Category Archives: Service Activities

Youth Services Night – Part Two!

A week after the interesting presentation by our city’s Police and Fire Explorers, we welcomed four students from El Modena High School who participated this year in our Rotary-sponsored youth programs.

El Modena Interact President Sabrina Tsai, filled us in on the activities of our busy on-campus club. Interactors volunteered often at the Discovery Center in Santa Ana, assisting with special fun and educational events for children. The club has also participated in the “Scouting for Food” drive and members even attended the Rotary International Presidential Peace Conference in January.

Sabrina was joined by Marci Sanchez and Karina Zapoteco, who are juniors at El Mo. Marci and Karina will continue as board members of Interact next year.

We also heard from Bryam Fabela and Anthony Ortiz, students in the Collaborative Technology Program. They shared their experiences as participants in “Mentor Meals”, our joint project with CTP. Bryam and Anthony felt that they had received real-world advice that would help them in the future.

Four of these students also attended the Rotary Youth Leadership camp in Idyllwild. The April weekend was filled with meeting new friends, dancing, singing and poetry. But the highlight was the day-long “Boojum” ropes challenge course. Bryam, Anthony, Karina and Marci were happy that they able to challenge themselves while also learning valuable teamwork skills.

This meeting was a highlight of our year–the future is in good hands!

Exploring a Life of Service

During this month observing Rotary Youth Service programs, we invite participants in our sponsored programs to visit us and share their experiences with us. We were happy to welcome members of the City of Orange Police and Fire Explorer posts on May 4th, with their advisors–professionals in our City departments.

Arbor Day Spectacular

Ha! That headline caught your eye! Once again, the arborists at the City of Orange asked for our assistance in planting new trees in residential areas. With a large number of cub scouts in attendance, we were treated to an educational talk by Randy Largent, Tree Services Coordinator for the City of Orange.

Then we got to work! We were joined by our mini-Rotarians Tiffany Jo and Sofia, who enthusiastically constructed berms around the new trees. Member Tom Davis was especially helpful, as he was previously very involved in a tree program at the Rotary Club of Villa Park. A fun morning!

Change Your Life in Just 3 Days!

By Rae Shirer, PDG

You’ve seen all of the clickbait on the internet: “10 Things to Do to Change Your Life Forever”, “10 Positive Habits That Could Change Your Life”, “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”, and thousands more links and websites hawking motivational speakers, books, diet milkshakes and exercise equipment.

But none of it sounds fun! So let me share with you a Rotary secret that will not only change you but 200 other people too–in only 3 days!

The secret word is “RYLA”. Wut? “RYLA”, stands for “Rotary Youth Leadership Awards“, a program that develops self-confidence, teamwork skills and leadership traits in high school students.

Sounds boring? Stick with me here. In Rotary District 5320, the RYLA program is a two-and-a-half day adventure in the San Bernardino mountains. Each spring, Rotary clubs sponsor 180 high school juniors from throughout the District to attend the camp for free. (That’s the “awards” part.) On Friday afternoon they get to know each other in “families with icebreaker games, group art projects and by creating their own “air guitar” musical number to perform for the rest of the campers.

Some may stay up late in the RYLA study hall, but they might regret that decision on Saturday, when everyone heads out for a full day on the “Boojum” high ropes challenge course. They, and their adult “parents”, swing from trees, climb rock walls, and solve physical puzzles along the challenge course. By 4 p.m., parents are tuckered out but campers are still raring to go…

…to the Saturday night dance and bonfire (complete with ‘smores). No twerkin’ but plenty of fun.

By departure on Sunday, kids who had never met before Friday are saying emotional goodbyes, trading phone numbers and social media, and making summer reunion plans. In only 3 days, their lives have been changed for the better.

Change your own life in only 3 days–serve as a RYLA volunteer. It won’t even cost you $29.95 plus shipping and handling.

