Service projects abound

TONY DODERO

My mom and dad asked me awhile back why my generation doesn’t get

involved in service or social clubs.

It’s puzzling to them, because their generation -- they grew up in

the 1950s -- were so active in them.

I didn’t really have a good answer for them then, nor do I now,

and after talking with Roger McGonegal this week, I realize that

there really is no good excuse.

McGonegal is a past president of the Newport-Balboa Rotary Club,

and I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple years, especially

with the Rotary’s involvement in Reading by 9 and getting books to

some of the less affluent schools on the Westside of Costa Mesa.

Recently, he mentioned to me that the parent organization, Rotary

International, was celebrating its 100th birthday.

The exact date of its founding was Feb. 23, 1905 in Chicago and

is, according to Roger’s literature, “the world’s first and one of

the largest nonprofit service organizations.”

Here are some of the things that Rotary has accomplished in its

100 years:

“Rotary in 1985 launched Polio Plus and spearheaded efforts with

the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, and UNICEF to immunize the children of the world against

polio; and polio cases have dropped by 99% since 1988, and the world

stands on the threshold of eradicating the disease; and Rotary is the

world’s largest privately funded source of international scholarships

and promotes international understanding through scholarships,

exchange programs, and humanitarian grants.”

Locally, the Newport-Balboa Rotary Club has been around for 65

years, and McGonegal even shared that the president of the club back

in 1947 was one Judge Robert Gardner.

In those 65 years, the local Rotary Club has, among other things,

given kids seedlings on Arbor Day to help them learn about

environmental matters; has sponsored along with the city an annual

All-City Youth Track and Field Meet; has helped in the establishment

of the city’s Sister City program with Okazaki and Aichi, Japan; and

has given 25,000 books to the aforementioned kids on the Westside.

When I asked McGonegal what the Rotary Club means to him, he told

me of a recent bus trip he and his wife and other Rotarians took to

the town of Caborca in the state of Sonora, Mexico.

They traveled by bus for 12 hours then slogged through the unpaved

streets of the town to hand out polio vaccine to some 400 children.

“That’s a side of Rotary that stays with you forever -- being able

to see that you are helping people to be better physically or keep

them from becoming incapacitated,” McGonegal said. “We try to make a

difference in many ways and many places. As you are doing that, there

are instances when a switch is turned on. Rather than being a member

of a Rotary club, you become a Rotarian.”

McGonegal, who has been in Rotary since 1977 and part of the local

chapter for 10 years, says there are about 50 clubs in Orange County

alone, and each of them takes on about 10 unique projects a year.

“That’s 400 to 500 projects,” he said.

Along with the Newport-Balboa Rotary there are two local spinoffs,

the Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary and the Newport-Irvine Rotary.

McGonegal said the Costa Mesa Rotary recently became defunct, and

he and others are trying to get that restarted.

Those interested in Rotary should contact McGonegal by phone at

(949) 721-8511 or by e-mail at rmcgonegal@msn.com.

*

Some of you may remember the good folks of Operation Gratitude,

led by Joy Wynkoop, Laura Dietz and Elizabeth Hau, who spearheaded

the charge to get toys and gifts for the families of Marines deployed

to Iraq over the holidays.

Well here’s an update from Dietz:

“Operation Gratitude wants to thank so many members of the Daily

Pilot readership for the response to our food and toy drive in

December,” she wrote. “Hundreds of toys and food items were received

at the 17th Street office and made their way to Camp Pendleton and

Twentynine Palms. We raised some $6,000 in cash donations of which we

are aware. (The Armed Services YMCA is currently tabulating donations

from Newport Beach.)

“The response from recipients of gifts has ranged from ‘disbelief

that anyone outside their immediate families would care’ to a

longtime Marine mother of five who broke down in tears when she saw

the bags of gifts. Two injured Marines I met at Camp Pendleton were

so appreciative of all the donations. After all, they were just doing

their jobs.”

Dietz and the Operation Gratitude folks are trying to get other

cities involved in the efforts, and indeed they have one big event

planned this weekend.

Watch for Sunday’s Daily Pilot to see what they have in store for

yet another family at Camp Pendleton.

To get involved with Operation Gratitude just e-mail them at

operationgratitude @adelphial.net.

*

While on the subject of birthdays and gratitude I have to take

just one second to wish a special sixth birthday to my oldest

daughter, Danielle. I’m forever grateful for how she’s changed my

life.

* TONY DODERO is the editor. He may be reached at (714) 966-4608

or by e-mail at tony.dodero @latimes.com.