Around Town: Groundbreaking Wednesday for Irvine school
The Irvine Unified School District will break ground at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on Beacon Park School, the district’s 26th elementary school.
The school, at 200 Cultivate, is expected to open in August 2016. It is enrolling students from the master-planned Great Park Neighborhoods.
“This soon-to-be 26th elementary school will not only serve the immediate needs of the Irvine community, it will provide a world-class educational center for generations to come,” school board President Lauren Brooks said in a district announcement.
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Homeland security is topic of breakfast
Homeland security will be the focus of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Wake Up Newport breakfast Thursday morning.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard and Border Patrol will discuss illicit drug shipments coming through Newport Harbor, illegal immigrants landing on area beaches and ways the government is trying to stop potential terrorists from entering the country.
Jeremy Thompson, director of marine operations with the Department of Homeland Security; Beau Powers, lieutenant commander with the Coast Guard; Mark Dunbar, patrol agent in charge with the Border Patrol; and Cheryl Davies, section chief of tactical operations with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will speak during the event.
The breakfast and panel discussion will be held from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. at the Newport Beach Public Library. It is free and open to the public.
To register, call Pam Smith at 949-729-4411.
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Carlson foundation fundraiser set in Newport
Jeff Reuter, proprietor of 3Thirty3 Waterfront restaurant in Newport Beach, will sponsor an event from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to help the Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation raise money to install a statue in honor of Carlson, a Newport Beach lifeguard who died in July while trying to rescue a swimmer in rough surf.
Organizers Anne and John Wortmann and Scott “Sarko” Sarkisian hope to attract at least 100 guests donating $100 each to the foundation.
3Thirty3 is at 333 Bayside Drive. For more information, email John Wortmann at johnwortmann@sbcglobal.net.
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Donation will aid healthcare for veterans
The Appearance Center of Newport Beach, a skin-care facility on Newport Center Drive, will donate $10,000 to Fisher House Southern California, based in Long Beach, on Thursday.
The funds will support healthcare for veterans and their families.
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Man plans to cycle for AIDS/HIV awareness
Costa Mesa resident Jason Warden is raising money to participate in this year’s AIDS/LifeCycle, a 545-mile bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles from May 31 to June 6.
Warden, who recently lost 167 pounds through Weight Watchers, has raised more than $6,000 so far. The funds will go toward AIDS/HIV awareness and research.
“I feel blessed to be riding for such a great cause,” Warden said in a news release. “Being able to do this physical challenge is amazing, but I’m more proud of the fact that I’m helping a wonderful organization that’s helping so many people. Whether they’re gay, straight, male or female, a doctor, lawyer, advocate or caretaker — none of that matters. (HIV/AIDS) doesn’t define them.”
To donate, visit tofighthiv.org/goto/jasonwarden.
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Costa Mesa man to get university award
The University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business will honor Costa Mesa resident Sid Giddings with one of its Distinguished Young Alumni awards in an April 23 ceremony in Columbia, S.C.
Giddings, a certified public accountant, earned his master’s of business administration from the university in 2006.
Giddings is vice president of operations for Wyndham Vacation Ownership. His duties include oversight of a 150-member team and Wyndham properties throughout California, Oregon, Washington and Mexico.
He began working for Wyndham in 2010. He also has worked for the Marriott hotel group.