NEIGHBORS

Ryan Lanni, a fifth-grade student at Andersen Elementary School in

Newport Beach, won first place in the annual UC Irvine Rainbow Festival

Essay Contest for the third- to sixth-grade division. Ryan is a student

in Katie Hines’ class. He was honored at the Rainbow Festival reception

at the UC Irvine Cross Cultural Center, where he read his award-winning

essay on diversity ... Air Force Reserve Airman Ygnacio O. Garcia

graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San

Antonio, Texas. He is the son of Margarita O. Garcia of Costa Mesa.

During six weeks of training, he studied the Air Force mission,

organization and customs. Garcia also received training in human

relations ... Stan Mullin, senior vice president and industrial

specialist with the Newport Beach office of Grubb & Ellis Co., was

elected vice president of communications for the Society of Industrial

and Office Realtors. He was elected at the society’s fall professional

conference this year in Denver and will serve the 2001 term. He has

previously served as the president of the Society of Industrial and

Office Realtors Inland Empire & Orange County in 1997 ... Rebecca Israel

of Costa Mesa and Roselyn Colombo of Corona del Mar were among the 18

Orange County Red Cross disaster relief volunteers who provided mutual

aid to help individuals and families of the Echo Park apartment building

that collapsed Dec. 8 ... Newport Outrigger Club Inc., a nonprofit group,

announced that the Internal Revenue Service has granted them tax-exempt

status. The club is a family-oriented organization based in Newport Beach

that promotes the preservation and teachings of the Hawaiian culture,

including the sport of outrigger canoeing ... Ken Lipinski has been named

a partner in charge of the strategic resources group for Squar Milner.

The Newport Beach firm is a full-service accounting and financial

services firm that handles clients in real estate, manufacturing,

distribution and professional service businesses. Lipinski is an expert

in new strategies that are devised by dot-com companies for mergers and

acquisitions. His experience includes work with Smarthome.com and a

position as chief financial officer at an aviation company ... Students

enrolled in Orange Coast College’s Beginning Construction Techniques

program volunteered several hours last week to make pillows for 36

disabled men at the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa. The

students donated the fabric.

* NEIGHBORS spotlights achievements in the community. Please direct

noteworthy information to Young Chang via fax at (949) 646-4170, or send

e-mail to o7 young.chang@latimes.comf7 .