Spreading the ‘Spark of Love’

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT COAST -- Cyrus Tehranchi, 2, couldn’t contain his excitement

as he dropped a gift-wrapped box into a bin labeled “Spark of Love.”

He was at Fire Station No. 52 Thursday morning with his mother,

Brigitte Tehranchi, a member of the Moms Club of Newport Coast, which has

made a project of donating to the Orange County Fire Authority’s annual

toy drive, called Spark of Love.

Cyrus and many of his pint-sized friends ran around the station as

their neighborhood firefighters looked on, smiling.

“This means a great deal to us,” said Jason Sultzer, a reserve

firefighter. “This way, people see we’re here for the community. We’re

not just riding on trucks but actually here to make a difference in the

community.”

Tehranchi said this is the Moms Club’s first project in Newport Coast.

The local chapter was formed in June, when members separated from the

well-established Newport Beach chapter.

The Moms Club is a national organization that serves as a support

group for stay-at-home moms and those who work part time. The Newport

Coast club plans to make the toy donation and trip to the fire station an

annual event, said Brigid Cianfrani, the group’s president.

“Why not?” she said. “The kids enjoy it, and the community benefits

from it.”

The fire authority has been involved with Spark of Love, a statewide

toy drive, for seven years, Capt. Paul Hunter said. Orange County

contributed about 50% of the 314,704 toys collected in and distributed to

Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Orange counties last year, he

said.

“This is excellent community participation,” Hunter said. “It shows

cooperation between the public sector and our residents.”

The toy drive is also a great opportunity for the Moms Club to be of

service to the community, Tehranchi said.

“We don’t have too many outlets here in our community that allow us to

be of service,” she said. “It’s a chance to help less fortunate kids, to

share with them at least part of the abundance that we enjoy.”