 meeting with two important speakers.

First is Stephen Frank, creator and writer for Political News and Views, who has been active in numerous campaigns and causes for more than 50 years. He will be discussing The 2016 elections and what they mean.

Our second speaker will be Graham Bloem, president and training director of Shelter to Soldier, the nonprofit organization that NCRWF will be assisting for the next two years. Shelter to Soldier rescues dogs from local shelters and trains them to become psychiatric service dogs for combat veterans suffering from PTSD.

Check-in time for the 11 a.m. meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. Cost for the full-course luncheon is $20. Lunch is served at noon, followed by the speakers. Due to space limitations, reservations are required. To join us, RSVP to Marjie at NCRWF99@gmail.com and put “Luncheon” in the subject line. You can also call her at 619-990-2791.

Our March speaker, Barry Nussbaum, provided a riveting assessment of the threats from ISIS and other international conflicts. Videos of his talks are generally available on his website, AmericanTruthProject.org.

A future date to save is June 14. Not only is it Flag Day, it’s also the date for our annual fashion show, “Stars and Stripes Forever” at the Bali Hai. Our membership drive for the new year is on-going; dues are $30 through March, then increase to $35.

For more information on all our activities, visit us at navajocanyonrwf.org and also check us out on Facebook.

—Judy McCarty is publicity chairman for the Navajo Canyon Republican Women Federated. Write to her at jhmccarty@cox.net.