Costa Mesa Kiwanis takes care of business

JIM DE BOOM

Invited by past President Greg Dennis, I joined Dave Brooks, the

president of Costa Mesa United, as a guest at the Thursday luncheon

meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Costa Mesa at the Holiday Inn. Boy,

does that club have fun and do good work!

It was Fran Ursini’s last meeting as club president, and what a

way to go out of office. They presented Brooks with a donation of

$5,000, the amount raised from the recent charity golf tournament,

for the fund drive to build a 2,500-seat stadium at Estancia High

School and a 50-meter pool at Costa Mesa High School. Brooks reported

that they have $2.6 million toward their goal of $7.2 million, and

they hope to be breaking ground around this time next year.

Dennis then presented a check to the Newport Mesa Irvine

Interfaith Council to support its good work in the community. Both

Costa Mesa United and the Interfaith Council expressed appreciation

for the support.

Ursini reminded the club members of the pancake breakfast they are

sponsoring today at Costa Mesa High School to raise funds for AYSO.

It is the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Tonight, Costa Mesa

members will join with the Irvine Kiwanis Club for an evening of

Broadway at Orange Coast College. Sunday, 17 members are volunteering

for the Book Festival being held at Orange Coast College. They are

involved in hands-on community service!

One heartwarming part of the club’s meeting is its happy fine

process, when every club member stands and gives a minimum of a

dollar for a happy fine (and sometimes sad fines) and tells what they

are happy (or sad) about. Thursday, it was the first place Angels,

the USC football team’s success, outgoing president Ursini and club

members who volunteered to help on a project, to name a few. Some

folks, like former Costa Mesa mayor Ed McFarland, give more dollars

when they are going on vacation for three weeks. Fining time produces

a lot of laughs.

CASINO NIGHT RAISES MONEY FOR COMMUNITY

The Harbor Mesa Lions Club’s annual casino night, “Viva Las

Vegas,” will be held on Oct. 29 at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood

Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa. Dinner, blackjack,

slots, craps, roulette, a silent auction and a DJ with dancing will

be featured at this fundraiser.

The event will start at 7 p.m. and will cost $30 per person, which

includes $100 in gambling scrip. Proceeds will be donated to local

charities and the Lion’s Sight and Hearing Foundation. The public is

invited and encouraged to attend. For further information or tickets,

call Chairpersons Joan Parks at (949) 548-2440 or Marianne Segalla at

(714) 641-0664.

EASY CHAIR VIEW OF THE UNIVERSE

The Computer Friends of Oasis will meet Oct. 13 at the Oasis

Senior Center (Marguerite and 5th in Corona del Mar) for its monthly

computer club program. Arnie Rosner of Rent-a-Scope loves the stars

but discovered they are considerably dimmer above the Southern

California skies. As an astrophotographer, he located telescopes to

the dark skies of southern Arizona. “Now, using satellite Internet

connection and some special software, Rent-a Scope was born,” Rosner

said.

Not only could he operate the instruments from the comfort of a

desk at his California home, he was able to offer the service to

others.

The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. with Rosner’s presentation at

1:15. Come early to get your “easy chair.” After the view of the

universe above, attendees will have a social period. No matter what

your skill level, everyone is welcome -- from beginners to experts.

There is a $3 charge for nonmembers. For more information, visit the

website at https://vivianboulos.tripod.com.

WORTH REPEATING

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

Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “There are three things that can turn

ordinary people into giants. They are curiosity, wisdom and

humility.”

-- ARNOLD WESTCOTT

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 service club meetings this coming week and websites. Get

involved. Give back to your community!

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

MONDAY

6:30 p.m.: Harbor Mesa Lions will meet at the Costa Mesa Country

Club, and the speaker will be Hank Hornsveld of the Costa Mesa

Newport Harbor Lions Club

TUESDAY

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

meet at Five Crowns Restaurant for District Governor Grant Engle’s

official visit. (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 business meeting.

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

the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by Glenn Zagoren of the

Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. (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. (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 meets at the Nautical

Museum for a business meeting (www.nhexchangeclub.com). The Rotary

Club of Newport Irvine meets at the Radisson Hotel to hear Tom

Mitchell, Vice Chancellor of UCI. (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].