Around Town: Gourmet by the Bay to raise funds for Newport Bay Conservancy on Aug. 17

A Gourmet by the Bay annual fundraising dinner takes place Aug. 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center in Newport Beach, supporting the nonprofit Newport Bay Conservancy.

Held outdoors on the visitors center patio overlooking the Back Bay, the semiformal dinner features live jazz, food and drinks and a silent auction, with sponsorships, ticket sales and auction proceeds benefiting the organization’s efforts in education, restoration, research and advocacy.

General admission is $75 per person, and sponsorship options offer table seating opportunities and more. For information or to purchase tickets, visit newportbay.org.

Wellness Walk series continues Tuesday night

Area residents are invited to join Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley for a Wellness Walk, which takes place on Tuesday, Aug. 13, along Crystal Cove State Park trails. Members of the Crystal Cove Conservancy will lead the outing.

Meet at the Los Trancos - Beachcomber parking lot at 6:15 p.m.

Reservations are requested at bit.ly/KFwellnesswalk or by sending an email to Jessica.Balli@ocgov.com.

OC Public Libraries to host Jefferson Fisher as guest speaker

OC Public Libraries will host Jefferson Fisher, a Texas trial lawyer and founder of Fisher Firm, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15 at the Norma Hertzog Community Center in Costa Mesa.

Fisher, who has expertise in effective communication strategies and is a social media influencer with more than 10 million followers, will speak on “The Power of Persuasion.”

No reservations are required, but guests are encourage to arrive early. The Community Center is located at 1845 Park Ave.

Book talk, Q&A at Parakeet Cafe Newport Beach

Best-selling author Kaira Rouda and former U.S. Rep. Harley Rouda will be at the Newport Beach location of Parakeet Cafe on Thursday, Aug. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. for a question-and-answer event.

Kaira Rouda’s latest novels, including “Under the Palms,” published in May, will be discussed. Books will be available for purchase and refreshments will be served.

Parakeet Cafe Newport Beach is located at 7972 Pacific Coast Highway.

Miracles for Kids back-to-school program assists nearly 400 families

The Back to School Basket of Miracles effort of Miracles for Kids this summer distributed more than 24,000 school supplies and 400 boxes of household essentials to 394 families with critically ill children, the organization announced this week.

Volunteers from around Orange County gathered in Irvine on the morning of July 27 to participate in an assembly line packing hundreds of backpacks with the school supplies. The goods were delivered to the families in need that afternoon.

Project Self-Sufficiency names new chief development officer

The Newport Beach-based Project Self Sufficiency recently announced Waukecha Wilkerson has been named its chief development officer.

The mission of the nonprofit is to help low-income single parents graduate from college or vocational training with the skills necessary to achieve economic independence.

Wilkerson is a former president of the organization’s board of directors. She’s also an experienced senior policy advocate in the student parent space and is herself a graduate of Project Self-Sufficiency’s scholar program. She founded the firm Won’t She Do It, which provides coaching and development training to student parents.

Assistance League of Newport-Mesa launches Operation School Bell

Members of the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa on Saturday will provide free school clothing and supplies to Newport Mesa Unified School District students during its annual Operation School Bell program.

Starting Saturday and continuing on Aug. 17 and 24, volunteers will pass out new uniform clothing, underwear, socks, books and dental kits to students and families in need.

Operation School Bell, part of an 80-year philanthropic tradition in the local community, will also offer a selection of gently used clothing from the Assistance League’s Closet collection. For more information, visit alnm.org or call (949) 645-6929.

Costa Mesa City Hall fair housing workshop Aug. 15

The Fair Housing Foundation, a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency dedicated to promoting equal housing through education, will host a fair housing workshop at Costa Mesa City Hall on Aug. 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Representatives will explain state and federal fair housing laws and discuss legally protected classes, notices, security deposits, rent increases, the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act and more.

Attendees will learn about their rights and responsibilities as a tenant or a landlord and how to deal with disputes. The workshop is free and open to the public. RSVP online by visiting bit.ly/4cwqYbH or calling (800) 446-3247.

A housing assistance hotline is available at (800) 446-FAIR (3247), or for more information, visit FHFCA.org.

Costa Mesa presents Movies in the Park at Tewinkle Aug. 17

Residents and families are invited to an evening of outdoor cinema Aug. 17 at Costa Mesa’s TeWinkle Park, as the city presents a screening of the rip-roaring, treasure-hunting 1985 classic movie “The Goonies.”

The Movies in the Park event sets sail at 7 p.m. with raffle prizes, games and activities for children as well as a food truck with goodies available for purchase. Admission is free. TeWinkle Park is located at 970 Arlington Drive.

Parking is available off of Junipero Drive, and the movie will be shown across from the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.