2016 Car Show Winners!

Under challenging conditions, nearly 400 car enthusiasts competed for recognition at the 22nd Annual Orange Plaza Car Show on April 17th in beautiful Old Towne Orange. Thousands of spectators enjoyed the warm weather (91 degrees), light breeze (25 mph gusts) and fabulous local restaurants (yes, they really are fabulous).

Thank you to our many sponsors for making this show the premier event in the Southland!

Bye-Bye to Bowling

Orange Plaza Rotary members and special guests gathered for the last Elwyn California Bowl-a-Thon on April 9th. Elwyn is shifting their fundraising efforts to other events, such as the “Pinot and Palettes” event on June 26th and the 3rd Annual Fall Fling, set for September 24th.

Our club has sponsored bowling teams for more than 10 straight years, often including students from our Interact Club at El Modena High School, RYLA students, and other special guests. Over the years, we have claimed the “Rotary Challenge” trophy several times, in a tough category of competitors from the Rotary Clubs of Huntington Beach, Anaheim Hills, Fountain Valley and Long Beach.

We will miss this opportunity for fun inter-club rivalry and fundraising with our friends. However, we will continue to support Elwyn and their mission to provide vocational training and job placement for persons with disabilities.

What the Heck is a Rekenrek?

The rekenrek, or arithmetic rack, supports the natural development of number sense in children. Smaller versions consist of two rows of 10 beads in two colors. Students to make mental images of numbers, using 5 and 10 as anchors for counting, adding and subtracting. On March 23rd, Orange Plaza Rotary assembled 100 rekenrek, one for every kindergarten student at Fletcher Elementary in Orange.

Orange Plaza recently began a partnership with the school to provide supplies, services and programs that aren’t in the school budget. Miss Carmen, one of the kindergarten teachers at the school, brought the idea to Rotary and participate in assembling the rekenrek. Local parents joined in as well, with several children assisting.

Ramps are Us!

Every few years, Orange Plaza Rotary is approached by a health care provider or family member of a wheelchair-bound local resident. After checking out the home, city ordinances and local rules of the HOA or mobile home park, we get to work!

Our third wheelchair ramp was built over the weekend of February 6th, with community volunteers (and kids!) assisting. Our ramps our built from scratch to the exact specifications of the installation location. We cut and assemble the wood pieces, including railings, at the home of a Rotarian and then travel to the recipient’s home to install. Finish painting is done on-site and pictures are taken of our handiwork.

We hope to expand this project in the future to bring independence and mobility to more people in our community.

Check out our photos on our Flickr page!

Our Commitment to Peace

Sixty million people are displaced by armed conflict or persecution, and 90 percent of armed-conflict casualties are civilians, half of them children. Through service projects, fellowships, and other Rotary-sponsored campaigns, members train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict, and aid refugees who have fled dangerous areas. Members also pursue projects to address the underlying structural causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.

Learn more about Rotary’s dedication to peace through service:

https://www.rotary.org/en/learning-reference/about-rotary/peace-and-conflict-prevention-resolution

Putting Veterans First

Over the last year, Orange Plaza Rotary has held quarterly food drives and donated the collected dry and canned goods to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Irvine. The food bank does terrific work in promoting the need to feed hungry families and in distributing food donations around the county.

Much of the donated food is sold, at low cost, to dozens of churches and nonprofits that serve the homeless and hungry. Recently we decided to “cut out the middle man” and deliver our collections directly to these programs.

Our January food drive benefited Veterans First, which has been providing services to our vets in Orange County since 1971. At the Santa Ana location we visited in November, we learned that the organization provides a multitude of services including housing, meals, life coaching counseling, life skills, access to mental health counseling, benefit counseling, transportation, as well as job training and employment placement assistance.

The January drive netted more than 800 pounds of food, which we personally delivered to the Anaheim location, where several vets receive housing services. We were greeting by staff and residents, who helped us unload the food into the garage pantry.

This direct connection with the people we serve is what keeps us coming back to Rotary! Our next food drive will be held in March and new volunteers are welcome!