Its business is the community

While many companies are retreating in this tough economy, one

company is reaching out and getting involved in the communities its

serves as a business strategy.

Formed in July 2002 by former partners of Arthur Anderson Private

Client Services, Wealth and Tax Advisory Services Inc. is a member of

the HSBC Private Client Services Group, said Katherine Szem, managing

director of the Newport Beach office, which opened Dec. 7.

“We opened our Newport Beach office with 18 employees, now have 21

employees, and we are working with the employees to identify

organizations they want to participate in,” Szem said. “Our attitude

is, we are part of the community we serve and we need to be

involved,” she added.

With Szem’s encouragement, manager H. Lan Nguyen joined the Rotary

Club of Newport-Balboa, a dinner club, while manager Christina

Holliday joined the Rotary Club of Newport Beach Sunrise, a breakfast

club. Szem had been a member of the Rotary Club of Honolulu, a

luncheon club, before she moved to Southern California in 2000 and

found it a good way to meet people and become involved in community

service.

“I found Rotary to be a good way to meet people of different

backgrounds and to meet people involved in community service,” said

Nguyen, who has an elementary school teacher husband and two

daughters

“The company helps me with the dues, but it’s my time I am

investing,” she added.

Szem is involved with the Orange County Museum of Art, and other

employees are involved in Olive Crest.

“HSBC has two major donation programs, one that supports education

and the other that supports the environment, and they will match

employee giving,” Szem said.

MORE THAN COOKIES

The Girl Scouts of Costa Mesa gratefully received a donation of

$100 from the Costa Mesa Sanitary District. The money came from the

district’s sale of some Model A car tires that had been brought in to

the district’s tire recycling event. The funds will be used to

support communitywide scouting activities, such as the annual

community camping event.

The Costa Mesa Girl Scouts serve more than 400 girls in the

community. On hand to accept the donation were Costa Mesa Girl Scout

Assn. Chair Carol Hamilton, Junior Girl Scout Troop 1148, Margaret

Rutledge, troop leader, and scouts Marion Rutledge, Cara Holmes,

Jazzmyne Cry, Jasmine and Nassim Kavazade, Beth Llamas and Shanice

Douglas. For more information on Girl Scouts, call Hamilton at (949)

646-5687.

STILL TIME TO VOLUNTEER

The Toshiba Senior Classic, Orange County’s only official PGA

Tour-sanctioned event, is run by a crew of more than 800 volunteers.

“We can always use a few extra hands at the Toshiba Senior

Classic,” tournament co-chairman Jake Rohrer said. Volunteers are

asked to work at least two days. There is a $72 fee to offset the

cost of the volunteer package, which includes one golf shirt, one

jacket and one hat, all with Toshiba Senior Classic logos; preferred

parking during shifts; meals; a grounds badge; tickets for guests; an

invitation to the volunteer appreciation party; and a subscription to

the tournament’s newsletter, Classic Chatter.

The ninth annual Toshiba Senior Classic is March 17 to 23 at

Newport Beach Country Club. Eighty-one professional players from the

PGA’s Champions Tour attend the $1.55-million event. The event is

operated by Hoag Hospital Foundation, which also serves as the

tournament’s lead beneficiary. Tickets start at $15. For information,

call (949) 660-1001 or visit ToshibaSeniorClassic.com.

REMEMBERING RON GEORGE

Members of the Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis Club are

mourning the death of longtime member Ron George. A memorial service

will be held at 11 a.m. March 15 at the Corona del Mar Community

Church Congregation. The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers,

contributions be made to the Club Foundation, P.O. Box 294, Corona

del Mar, CA 92625. My condolences to his widow, Barbara, and his

family and friends.

WORTH REPEATING:

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

Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council:

“The darkest moments of our lives are not to be buried and

forgotten. Rather, they are a memory to be called upon for

inspiration to remind us of the unrelenting human spirit and our

capacity to overcome the intolerable.”

-- Lance Armstrong

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS

MONDAY

6:30 p.m.: Harbor Mesa Lions will meet at the Costa Mesa Country

Club. A “Spring Basket” demonstration will be given by Lions member

Karen Lamas.

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The 40-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club will

meet at Five Crowns for a program by Lt. Greg Russell on Newport

Harbor activities.

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

Skosh Monahan’s for a dinner meeting.

WEDNESDAY

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

at the Center Club (www.southcoastmetro rotary.org); and the Newport

Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the University Athletic Club.

Noon: The 40-member Exchange Club of the Orange Coast will meet at

the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a business meeting.

6 p.m.: The 60-member Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa meets at the

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a craft talk by Dan Hoffmann.

THURSDAY

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

Club meets at Mimi’s.

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

Holiday Inn; the 50-member Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis Club

will meet at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by Los

Angeles Times columnist Dana Parsons. (www.kiwanis.org/club/

costamesa); the 80-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will meet

at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum for a business meeting; and the

100-member Newport-Irvine Rotary Club will meet at the Atrium Hotel.

(www.nirotary.org).

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

Suite 201, Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.