Don’t you love this time of year? November arrives and before you know it, your schedule is full. It’s such a festive, energetic time as you reunite with old friends and make new ones. Our newly green courses offer some of the world’s best golf and our sun-filled days call you out to play.

To keep up with all the action, you need to remain judicious about your health. Fortunately our Valley offers many participatory and educational events to do just that. On November 2 you’ll find Desert Health^® at the American Heart Association’s Heart & Stroke Walk in Palm Desert. The walk is part of the AHA’s MyHeart.MyLife. platform and will feature an educational fair in conjunction with the 3-mile stroll.

On November 9 in La Quinta, it’s all about families at the 7th annual Fall Family Festival benefitting the All About Families Resource and Learning Center. Their new Palm Desert center recently opened offering young families and moms free resources to get them started on their new life path (see page 27). The festival is free and a great place to hang with the kids and grandkids.

Then on November 17 & 18th, it’s all about women at the 6th annual Desert
Women’s Show & Business Conference at Agua Caliente Resort. We are really excited about this year’s event as Sunday is the FUN day with fashion shows, speakers, exhibitors, and an evening concert, then Monday is BIZ day offering an educational conference for the Valley’s professional women – with Suzanne Somers as the keynote speaker! It’s not to be missed, ladies.

Possibly the Valley’s best event organizers are our friends at Desert AIDS Project. They have two extravaganzas on tap for us this holiday season: Dancing with the Desert Stars November 22 where local mayors, presidents, doctors and business owners take to the floor to raise funds benefitting women and children affected by HIV or AIDS; and then on December 11, Florence Henderson will join a long list of stars at the fourth annual SPARKLE! All-Star Holiday Concert presented by Integrated Wealth Management.

When January rolls around and you are feeling like you need to get back on track, we have just what you need! The Mayor’s Race & Wellness Festival in Palm Springs features both a 10-mile and a 5k run and is produced in partnership with Desert Regional Medical Center, the Desert Healthcare District and the Clinton Foundation Health Matters Initiative. Last year’s event generated just under $350,000 for local nonprofits dedicated to health and wellness programs in Palm Springs. It’s good for you and our community!

In La Quinta, the Humana Well-Being Walk & Healthy Fun Fair will kick off the Humana Challenge tournament week (January 13-19). This 5-mile walk also ends with a festival of healthy activities and information. You will find Desert Health^® at both wellness festivals, so please stop by and say hello.

We look forward to seeing you out and about this season!