Around Town: Brownies get lesson in invention law

In an effort to encourage young girls to pursue their interests in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP, an intellectual-property law firm in Irvine, recently welcomed Girl Scout Brownie Troop 3371 from Newport Beach. The day’s activities ended with the girls earning the newly introduced intellectual-property patch for learning about tools that enable inventors to benefit from their creations while sharing them with others.

Christy Lea, a litigation partner at Knobbe Martens and the mother of troop member Lydia Lea, hosted the 23 Andersen Elementary School second-graders for a tour of the firm’s offices, a scavenger hunt in the legal library and a presentation designed to increase the girls’ awareness of and interest in the creation and protection of intellectual property.

“Girl Scouts is really preparing girls with 21st-century skills, and the new IP patch is groundbreaking,” Christy Lea, a former Brownie and Girl Scout, said in a news release. “If we can get girls interested in technology at the Brownie age, we can ensure a successful group of new IP and STEM professionals for the future.”

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Local charities receive grants

Five nonprofit organizations in Newport Beach and Irvine are among 16 Orange County groups receiving portions of $222,600 in grants from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

Project Access Inc. of Newport Beach was granted $10,000 to help educate residents of low-income housing in Orange County.

Four Irvine-based causes received grants:

• Families Forward: $15,000 to support its housing program.

• Human Options: $10,000 to support its services for abused women and children.

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County: $27,500 to support its hunger-relief services.

• South County Outreach: $15,000 to support its community food pantry.

— From staff reports