Volunteers

Helping hands CYPRESS Mitsubishi Donates Car for Police Use Who: Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America

Contribution: Donated a new, specially painted Mitsubishi Eclipse to the Cypress Police Department. Chief Daryl Wicker said the vehicle will be used in promoting the city’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program and for traffic-safety programs. Former Mayor Richard Partin, in accepting the car on behalf of the city, noted that Mitsubishi has corporate offices in Cypress. Partin said the company “has continually demonstrated its support to the people of Cypress.”

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HUNTINGTON BEACH Service Groups Fund Crime Fighting Who: Rotary Club and Elks Lodge

Contribution: Donated money to the Huntington Beach Police Department to help fight crime. The Rotary Club recently donated $250 to help the Police Department cross-train one of its police dogs for weapons detection. The Elks Lodge has also donated $1,000 to the department’s DARE unit. Officials said the donations are especially appreciated because of the city’s tight financial situation.

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GARDEN GROVE PacifiCare Grant Benefits Kids Club Who: PacifiCare Foundation Contribution: Donated $10,000 to the Girls and Boys Clubs of Garden Grove to support a before- and after-school program for more than 100 children from the Clinton neighborhood. The children attend Clinton-Mendenhall, Eisenhower and Riverdale elementary schools. The Clinton Kids Club, a branch of the Girls and Boys Clubs of Garden Grove, administers the program, which provides computer lessons, homework assistance, sports and recreational activities to the children. The Clinton Kids Club also distributes warm clothes and holds holiday parties for about 300 families in the Clinton area, a neighborhood of more than 100 apartments with predominantly Latino residents.

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Volunteers needed: HUNTINGTON BEACH Drivers Wanted to Transport Seniors Volunteer drivers are needed for a program that provides transportation to seniors. Since the elimination of OCTA’s Dial-A-Ride program, senior citizens have been left to other means to get around town. There is an urgent need for volunteers who can drive seniors to medical appointments and do their shopping and banking. Volunteers will drive city vans that carry seven to nine passengers. Drivers are needed weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Qualifications are a willingness to help seniors and a valid California driver’s license. For details, call Arleen Stevens at (714) 960-2478 or stop by the Outreach Center, 1718 Orange Ave.

--COMPILED BY LYNN FRANEY, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY BILL BILLITER, DEBRA CANO AND BERT ELJERA