COMMUNITY & CLUBS:Interfaith council service event puts focus on the home front

The Newport-Mesa- Irvine Interfaith Council has announced the theme for its Nov. 17 community service event will be “home front.” The theme was chosen by the council to focus on helping the valiant members of our military and their struggling families. Last year, nearly 500 youths and adults from 20 congregations spent the day working on projects for the needy in our communities and in Afghanistan.

“We are looking for congregations, individuals, service organizations and military liaisons that can help provide project ideas and support,” said Jaimie Day, Hearts and Hands program chair.

The council is also looking for representatives from faith congregations, schools, service clubs and community groups that would like to join our Hearts and Hands board to help begin planning for this amazing service event. If you have information about possible service projects or would like to serve on our board, please contact the interfaith council at [email protected] or Jaimie Day at [email protected] .

COACHING FOR SUCCESS

Tim Brown, vocational chair for the Rotary Club of Newport Beach Sunrise, is coordinating a joint project with Working Wardrobes and the Salvation Army that will consist of training 20 men for a job search. The men are all recovering alcohol or drug abusers, or on probation. Brown has completed eight hours of training as a “success coach” and will provide 90-minute workshops on six consecutive Saturdays for the applicants, starting May 19. Rotary Club members will take turns assisting Brown with the Saturday workshops.

Training will be held at the Working Wardrobes facility, which is set up like a department store. Working Wardrobes is looking for donations of men’s clothes on hangers, so they don’t have to be dry-cleaned. Club members are being asked to bring in a new pack of men’s dress socks and underwear as they outfit the applicants in job-interviewappropriate clothes.

“This is an extremely large project we are undertaking,” noted club President John Hedlund.

ATHLETES OF THE MONTH

The Kiwanis Club of Costa Mesa honored athletes of the month from Costa Mesa and Estancia high schools at a recent meeting. Estancia students Melissa Buchman and Shea Kopp were presented awards for water polo and swimming, respectively. Coach Bob Bandaruk told the club about these girls’ achievements in the sport and in the classroom. Blake Pinto was honored for baseball, and his mother, Christine, was there to see her son receive his award. Blake’s coach, C.K. Green, explained how important Blake was to the team. Costa Mesa students Kira Mitani and Zach Von Berg were also honored. Kira was honored for softball and Zach for baseball. They were accompanied by their coaches Sharon Uhl and Jim Kiefer.

ROTARY U AT CHAPMAN U

Some 400 Rotarians from 50 Rotary clubs in District 5320, which covers southern Los Angeles and Orange counties, will attend the district assembly at Chapman University this morning to learn about the leadership positions they have volunteered for beginning July 1. This is a training program for club officers and directors, incoming Dist. Gov. John Brainerd of Newport Beach said.

Included are sessions on the Rotary Foundation, membership development, youth services, club administration and Rotary’s Four Avenues of Service — vocational, international, community and club service, Brainerd added. Leading delegations from local Rotary clubs are presidents-elect Larry Thomas, Costa Mesa; Bob Silver, Newport-Balboa, JoAnne DeBlis, Newport Beach Sunrise; and Diane Pearce, Newport Irvine.

WORTH REPEATING

From the Thought for the Day, as provided by Greg Kelley of the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council:

“As you grow older, you’ll find the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do.”

— ZACHARY SCOTT

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

TUESDAY. The 40-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at Five Crowns to hear Roger Mignosa, “ambassador for Australia,” discuss the other youth programs supported by the Rotary. For details, go to www.newportbeachsunrise rotary.org.

7:30 a.m

11:45 a.m. The 20-member Rotary Club of Costa Mesa meets at Share Our Selves, 1500 Superior Ave., Costa Mesa. Contact (949) 642-3451 for a tour and catered lunch.

6 p.m. The 40-member Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club meets at the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club.

WEDNESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The 10-member Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club meets at Denny’s Restaurant, 290 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

Noon: The 27-member Exchange Club of the Orange Coast meets at the Bahia Corinthian yacht club for a youth of the year program.

6p.m.: The 55-member Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club to hear a discussion led by Gary Spencer about marathon runners. For details, go to www.newportbalboa.org .

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-member Costa Mesa-Orange Coast Lions Club meets at Mimi’s Cafe.

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club meets at the Holiday Inn. For details, go to www.kiwanis.org/club/costamesa. The 45-member Kiwanis Club of Newport Beach-Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. The 85-member Rotary Club of Newport Irvine meets at the Radisson Hotel. For details, go to www.nirotary.org . The 95-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a Ladies Day program with Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach. For details, go to https://members.cox.net/nhexchangeclub/index.htm.