JIM DE BOOM -- Community & Clubs

MATTERS OF THE HEART EVENT: Soroptimist International of Newport

Harbor will conduct its third annual “Matters of the Heart” event Feb. 6

at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach. The event is underwritten by

Northern Trust Bank.

The event, which will begin at 5:30 p.m., will feature a reception and

dinner, live music, a silent auction and an opportunity drawing. This

year’s event also will celebrate three honorees: Socorro Vasquez, for her

volunteer work with St. Joseph’s Ballet, and Don R. Laffoon and Victoria

Bryan for their work with Stop-Gap.

Vasquez has spent more than 10 years promoting St. Joseph’s Ballet,

inspiring innovative, new fund development schemes, sponsoring dancers

and serving on the board. Socorro’s volunteer work is a family affair

supported fully by her husband and children. Annually, the St. Joseph’s

Ballet organization helps 350 children (mostly girls) from ages 8 to 18

in the Santa Ana area to realize their dreams to be dancers -- regardless

of their ability to pay. Ninety-five percent of the dancers receive

scholarships for the dancing program.

Laffoon and Bryan founded Stop-Gap 22 summers ago as an experimental

program that uses a theater-based process as a vehicle to change lives.

The original target audience was seniors. It was quickly realized that

this community-based program could be an educational and therapeutic tool

for many audiences, such as teenagers, with a variety of social topics.

Stop-Gap has collaborated with hundreds of schools, and more than 65,000

children and adults have been reached through the Stop-Gap method of

interactive theater.

Dinner reservations are $75 per person and must be made by Wednesday.

Underwriting opportunities are also available. For more information,

please call Dawn Marie Lemonds at (714) 957-5046.

Soroptimist International of Newport Harbor is comprised of 35 local

businesswoman representing a variety of professions and industries. The

organization supports a number of local groups, such as Interval House,

Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter and Race for the Cure, as well as

sponsoring international projects with Soroptimist International. The

club also annually awards women reentering the work force and high school

women for their volunteer work. The Newport Harbor club is part of

Soroptimist International, which boasts 100,000 members in 121 countries

worldwide.

HONORED: Rotarian Bill Wengeler introduced Brett Spaulding to the

members of the Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club at a recent breakfast

meeting. Spaulding is in his second semester at OCC, focusing on

engineering and pulling good grades. Wengeler then presented Spaulding

with his second $500 scholarship check from the Rotary Club.

Congratulations!

SOUPER BOWL: In honor of the Super Bowl, many churches and temples

have for several years held a canned food drive called Souper Bowl. So

when you go to temple or church this weekend, take a can of soup with

you, then enjoy the championship NFL game.

IRRELEVANT WEEK: It was good to see Paul Salata, Irrelevant Week

founder, who has been taking some medical treatments, go to Florida this

week for Sunday’s Super Bowl. Salata will then head to the Pro Bowl held

in Honolulu before returning to Newport Beach to begin preparations for

the 26th annual Irrelevant Week celebration, which will be held in June.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SERVICE CLUBS -- Richard Teschler, sponsored

by Andy Campbell, joined the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa.

WORTH REPEATING: From Interfaith Council member Greg Kelly’s e-mailed

“Thought for the Day” -- “The tragedy of life is not that it ends so

soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK: Does your New Year’s resolution

include getting more involved in your community, making new friends,

networking or giving something back to your community? Try a service

club. You are invited to attend a club meeting this week. Many clubs will

buy your first guest meal.

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club will meet at the

Newport Harbor Nautical Museum/Riverboat Restaurant to hear David Clarke.

6:30 p.m.: The Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club will meet at the

Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club.

WEDNESDAY

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

Club, and the Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the University

Athletic Club.

Noon: The Orange Coast Exchange Club will meet at the Bahia Corinthian

Yacht Club to hear Don Breezley, a probation officer, speak about gangs.

6 p.m.: The Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa will meet at the Anaheim

Pond for a Ducks hockey game (https://o7 www.newportbalboa.orgf7 ).

THURSDAY

7:30 a.m.: The Costa Mesa Orange Coast Breakfast Lions Club will meet

at Mimi’s Cafe to hear William Dewarzan discuss drinking water problems.

Noon: The Kiwanis Club of Costa Mesa will meet at the Holiday Inn, the

Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis Club will meet at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club, the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will meet at

the Riverboat Restaurant for a business meeting, and the Newport Irvine

Rotary Club will meet at the Irvine Marriott Hotel to hear Orange County

Dist. Atty. Tony Raukaukas (https://o7 www.nirotary.orgf7 ).

* 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 jdeboom@aol.com or by mail to 2082 S.E. Bristol, Suite 201,

Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.