Julie Iantorno   

My husband Pat and I moved to North County San Diego in 1975. Our first home was in a community called Seabluff in Leucadia. It was there that we began to appreciate living by the ocean. Living in Seabluff helped us develop a sense of community with our neighbors, which made our lifestyle so much fun. As our family expanded, we moved to other communities around the area. In 2005, when our youngest son began Torrey Pines High School, we decided it was time to move back to the beach and purchased a home in Del Mar. I was a former elementary school teacher but resigned to raise our family. I volunteered in our children's school and sports team activities, and served as a board member for the TPHS Foundation. In addition, I worked on their annual fundraiser and chaired the event two years.

Shortly after moving to Del Mar, a friend on the DMCC board asked if I would be interested in becoming a board member. At the time, I didn't know anything about the organization, so I said I would be willing to work on the upcoming annual Gala in order to meet people and get a feel for what DMCC did for the community. I have been involved with this wonderful organization ever since, working on the Gala committee for the past 6 years and serving on the board for the past 5 years.

The timing of my involvement in DMCC was no accident. My kids were grown and I was looking for something to get involved with that would enable me to give back to the community. My father had just passed away. As the oldest child in my family, I stepped in to help my mom. My mother-in-law was also requiring more assistance. Initially, I felt my involvement with DMCC would help me learn tools in dealing with aging parents, but that was secondary. What happened was that I met so many wonderful residents of Del Mar and gained back the precious sense of community that we once had when we first moved to North County almost 40 years ago.

What I love best about DMCC is the people. I have served as a volunteer driver and every time the person was extremely appreciative of my help. It feels good to do something that is not much of an effort for me, yet means so much to another. But most impressive are the wonderful volunteers who graciously donate an incredible amount of their time to this organization in order to help our community's seniors maintain a quality of life that enables them to continue living in their homes. This is an organization I am proud to be part of.

Julie, thank you so very much for being one of those wonderful volunteers!