Newport Irvine Rotary is in the running again

JIM DE BOOM

The first starter’s gun for the 24th running of the Woodbridge Cross

Country Invitational will fire at 7:40 a.m. on Sept. 18 with a second series of races commencing at 4:30 p.m.

The meet, sponsored by the Newport Irvine Rotary Club, will

attract 6,000 star athletes from 180 high schools in California,

Arizona, Nevada and Washington to Irvine’s Woodbridge High School for

a series of three-mile races. Eight of the top 10 teams in California

will participate. Former runners from this meet include Olympic men’s

marathon silver-medalist Meb Keflezighi and women’s marathon

bronze-medalist Deena Kastor.

“This meet is the second largest high school cross-country meet on

the West Coast and the third largest in the nation,” Woodbridge coach

and meet director George Varvas said.

The Newport Irvine Rotary Club has been the principal sponsor of

this meet for 20 years, providing volunteer officials to run the

races, plus payment of major meet expenses. Dave Sykora, Rotary

coordinator, said the club is also administering a program for the

180 high schools to sell an estimated 10,000 $5 tickets in a raffle

to win a free week in Hawaii.

“A continuing feature this year will be several $1,000 community

college scholarships, sponsored by the Newport Irvine Rotary Club for

selected track team members, based on academic potential and

financial need,” Sykora said. “Additionally, the Woodbridge School

will receive approximately half of the net proceeds of the tickets.”

HARBOR MESA LIONS SHOEBOX SCHOOL SUPPLIES

The Harbor Mesa Lions will be handing out decorated shoeboxes,

filled with school supplies, to first-graders at Whittier School in

Costa Mesa for the fifth consecutive year. Members collect and cover

the shoeboxes before filling them with all the tools that

first-graders need to begin the school year, such as pencils,

erasers, sharpeners, rulers, scissors, etc.

President Sandi Scheafer, project chairs Eunice Thomason and Gina

Stansbury and club members will be handing out the 150 boxes on Sept.

9. This project is supported by various fundraising activities

throughout the year and by individual members of the club.

Due to the holiday, Harbor Mesa Lions will meet Sept. 7 at the

Costa Mesa Country Club at 6:30 p.m. The featured speaker will be

Debra Levy of the Ronald McDonald House.

SPEAK UP FOR THEATER ARTS

Speak Up Newport’s September program will be held on Wednesday

with Rae Cohen presenting an update on the Newport Theater Arts

Center. The 6 p.m. program will be held at the Newport Beach Yacht

Club (corner of Jamboree and Bayside -- formerly the Shark Island

Yacht Club) and is preceded by a reception at 5 p.m. with appetizers

and a cash bar.

Speak Up Newport is a nonprofit mutual benefit organization

providing a forum for the issues facing Newport Beach and to give

public recognition to individuals, volunteer organizations and public

officials who have given their time and effort to make a positive

contribution to the betterment of the Newport Beach community. There

is no charge for the monthly programs. Voluntary annual membership in

Speak Up Newport is $20 per membership. For more information, call

Dave Goff at (714) 235-5315.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SERVICE CLUBS

Daily Pilot staffer Ned Bondie joined the Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club.

WORTH REPEATING

From the Thought for Today, provided by Greg Kelley of the Newport

Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “Striving for excellence motivates

you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.”

-- HARRIET BRAIKER

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS

THIS WEEK

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The 47-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets

at Five Crowns Restaurant. (https://www.newportbeach

sunriserotary.org)

6 p.m.: The Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club meets at the

Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club.

6:30 p.m.: The Harbor Mesa Lions Club meets at the Costa Mesa

Country Club for a program by Debra Levy from the Ronald McDonald

House.

WEDNESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet at the

Holiday Inn and the Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the

University Athletic Club.

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

Corinthian Yacht Club to hear Eldon Ferguson discuss the Canadian

political structure and what its recent elections mean to the U.S.

6 p.m.: The 50-member Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa will meet at

the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club and will host members of the Newport

Beach Fire Department for dinner. (https://www.newportbalboa.org)

THURSDAY

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

Club will meet at Mimi’s Cafe. (https://www.cmoclions.org)

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

Holiday Inn for a program on the Nautical Museum.

(https://www.kiwanis.org/club/

costamesa); The 50-member Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis

Club meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a special guest-day

program, featuring past district governor Bob Erikson; The 85-member

Exchange Club of Newport Harbor meets at the Nautical Museum for a

program by Arya Rohani on “Technology for Network Centric Warfare”

(https://www.nhexchangeclub

.com); The Rotary Club of Newport Irvine will meet at the Radisson

Hotel for District Gov. Grant Engle’s official visit.

(https://www.nirotary.org)

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays in the Daily Pilot.

Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (714) 921-8655

or by e-mail to jdeboom@aol.com.