‘Hands On’ volunteers serve service

Deirdre Newman

Derek Fisher brought his Boy Scout troop to a community service day

inside a gym at a local church Saturday, but he didn’t expect they’d

end up sewing.

Fisher and his troop found themselves at a table, laden with cloth

pieces decorated with bunnies and colorful patterns, trying to thread

needles to make dolls for premature babies and their mothers.

“[My wife] knows I’m pretty handy, but I think she would be

impressed,” Fisher said, as he licked a piece of thread to help it go

through the needle. “I’ve done a little bit of stitching, but this is

driving me nuts.”

The determination of Boy Scout Troop 746 of Newport Beach

illustrated the length service day volunteers went to in order to

help others. The fourth annual Hearts & Hands “Hands On” Community

Service Day at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

attracted about 700 participants, said Jaimie Day, the vice president

of community service for the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council,

which sponsored the event. It was set up so members of about 30

community and faith-based organizations -- including Sikhs, Bahais

and Jews -- could interact with each other while donating time to

help a range of people.

Naziha Wareh, a Muslim volunteer, who has participated in the

event every year, said she was inspired by the event’s diversity.

“It feels so good to work side by side with people of other

faiths,” Wareh said. “Sitting at the same table and talking really

builds bridges for us.”

The service day filled almost every nook and cranny of the gym of

the church, where Day directed volunteers to the event’s activities.

“Go find a project” became Day’s mantra.

The activities included work on projects outside the building,

including “Operation: A Bit of Home,” to support troops in Iraq.

Junior ROTC members from Orange High School collected and boxed up

sporting equipment, games, art supplies and snacks to be sent to

troops recovering at a rest-and-relaxation base in Baghdad. When U.S.

troops took it over, the cupboards and shelves were bare, and a

sports field constructed by the troops was bombed as soon as it was

finished.

“[This project] has given a patriotic feel to this event,” Day

said. “We love seeing the cadets and what they represent: hope for

the next generation.”

One of those cadets, 15-year-old Jeanette Cortez, was doing her

part, painting heart key chains that would be distributed through the

church’s humanitarian-services arm. Attached to the key chains were

counseling and referral information for women with unplanned

pregnancies.

Day anticipated that next year the service day will expand across

the street to a Lutheran Church and include any other churches that

want to join in.