Mark Your Calendars
May 22 – Orange Police Explorers -Members of the Orange Police Explorers will discuss the year’s activities and be honored for their work at the 14th annual Orange Plaza Car Show. 5:30 p.m., Grand Street Center.
May 29 – District Governor John Brainerd – Join us for a special presentation by Rotary District Governor John Brainerd, who will discuss his year as Governor, his recent trip to South America, and his hopes for the future of Rotary. Bring a guest! 5:30 p.m., Grand Street Center.
May 30th – “Family Food Force” – Shop for four local families and make deliveries of groceries and pantry supplies. A trip to the food bank may take place on May 29th, with teams delivering on the 30th. More details to be announced.
June 5 – ROP Recognition – 4 students and 4 instructors from the Central Orange County Regional Occupational Program will be honored for their outstanding work. 5:30 p.m., Grand Street Center.
June 12 – Relay for Life – American Cancer Society – Come hear about how you can participate in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Teams forming now! 5:30 p.m., Grand Street Center.
June 16 – Home Hospitality Night – The three Rotary Clubs of Orange, Orange North and Orange Sunrise will host a special joint event for attendees of the Rotary International Convention. 60 guests will visit Old Towne for historical walking tours, special presentations at the Orange Library and History Center and dinner at PJ’s Abbey! 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m., Old Towne Orange.
June 26 – Outdoor Education Center – Learn how this group promotes awareness of our environment and conservation of resources. 5:30 p.m., Grand Street Center.
June 28 – Demotion Dinner and Officers’ Installation – A celebration of the past year of achievement before new President Bryan Kerl takes the gavel and swears in new officers for 2008-2009. 5:00 p.m., Disneyland USA.
Orange Sunrise Rotary Refurbishes Local Woman’s Home
Orange Sunrise Rotary spent a day in the sun May 17th, repairing and repainting the motor home of a resident of the Santiago Estates motor home park in Orange. Working with Rebuilding Together Orange County, Rotarians arrived at 7:30 a.m. to begin trimming trees and shrubs and to remove and repair large sections of water damaged siding on the home.
In the photo, Orange Sunrise Rotarians Keith Oldoerp, Tracey Curtis and Bryan Kerl begin work on the Adele Street home.
Part of the Rotary team moved inside to repair the damaged flooring in the bathroom of the coach. Orange Sunrise Rotary President John Bouyer supervised the replacement of the wood subflooring and replacement of termite damaged support beams. After the repairs were complete, new vinyl flooring (donated by the John C. Bouyer Co.) was installed in the space.
Rotarians also repainted the entire exterior of the coach. The Orange Sunrise Rotary team was joined by members of the Rotary Club of Tustin-Santa Ana in the painting project.
Rebuilding Together is the nation’s largest volunteer home repair organization in the country. Across Orange County, Rebuilding Together is dramatically changing neighborhoods and lives by helping deserving homeowners live independently in comfort and safety. Rebuilding Together provides home repair and modification services to low-income homeowner-residents throughout Orange County. For more information, visit www.rebuildingtogetheroc.org.
El Modena Interact Reports an A+ Year
The board of directors of the El Modena Interact club joined us for our May 15th meeting, snacking on mini-burgers and hot dog bites before taking the podium to deliver their year-end report.
The club is very active on campus and in the community. Members participated in beach cleanup days, threw a holiday dinner at the Orange Senior Center, assisted in the Scouting for Food drive in November, walked the “CHOC walk” to benefit the children’s hospital, and held two successful book fairs on campus to benefit the Reading by 9 program. Interact will finish the year by participating in AIDS Walk Orange County in June.
Interact is Rotary International’s service organization for young people 14-18 years old. El Modena Interact is sponsored by the Orange Sunrise Rotary. The club meets every Wednesday during the school year. Orange Sunrise Rotary member and El Modena teacher Rebecca Martinez is the club advisor.
RYLA Revs Them Up!
Boojum!
Hundreds of high school students learned the meaning of that word and the term “Leadership” at the RYLA camp in Idyllwild, April 25-27. Orange Sunrise sponsored three juniors from El Modena High School for the weekend event. Boojum refers to the Boojum Institute, which provide experiential outdoor education to youth. At the RYLA event, Rotarian volunteers use Boojum techniques, such as challenge courses, ropes courses, teambuilding and leadership exercises to develop self-confidence in tomorrow’s leaders. RYLA is not limited to students who already have leadership skills, but reaches out to students that may be at-risk and who may benefit most from the experience.
El Modena junior Joey Talarico thanked the club for the opportunity when he visited our May 15th meeting. Joined by his mother Gina, Joey revealed that he was hesitant to go, not really knowing what to expect. But in a thank you letter to the club, Joey reported that his “leadership skills improved immensely” and that he made “lifelong friends”. He is looking forward to returning to RYLA next year as a senior alumni. Alumni are responsible for planning and running the camp for the incoming junior class.
For more information about the RYLA program, visit the District 5320 RYLA website, www.ryla5320.org
Rotary Foundation Thought
Rotarians around the world support Avoidable Blindness projects.
Realizing the urgency of the problem, Rotary clubs and districts around the world have developed Matching Grant projects designed to combat avoidable blindness and assist those suffering from vision loss. Thousands of cataract surgeries have been performed as a result of Matching Grants involving numerous countries including Mexico, South Africa, USA, Lebanon, India and Turkey. Rotary clubs in Uruguay and Argentina partnered to provide equipment for a library for the blind in Montevideo, Uruguay. And, as a result of a matching grant obtained by Rotary clubs in Nepal and the USA, funds were provided to offer vision screenings, glasses and corrective surgeries for children in Kathmandu, Nepal. Isn’t it nice to know that Rotarians are restoring eyesight to so many?
You can make your contribution to the Rotary Foundation online today! Just visit www.rotary.org.