JIM DE BOOM -- Community & Clubs

YOUTH ACHIEVERS: Thanks to a collaborative effort by the Central

Orange Coast YMCA, Newport-Mesa Unified School District, Orange County

Congregation Community Organization and the Presbyterian Church of the

Covenant, an after-school program for seventh- and eighth-graders in

Costa Mesa was launched at the end of January. The purpose of the program

is to provide homework assistance, sports, arts and culture activities,

career and college education and a whole lot more three days a week.

The after-school site, located at the Presbyterian Church of the

Covenant, is a short walk from Costa Mesa High School and is supervised

by a trained staff from the YMCA and volunteers from the church, along

with other local organizations. The program serves 60 teens. The Rev. Tim

McCalmont of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant says, “This is a

good example of what community organizations can do working together to

help make our community a viable place for all of us to live.”

1,600 MENTORS STILL NEEDED: We need you! Can you spare one hour a week

to help a child with literacy?

The Daily Pilot, the Rotary Clubs of Newport Balboa, Newport Irvine

and Newport Sunrise, the Newport Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council are

supporting the Los Angeles Times Reading by Nine program and seeking

2,001 volunteers to work with 2,001 kindergarten through third-graders at

Pomona, Whittier and Wilson elementary schools in Costa Mesa.

The three schools have limited English students who need help in

reading, writing and English if they are to be successful later in life!

Mentor sessions can be scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and

after school from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. One question I

usually get asked by potential volunteers is “What if I go on vacation

and have to miss a week or two or a meeting comes up at my scheduled

time?” Some of your time in the coming weeks is better than none of your

time. We need you!

To volunteer call: Pomona School, 2051 Pomona, Costa Mesa, Jill

McWhertor -- Literacy Leader at (949) 515-6980; Whittier School, 1800 N.

Whittier, Costa Mesa Sarah Markel -- HOSTS Program Director at (949)

515-6898; Wilson School, 801 Wilson, Costa Mesa, Pam Eastman -- Literacy

Leader at (949) 515-6995 or mentor at the new after-school Pomona

Learning Center sponsored by St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, (949)

646-0396.

WORTH REPEATING -- From Greg Kelley’s Thought for the Day -- “Great

spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

-- Albert Einstein

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

your community, make new friends, network, or 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.

MONDAY -- 7 p.m.: The Newport Harbor-Costa Mesa Lions Club will meet

at the Golden Dragon Restaurant.

TUESDAY -- 7:30 a.m.: The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club will meet

at Five Crowns Restaurant to hear Bill Mountford discuss developments at

the Sea Base. 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 meets at the

University Athletic Club, the Costa Mesa Orange Coast Breakfast Lions

Club will meet at Mimi’s Cafe. Noon: The Orange Coast Exchange Club will

meet at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. 6 p.m.: The Rotary Club of

Newport Balboa will meet at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club to hear a

report by Millard MacAdam, leader of the District 5320 Group Study

Exchange Team to Australia (o7 http//:www.newportbalboa.orgf7 ).

THURSDAY -- 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

meets at the Riverboat Restaurant for an update on the DARE program and

the Newport Irvine Rotary Club will meet at the Irvine Marriott to hear

Judge Gray discuss “Our Drug Laws have Failed” (o7

http//: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 o7 jdeboom@aol.comf7 or by mail to 2082 S.E. Bristol, Suite

201, Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.