Advertisement

Community & Clubs: Soroptimist group hosts annual women’s awards celebration

Share

Soroptimist International of Newport Harbor Area recently held its annual International Women’s Day Awards Celebration to recognize the club’s 2012 Violet Richardson and Women’s Opportunity awards honorees.

March 8 marked International Women’s Day, a yearly celebration of global advances in the worldwide movement for women’s rights. It seemed a fitting time to honor women and girls in our community for their courage and action on behalf of themselves and others.

This year’s Violet Richardson Award honoree was 16-year-old Alia C. Manetta, of Laguna Beach High School, who founded the Laguna Beach Goat Club. The club raises funds to provide goats to poor Nepalese families through the R Star Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of women and children in Nepal through education and poverty eradication. The Violet Richardson Award is a program that recognizes girls for their volunteer efforts.

Advertisement

Sophia Le, a Santa Ana mother of a preschool daughter and the first in her Vietnamese-American family to go to college, was honored with the 2012 Women’s Opportunity Award. She is a human services major and active volunteer who plans to become a nurse.

The Women’s Opportunity Award program was created to help women improve their ability to provide for their families. Since the program’s inception in 1972, an estimated $15 million has been disbursed and about 25,000 women have been assisted to achieve their dreams of a better life.

For more information, see https://www.soroptimist.org and https://www.liveyourdreamcampaign.org.

For more information on how Soroptimist makes a difference for women, contact club president Sue Haddock at dist2sue@ymail.com.

*

HONORING A CHAMPION OF CHILDREN

The annual “Champion of Children” event will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Whittier Law School, 3333 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa. The event will by hosted be the Blue Ribbon Society. The society is a division of the Child Abuse Prevention Center.

The Blue Ribbon Society will be honoring Kimberly C. Cripe, chief executive of Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Complimentary wine and appetizers will be served. The Blue Ribbon Society is a new entity focusing on preventing abuse of our children, according to Bill Barrington, a longtime board member.

Starting in 1989, the Blue Ribbon Campaign, which strives to end child abuse, began with a grandmother’s personal commitment. By tying a blue ribbon to the antenna on her van, she “made people wonder.”

When members of her community asked about the significance of the blue ribbon, Bonnie Finney shared the tragic story of her grandson’s death. Three-year-old Michael Wayne “Bubba” Dickerson was allegedly killed at the hands of her daughter’s violent boyfriend.

For more information on the Blue Ribbon Society or Child Abuse Prevention Center, call (714) 543-4333 or (949) 760-6628.

*

DAILY PILOT COMMUNITY & CLUBS HALL OF FAME

The fourth annual Community & Clubs Hall of Fame Luncheon will be held on June 8 at American Legion Post 291, 291 E. 15th St., Newport Beach. This will be an opportunity for service clubs, community groups and congregations to honor, celebrate and recognize the contributions of members of service clubs, community groups and congregations in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

The luncheon has been an inspirational experience for those who have attended. There are a lot of great people who volunteer their time, talent and treasure to make our communities a great place to live and work in.

For nomination forms and more information on the Hall of Fame luncheon, email jdeboom@aol.com.

*

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“We never know how far reaching something we may think, say or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow.”

—B.J. Palmer

*SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

You are invited to attend a service club meeting this coming week to learn more about opportunities for service. Most clubs will buy your first meal as you get acquainted with them.

TODAY

Noon: The Exchange Club of Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 1601 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar.

5:30 p.m.: The 57-member Rotary Club of Newport Balboa meets at Gary Konekne’s START Physical Therapy Center, 360 San Miguel Drive, Suite 301, Newport Beach, for a vocational visitation. Dinner to follow at Gina’s, 4533 Campus Drive, Irvine. For more information, visit https://www.newportbalboa.org

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-member Costa Mesa Orange Coast Lions Club meets at Mimi’s Café, at Newport and Harbor boulevards in Costa Mesa.

Noon: The 45-member Kiwanis Club of Newport Beach-Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. For more information, visit https://www.newportbeachkiwanis.org.

The 95-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program titled “Effective Solutions to America’s Problems” by Jim Gray, the retired judge. For more information, visit https://www.nhexchange.org.

The Kiwanis Club of Costa Mesa meets at the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club, 1701 Golf Course Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information, visit https://www.costamesakiwanis.org.

The 55-member Rotary Club of Newport Irvine meets at the University Club, 801 E. Peltason Drive, Irvine, for a program by Peer Swan of the Irvine Ranch Water District. Visit https://www.ni-rotary.org.

TUESDAY

7:15 a.m.: The 58-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at Working Wardrobes for a program on Dress for Success. For more information, go to https://www.newportbeachsunriserotary.org.

COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published twice monthly on Wednesdays. Send your service club’s meeting information e-mail to jdeboom@aol.com.

Advertisement