JIM DE BOOM -- Community & Clubs

The time to act is now if you, your family, club, church, youth group,

school class or business would like to adopt a family for the coming

Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Even with this great economy, there are still less fortunate people

who live in our communities and need help.

If you adopt a family for Thanksgiving, you would provide a

Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. For Christmas, it would be

not only dinner, but a toy or two for each child in the family.

Three local organizations can help identify families to adopt. They

will provide you the names and ages of the children and ideas as to the

family needs.

F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service to Humanity) is one such organization

that has some 700 families who need help with Thanksgiving and Christmas,

said Sal Torres, Adopt A Family coordinator. Sal can be reached by

calling (949) 642-6060. If Sal is not available, ask for Alma.

The Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter has identified 30 families who

have used their services this year that need help. Lori Glover says the

shelter is also having a toy drive for children who are housed at their

emergency shelter. To adopt a family or donate an unwrapped toy, call

Glover at (949) 631-7213.

S.O.S. (Share our Selves) has 1,600 families needing help for the

holidays. You can adopt a family, buy a toy or two, give money and the

S.O.S. shoppers will buy food and toys in your name. And S.O.S. could use

volunteers as well. On Dec. 20, it will need help wrapping toys; on Dec.

21, it needs help boxing food; and on Dec 22, it needs help delivering

packages to the families. For more information, to adopt a family or to

volunteer, call S.O.S. staff member Robin Sinclair at (949) 515-7316.

THE SINGING CLUB: A lot of visitors think the Newport Balboa Rotary

Club sings a lot, but I am not aware of a club that sings more than the

Costa Mesa-Orange Coast Breakfast Club. At a recent meeting, past

president Walden Hughes passed out the song books and led the club

members in “Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here,” “America,” “America the

Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” “Grand Old Flag,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,”

“My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” “California Here

I come,” “Show Me the Way to Go Home” and ended with “Don’t You Hear

Those Lions Roar.”

Club president Ron DeGeare notes that most 7 a.m. club meetings on

Thursdays include singing, and at their next meeting they sang 11

different songs. What a great way to start a day.

JOTTINGS: Thanks to a motion by Tom Keyes and a second by Jack

Powers, the Make a Wish Foundation will receive a contribution of $200

from the Exchange Club Orange Coast.

WORTH REPEATING: From Greg Kelley, president of the Newport-Mesa

Irvine Interfaith Council, in the “Thought for the Day.”

“The best vitamin for making friends: B-1.”

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK: Want to get more involved in your

community, make new friends, network, or to give something back to your

community? Try a service club. You are invited to attend a club meeting

this coming week. Many clubs will buy your first guest meal for you.

TUESDAY

7:15 a.m. -- The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at the Balboa

Bay Club to hear David Clarke on “Sailing Adventures.” 6:30 p.m. -- The

Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club meets at the Costa Mesa Country

Club.

WEDNESDAY

7:15 a.m. -- The South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet at the Center

Club; the Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club meets at the University Athletic

Club.

Noon -- Orange Coast Exchange Club meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht

Club.

6 p.m. -- The Newport-Balboa Rotary Club meets the Bahia Corinthian

Yacht Club for the annual Foundation Dinner with Mike Abdalla.

THURSDAY

7:15 a.m. -- The Costa Mesa Orange Coast Breakfast Lions Club meets at

Mimi’s Cafe for a business meeting.

Noon -- The Kiwanis Club of Costa Mesa meets at the Holiday Inn for an

Eagle Pride Presentation; the Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis Club

meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club to hear Orange County Supervisor

Tom Wilson’s county update; the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor meets at

the Riverboat Restaurant to hear Jack Cloonan discuss stress and the

immune system; the Newport Irvine Rotary Club meets at the Irvine

Marriott Hotel.

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published every Saturday in the Daily Pilot.

Send your service club’s meeting information by Fax to (949) 660-8667,

e-mail to o7 jdeboom@aol.comf7 or by mail to 2082 S.E. Bristol, Suite

201, Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.