Around Town: Veterans storytelling returning to OC Fair & Event Center

Six speakers will take the stage at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on May 11 to share their thoughts and experiences during the “Voices — Veterans Storytelling Project” at Heroes Hall.

The free event will start at 7 p.m. outside the veterans museum.

The project is meant to give veterans a creative outlet so they can discuss and share memories about their time in the service. It’s part of a series of such workshops presented by Heroes Hall, Arts Orange County, a nonprofit arts council, and Veterans First, a nonprofit service provider.

For more information or to RSVP, visit voicesmay2018.eventbrite.com.

2 Ocean View School District staffers to be honored at Language Learners Celebration

Two Ocean View School District staff members will be honored at the Orange County Department of Education’s sixth annual Language Learners Celebration, which honors school and community leaders around the county for improving the success of English-learning students.

Nancy Hoyt and Aldo Rivero will be recognized during the event at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Marconi Automotive Museum and Foundation for Kids at 1302 Industrial Drive, Tustin.

Hoyt is a teacher at Spring View Middle School; Rivero is a translator for the school district.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2rmT2tt.

Sherman Gardens to celebrate National Public Gardens Day

Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar will host an event May 11 celebrating National Public Gardens Day, which seeks to raise awareness about the importance of public gardens.

The event will run from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 2647 E. Coast Hwy.

Garden tours will be offered throughout the day, along with flower arranging demonstrations and a screening of the film “Jen Jensen: The Living Green” at 7 p.m.

A coupon for free admission to the movie can be downloaded at slgardens.org.

Newport Beach resident named nonprofit’s Volunteer of the Year

KidWorks, a nonprofit that provides services to needy youths, named Newport Beach resident Camille Strader as its Volunteer of the Year.

Strader, a volunteer since 2016, tutors children weekly at the organization’s Dan Donahue Center in Santa Ana.

“Camille has made a significant impact in the lives of many of our students through both one-to-one tutoring and her time in the classroom,” KidWorks Chief Executive David Benavides said in a statement. “Our students know and love her because she truly cares for them, and we are thrilled to recognize Camille’s service to KidWorks and our students.”

For more information about KidWorks, visit kidworksoc.org/summer-programs.

$743,700 raised for O.C. nonprofits to help homeless

The recent Help Them Home Giving Day event raised $743,700 for 16 local nonprofits to use to help the homeless.

The fundraising event was part of a series of collaborative “giving days” organized by the Newport Beach-based Orange County Community Foundation. The group will be organizing more events throughout the year.

“The success of the Help Them Home campaign is a testament to our community’s generosity and the vision of our local nonprofit leaders, who came together based on a shared mission to serve homeless individuals and families,” foundation President Shelley Hoss said in a statement. “We are proud to support our exemplary local nonprofits to tackle the most important issues facing our county.”

“Empowering Possibilities: A Giving Day for OC Neighbors with Disabilities” will be held May 31.

For more information, visit oc-cf.org/change-your-community-overview/iheartoc-giving-day.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue welcomes 10 new firefighters and promotes 5 others

Costa Mesa fire officials welcomed 10 new firefighters to the department and promoted five current employees during a ceremony Thursday.

Jeff Bibler, Andrew Harris and Kevin Reddy were promoted to captain. Mike Ruhl was promoted to engineer and Jon Neal was elevated to assistant fire marshal.

The 10 new firefighters are Luke Anderson, Craig Bates, Kyle Brosamer, Matt Chavez, Thomas Foskarino, Jordan Kiesz, Bryan McMahon, Kyle Myszka, Angel Ordaz and Maurilio Torres.

The department also paid tribute to Capt. Shawn Brosamer, who is retiring after 30 years with the city. He is new firefighter Kyle Brosamer’s father.

“Today we come together as a fire family to celebrate some very special promotions and the successful completion of probation for 10 of our firefighters, the largest group to complete probation together in the history of our department,” Fire Chief Dan Stefano said in a statement.

Huntington Beach woman recognized for volunteering

Huntington Beach resident Cindy Lim was recently named a OneOC Spirit of Volunteerism Award winner.

Her work — focusing on recruiting people to donate or participate as volunteers — has resulted in large donations to the American Cancer Society.

Lim works at OptumRx in Costa Mesa. She started volunteering after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.

OneOC is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits through various training and consulting services.

Arts Commission accepting entries for 54th Newport Beach Art Exhibition

The Newport Beach Arts Commission is accepting entries until May 25 for the 54th annual Newport Beach Art Exhibition.

The exhibit will be held June 16 at the Newport Beach Civic Center.

Applications can be submitted at CallforEntry.org. For more information about eligibility and submission requirements, visit newportbeachca.gov/culturalarts.