COMMUNITY AND CLUBS:

The 11th Annual Interfaith Celebration of Thanksgiving sponsored by the Newport-Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council will be held from 7 to 8:15 p.m. today at Newport Harbor Lutheran Church, 798 Dover Drive, Newport Beach.

“The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Celebrating our Diversity and Shared Values at America’s Table,’” according to Rev. Julie Elkins, the event’s chairwoman.

Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church Choir, Bahai Children Choir and Newport Harbor Lutheran Choir will participate.

Readings and prayers will be led by Rabbi Marc Dworkin, American Jewish Committee; Rev. Julie Elkins, First United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa; Rev. John Embree, Newport Harbor Lutheran Church; Mr. Greg Kelley, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church; Dr. Armand Mauss, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Irvine Stake; Mrs. Susan Munsell, Family Federation for World Peace and Imam Moustafa Qazwini, Islamic Education Center of Orange County.

Admission: one can of food per person to be distributed through the Share Our Selves organization. For more information visit www.nmiinerfaith.org.

  SERVICE CLUBS BUSY

Laura Dietz, president of the Rotary Club of Newport Beach Sunrise, presented Sedona Reynolds from the Friends of the San Onofre Marines with a check for $1,750. On Monday, the group will give out Thanksgiving dinners, and at the Christmas party they will hand out gift cards to children.

At the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa, community service chairman Bill Hossfield reported that members have contributed more than $5,000 to aid the families of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines at Camp Pendleton. At the same time, Rotarian Linda Klevatt is leading a drive of club members to donate turkeys to Share Our Selves for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. Last year the club donated 185 pounds of turkeys, according to Klevatt.

  THANKSGIVING IN MINNESOTA

My wife Barbara reminds me this will be my 36th year (of 37 years of marriage) of celebrating Thanksgiving in Minnesota with my brother LeRoy. Barbara will host family and friends for Thanksgiving in Rancho Mirage while LeRoy and I will eat our Thanksgiving dinner — thanks to Boston Market, which is open Thanksgiving Day — at his room at the Benedictine Health Center of Minneapolis. No matter where we are, we wish all a Happy Thanksgiving.

WORTH REPEATING

The Thought for the Day as provided by Greg Kelley of the Newport-Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.”

— David Norris

COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Sundays in the Daily Pilot. Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (714) 921-8655 or by e-mail to [email protected].