Community & Clubs -- Jim de Boom

More than 300 Costa Mesa Girl Scouts will salute the community’s

“Hometown Heroes” today at the annual Costa Mesa Girl Scout camp-out at

the Orange County Fairgrounds. Girls from 6 to 18, from 40 Costa

Mesa-based troops, are attending the event, which will celebrate the

organizations that serve the Costa Mesa community. The camp-out began

Friday and runs through Sunday.

A flag-retiring ceremony was held Friday evening, celebrating

America’s most important symbol and starting a weekend of activities that

will not only honor the men and women who serve Costa Mesas but inform

the girls about the services they provide and ways they can be helped.

This morning’s events focus on the organizations that provide

essential services. Representatives of the Costa Mesa Police and Fire

departments, Mesa Consolidated Water District, Costa Mesa Sanitary

District and Southern California Edison will participate.

This afternoon, charities and service organizations will participate

in a service organization fair, where girls will learn about the

activities of these charities and the ways Girl Scouts can help them

achieve the organization’s goals. Girls will not only acquire

information, they will help the participating organizations directly.

Projects will include making hygiene kits for Serving People In Need,

“Buddy Bags” for the Red Cross and individual soup packages for Someone

Cares Soup Kitchen. Girls are bringing books to donate to the Orange

Coast Interfaith Shelter.

Participating service organizations include Someone Cares Soup

Kitchen, Share Our Selves, Friends in Service to Humanity, ReLeaf Costa

Mesa, Costa Mesa Laubach, American Red Cross, Mothers Against Drunk

Driving, SPIN, Youth Employment Service, Project Cuddle and the Costa

Mesa Literacy Council.

For more information, call Carol Hamilton, Costa Mesa Girl Scout Assn.

chairwoman, at (949) 646-8512 or Margaret Rutledge at (7140 646-5687.

PATRIOTIC EVENT:

Residents from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach are invited to join in a

special kickoff to Memorial Day weekend at 11 a.m. on Friday at the bell

tower at Newport Harbor High School. Students and adults will honor in a

special ceremony the 36 Harbor alumni who gave their lives in service to

their country. The invitation is extended by program coordinators Phil

D’Agostino, U.S. history teacher at Newport Harbor High School, and

George Grupe III, a retired military pilot, historian and patriot.

American Legion Post 291 will display a large American flag, the Costa

Mesa Fire Department Color and Honor Guard will present the colors, and a

21-gun salute will be part of the ceremonies. Last year, more than 200

adults and hundreds of students began their Memorial Day weekend with

their presence at this special ceremony. You are invited to join them

this Friday as well.

SPAGHETTI BINGO NIGHT:

The Costa Mesa Orange Coast Breakfast Lions Club will hold its Second

annual Spaghetti Dinner and Bingo Night on May 25 at the Costa Mesa

Woman’s Club. Proceeds from the event will be used to support the club’s

community activities. Club Vice President George Wines has sold 25

tickets by himself, and other members are selling tickets and passing out

fliers advertising the event. You may order your tickets from Wines by

calling (714) 434-1749.

CLUB NOTES:

Members of the Exchange Club of the Orange Coast passed the hat at a

recent meeting and raised more than $100 to buy diapers for the Adopt A

Social Worker program. Member Tom Keyes got the job to purchase and

deliver the diapers to the program’s center.

WORTH REPEATING:

From the “Thought for the Day” provided by Greg Kelley of the

Newport-Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “Your greatness is measured by

your kindness -- Your education and intellect by your modesty -- Your

ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices -- Your real

caliber is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for

others.”

-- William J. H. Boetcker

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK:

MONDAY

6 p.m. The Harbor Mesa Lions Club will meet at Zubies Restaurant.

TUESDAY:

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

Crowns to hear Lisa Murphy of the Orange County Sanitation District.

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

Mesa Country Club.

WEDNESDAY

7:15 a.m.: The 20-member South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet at

the Center Club (o7 www.southcoastmetrorotary.orgf7 ), and the Newport

Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the University Athletic Club.

Noon: The 35-member Exchange Club of the Orange Coast will meet at the

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by Santa Ana High School

students.

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

Corinthian Yacht Club for a presentation of the city of Newport Beach

Track Meet Awards.

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-plus-member Costa Mesa-Orange Coast Breakfast Lions

Club will meet at Mimi’s Cafe to plan for their May 25 Spaghetti Dinner

and Bingo Party to be held at the Costa Mesa Women’s Club.

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club will meet at the Holiday

Inn (o7 www.kiwanis.org/club/costamesaf7 ), the Newport Beach-Corona

del Mar Kiwanis Club will meet at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, the

80-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will meet at the Newport Harbor

Nautical Museum for the presentation of the Youth of the Year awards by

Gary Eckles, and the 100-member Newport-Irvine Rotary Club will meet at

the Irvine Marriott Hotel to hear Eric Winternute discuss “the chemical

world” (o7 www.nirotary.orgf7 ).

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays 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 St., Suite

201, Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.