SOY director sings hello

Deirdre Newman

When Trevor Murphy was in the Peace Corps in Tanzania, he had a side

gig leading tours up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

His gig Friday night -- playing the guitar and singing on stage at

Rea Elementary School -- was just as nerve-wracking, he said.

Murphy is the new director of Save Our Youth, an after-school

program that offers recreational, social, academic and health and

fitness activities for youth ages 11 to 17.

The open house and talent showcase on Friday was designed to

introduce him to the community and give SOY members a chance to show

off their performing arts and music skills. Murphy, who sang a

variation of “Me and Julio Down by the School Yard” and “The Boxer,”

said he was thrilled to see SOY members display their talents.

“It’s very rewarding -- just giving them space and encouragement,”

Murphy said. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for them.”

Murphy replaced Oscar Santoyo, the only director SOY has had since

it started 10 years ago, at the end of August.

Murphy went to UC Berkeley for college and Georgetown for graduate

school. He taught economics in the Peace Corps and has been a

political risk analyst for overseas corporations, among other jobs.

He is fluent in Swahili and knows some Spanish, as well.

“All this put together makes him highly qualified to work with the

youth of our community,” said Ken Killian, principal of Rea

Elementary School and the vice-chairman of the SOY board.

Cal State Fullerton students who volunteer at SOY suggested the

open house and talent show as an entertaining way to introduce

Murphy. This is the first event of this magnitude, student Cari Flood

said. The students also solicited donations from nearby businesses

for raffle prizes and for the refreshments after the show.

The talent show included a skit, dancing and musical performances.

The finale was a performance by “Click Tha Supah Latin,” a

professional human beat box who has appeared in movies such as “8

Miles.”

Lucia Martin, 16, said putting on a talent show was challenging,

yet rewarding. She praised Murphy for his dedication to SOY.

“He’s always here for us,” Lucia said. “He’s our motivation to

come.”

Jean Forbath, the founder of Share Our Selves, said she was

impressed with Murphy’s connection with the kids.

“He seems to have been accepted by the kids and loves them,”

Forbath said. “He has a great enthusiasm, and I hope the community

will get to know him as they did Santoyo.”

The open house also featured the dedication of one of SOY’s rooms

as the Nora Maher room. Maher, who was killed in a car crash in July,

was the co-founder of SOY and a tireless volunteer, her husband, Don,

said.

“She would come here and just sit, and the kids would come and

pour out their problems, and she would give them guidance,” Don said.

When Nora realized that some of the mothers of the SOY youth were

having problems as well, she helped form Madres Costa Mesa, a support

group for them.

After the show, SOY members and their families dined on tamales

and tomatillo salsa from Taco Mesa. Ivan Calderon, the CEO and

founder of the chain, has been supporting SOY since it started.

“This is close to my heart,” Calderon said. “Whenever I can, I

support it.”