Community & Clubs: Costa Mesa Kiwanis assist in Kelly’s Closet event
On Aug. 25, the Kiwanis Club of Costa Mesa hosted its third annual Kelly’s Closet in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of the Harbor Area. Twenty-four low-income children from the Westside and Lou Yantorn branches of the Boys & Girls Club were treated to a shopping trip to Sears for school clothes.
Each child, ranging from second to 10th grade, was paired with one or two mentor students from the Circle K Club of Orange Coast College, the Key Clubs of Estancia and Costa Mesa high schools, or the Builders Torch Club at the Boys & Girls Club, which assisted in selection of merchandise. Kiwanians were in attendance to help with fitting, and Sears at South Coast Plaza welcomed the group before the store opened to the public to make the shopping easier.
In addition to school clothes, each shopper received a full complement of school supplies appropriate to his or her grade and academic program. Supplies ranged from crayons to graphing calculators. Backpacks were provided by Office Depot.
The day concluded with a barbecue sponsored by the Newport Rib Co. and a carnival complete with games made by Kiwanis Service Leadership Program students and prizes.
Major sponsors were Hoag Hospital, C.J. Segerstrom and Sons, and the Costa Mesa Community Foundation, with additional support from Starbucks and Trader Joe’s.
The event was planned and managed by a student committee including Chairman Kevin Amatayakul and Chris Ho of the OCC Circle K, Abby To and Anna Do of Mesa’s Key Club, Erik Cerros and William Crossen of the Estancia’s Key Club, and Ailea Tvedt of the Builders Torch Club. The project advisor was Kiwanian Jeff Dimsdale, OCC’s dean of students emeritus.
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Kiwanis donate to CMFD
At a recent meeting of the Kiwanis of Costa Mesa, Fundraising Chairman Greg Dennis and Treasurer Leigh Graf presented a check for $5,000 to Brenda Emrick of the Costa Mesa Fire Department fire prevention program Team Fire Force. The funds were part of the proceeds from the club’s Fourth of July fireworks booth, according to club member Jeff Dimsdale.
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Lions give tools to schools
Harbor Mesa Lions distributed 200 school supplies boxes to first-graders at Rea and Whittier elementary schools in Costa Mesa the first week of school. Teachers provide a list of necessary items, such as crayons, scissors, rulers, pencils, glue, markers and index cards. These items are bought with funds raised at Lions Club events such as a casino night, garage sale and candy sales.
“The children are absolutely thrilled to receive these boxes and their own supplies,” said Public Relations Chairwoman Carol Van Holt. “As we all know, you need the right tools to design and build things; this includes education for our children.”
The club is also collecting books for children’s libraries and donated 34 books to Whittier at the same time as the boxes. For more information and pictures of this project, visit https://www.nhcmlionsclub.com.
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Welcome to the world of service clubs
Kiwanis District T 4 L4 Gov. P.J. Smith performed the induction ceremony for the newest member of the Harbor Mesa Lions Club, Lynetta Rose.
Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club President Mike Scheafer inducted Derek Smith, Mike Sciacca and Jack Lester last week.
Welcome all to the wonderful world of service clubs!
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WEDNESDAY MEETINGS
Noon: The Exchange Club of Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 1601 Bayside Drive.
5:30 p.m.: The 57-member Rotary Club of Newport Balboa meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club to hear Newport Beach Police Chief Jay Johnson. On Sept. 19, the program will feature Mike Giddings, an NFL pro scout, and celebrity guests former UCLA coach Terry Donahue and former UCLA quarterback John Sciarra. For more information, visit https://www.newportbalboa.org.
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THURSDAY MEETINGS
7 a.m.: The 20-member Costa Mesa Orange Coast Lions Club meets at Mimi’s Café, 1835 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa.
Noon: The 45-member Kiwanis Club of Newport Beach-Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.
The 95-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program about the Back Bay Rugby Team.
The 40-member 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 presentation by UC Irvine physics and astronomy professor Michael Dennin on “The Science Behind Superheroes.” For more information visit https://www.ni-rotary.org.
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TUESDAY MEETINGS
7:15 a.m.: The 58-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at the Five Crowns, 3801 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar, for a program by the students who attend the RYLA camp. On Sept. 26 the program will feature a club assembly and Craft Talks. For more information visit https://www.newportbeachsunriserotary.org.
COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published twice monthly on Wednesdays. Send your service club’s meeting information by email to jdeboom@aol.com.