Teaching lifelong lessons in the schools

JIM DE BOOM

Close to 300 people, including retired state Sen. Marian Bergeson,

Costa Mesa Chamber Chief Executive Officer Ed Fawcett, David

Blankenhorn of Sun Country Bank, Newport Mesa Unified School District

board member Serene Stokes and her husband Sid, Victoria Gray of

Northern Trust Bank, Carol Heywood of the South Coast Alliance and

new Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America Executive

Director Les Baron attended the third annual State of Education

presentation by county Supt. of Schools William Habermehl for the

benefit of Learning for Life, held at the Westin South Coast Plaza

Hotel last week.

Radio, TV and movie personality, and Newport Beach resident, Mike

Villani served as the emcee for the event, which was sponsored by the

Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union and Conexant, to name a

couple. Dave Waller of National University and Mike Darnold, a

Capistrano Unified School District school board member, served as

event co-chairs.

Twelve elementary students were recognized for their positive

“character traits” by Ken Pratt, the character education chairman of

Learning for Life. Pratt also honored James Fleming, the Capistrano

Unified School District superintendent, and Jerry Gross,

superintendent of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, for

their districts’ participation in character education classes.

Celeste Signorio of Conexant presented the awards for both the

students and superintendents.

Habermehl presented an informative update on the successes and

challenges of educating some 515,000 students in public schools in

Orange County, where some $4.2 billion is spent annually on

education.

Learning for Life provides character education programs at 38

elementary schools in Orange County, serving some 15,000 students a

week, including four schools in Newport-Mesa. For more information on

Learning for Life, contact Debbie Clinton at (714) 546-8558, ext 182.

‘FORGOTTEN’ RECORD BREAKER

“This year’s event was an all-time record breaker, raising over

$60,000 to support our charitable giving,” said Deane Bottorf of the

Exchange Club of Newport Harbor, speaking of the preview showing of

“The Forgotten” on Sept. 23 at the Edwards Lido Theater.

Event chairman Bill DeMeulle thanked committee members Bob Washer,

Bob Kinton, Craig Boardman, John Kruse, Steve Pool, Tom North, Robert

Burns, Bill Barrington and Dick Freeman for their good work.

“We had more restaurants than ever before and over 500 attendees

expressed their enjoyment in a buzz of enthusiasm,” Bottorf said.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SERVICE CLUBS

Two new members have joined the Harbor Mesa Lions: Susan Seager,

sponsored by Marian Perrin, and Joan Finnegan, sponsored by Arlene

Schafer. District Gov. Barbara Hayward presided over the induction

ceremonies.

WORTH REPEATING

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

Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “The only thing a heated argument

ever produced is coolness.”

-- an American proverb

Want to get more involved in your community? Visit a service club

this coming week. Most will buy your first guest meal and all will

welcome your interest in learning more about their club. Listed below

are the service club meetings this coming week and websites. Get

involved. Give back to your community!

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

TUESDAY

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

meet at the Five Crowns Restaurant to hear a craft talk by Richard

Shinn and discussion of Proposition L by Tom Billings.

(https://www.newportbeach

sunriserotary.org)

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

Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club.

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 for a program by Mehdi Rohani on terrorism.

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

the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by Dr. Michael

Gonzales, who will talk on health, fitness and your well-being.

(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 to hear club member Richard Baughman

speaking on “The Plains Indians from the 1700s to the 1900s.”

(https://www.cmoclions.org)

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

Holiday Inn for a program on the master plan for Orange Coast

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

club/costamesa); the 50-member Newport Beach-Corona del Mar

Kiwanis Club will meet at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club; the

85-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will meet at the Nautical

Museum to hear Steve Maciel of the Ocean Institute

(https://www.nhexchange

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

Radisson Hotel to hear Bill Habermehl, Superintendent of Orange

County Schools. (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 [email protected].