COMMUNITY & CLUBS:

On May 30, the Newport Harbor Exchange Club, led by President Bob Jessen and Young Citizenship Chairman Bob Wood, accompanied by Wally Ziglar and Charlie Anderson, presented Websters’ Collegiate Dictionaries to fourth- and fifth-graders at Victoria Elementary School.

Principal Judy Laakso introduced the team, which recognized fourth-grade winner Allison Rasmussen and fifth-grade winner Nathan Appelgate. The dictionaries today include a compact disk for computer use.

Each student had prepared an essay on what citizenship means to them. Also recognized were runners-up Isabel Bishop, Matthew Johnson, Gerson Salgado-Mendoza and Ally Simpson.

On June 3, fifth- and sixth-graders at Andersen Elementary School presented their science fair projects for judging by seven members of the Newport Harbor Exchange Club.

Jessen and Wood led the team of Bill Barrington, Bob Washer, Anderson, Marcel Pahmer, Bob Klein and Dick Freeman.

Principal Mary Manos and her science staff (Trisha Jenson and Susan Shaw) welcomed the judges at this annual event, which resulted in a personal interview with each of about 75 students describing their science project displays.

Typical questions being studied included: Does the type of flour used affect the taste preference of cookie?

Does the music played while shooting a basketball affect how many shots you can make? Does gender affect the way you learn? Does exercise affect a dog’s temperature?

Kiwanians Wayne Crawford and Carl Langston also assisted in this annual event.

Science fairs are increasingly thought to be an extremely effective technique for teaching the scientific method at a young age.

The Exchange Club emphasizes the prevention of child abuse, citizenship, youth projects and Americanism in the Newport-Mesa area.

LIONS UPDATE THEIR WEBSITE

Mike Scheafer, president of the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club, sent an e-mail saying to take a look at the club’s updated website at www.cmnhlions.com.

I did and found it to be one of the best among the area’s service clubs.

It turns out Mike’s son, Matt, has become the webmaster for the Lions Club and the newest club member.

Now, states Mike, the club is looking for photos of previous Fish Frys for posting on the website. They can be e-mailed to Matt at matt@alterimpact.com.

ROTARIANS SET GUINNESS BOOK RECORD

At the invitation of the Southern California and Southern Nevada Rotary clubs hosting the June 15-18 convention in Los Angeles, many of the nearly 20,000 registrants from more than 140 countries brought children’s books representing their home cultures and languages for the Wide World of Books project.

This international book drive, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times’ Reading By 9 program, gathered 242,624 books to be donated to public school students in kindergarten through third grade throughout the region, where studies show too many children read below grade level.

An adjudicator from Guinness World Records was present to certify that the project was the largest book drive ever completed in one week.

Even Rotary members unable to make the trip to Los Angeles were involved, either by shipping books directly to the convention or by contributing through a “virtual book drive.”

During the convention, a symbolic “mountain of books” welcomed convention registrants and members of the public in the atrium of the Los Angeles Convention Center, where Rotary members read to local schoolchildren.

WORTH REPEATING

Thought for the Day as provided by Greg Kelley of the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council…“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

— Maria Robinson

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

How are you giving back to your community?

Help your community and the world through a service club!

For many, service club membership is an extension of our religious beliefs and congregation affiliation.

You are invited to attend a service club meeting this coming week to learn more about opportunities for service.

Most clubs will buy your first meal for you as you get acquainted with them.

TODAY

7:30 a.m.: The 10-member Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club meets at Denny’s at the corner of Red Hill Avenue and Bristol Street.

Noon: The 20-member Orange Coast Exchange Club meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by the Orange County Sheriffs Department.

6 p.m.: The 60-member Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club to hear from the Okazaki Youth Exchange participants. For more information, visit www.newportbalboa.org.

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-member Costa Mesa Orange Coast Lions Club meets at Mimi’s Café.

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club meets at the Holiday Inn, Costa Mesa ( www.kiwanis.org/club/costamesa); the 45-member Kiwanis Club of Newport Beach-Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club ( www.newportbeachkiwanis.org); the 85-member Rotary Club of Newport Irvine meets at the University Club at UCI ( www.nirotary.org); the 95-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for the presentation of the Book of Golden Deeds by Garry Tewinkle (members.cox.net/nh exchangeclub/index.htm).

TUESDAY

6:30 a.m. The 47-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at the Santa Ana Country Club for the annual demotion party.

For more information, visit www.newportbeachsunrise rotary.org.

Noon: The 20-member Rotary Club of Costa Mesa meets at the Costa Mesa Marriott Suites.

COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Wednesdays. Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (714) 921-8655 or by e-mail to jdeboom@aol.com.