Volunteers

* Helping hands

WESTMINSTER

Real Estate Firm Gives to 2 Causes

Who: CenterStone Co., a real estate firm.

Contribution: The company recently donated $4,000 to the Westminster Police Department’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program and $1,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Westminster. The City Council honored company executives Hal Woods, Ernie Castro and Kirk Evans for their contributions to the community.

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HUNTINGTON BEACH

YMCA Benefits From Charitable Gift

Who: West Orange County YMCA.

Contribution: Sam Garza, president of the Friends and Neighbors of Seacliff Inc. (FANS), recently presented a $1,000 award to the YMCA. Tyler Wright, head of the West Orange County YMCA, said the donation will be used for teen programs. FANS is a community organization of more than 500 people who live in the Seacliff neighborhood of Huntington Beach.

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VILLA PARK

Swimmers Raise Money for Children

Who: High school students who participated in the recent Orange County Swim for Kids benefit.

Contribution: The more than 200 students who swam laps at the Villa Park High School pool raised more than $15,000 for the Orangewood Children’s Home and the Orangewood Children’s Foundation. The home and foundation aid nearly 3,000 abused and neglected children each year.

Event director Chad Barker, a 1989 Villa Park High graduate, said the swim-a-thon also encouraged the students’ community involvement.

High schools represented at the event were: Canyon, Capistrano Valley, Connelly, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, El Modena, El Toro, Estancia, Foothill, Irvine, Newport Harbor, Santa Margarita, Tustin, University, Villa Park, Western and Woodbridge.

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* Volunteers needed:

* The Fran Joswick Therapeutic Riding Center needs volunteers to groom horses. The center, which serves disabled children and adults, needs instructor assistants to work as spotters and stirrup adjusters. The center also is seeking people to do office work or be greeters at events and fund-raisers. Information, call (714) 240-8441.

* The City of Irvine Senior Services Department is seeking volunteers for the Irvine Adult Day Health Center. People are needed for office work as well as for marketing and public relations projects. Assistants are also needed to serve breakfast and lunch, to help with arts and crafts activities, speech therapy, music programs and table games. Information: (714) 724-6950.

--COMPILED BY DEBRA CANO, WITH BERT ELJERA, BILL BILLITER, RUSS LOAR AND JEFF BEAN