Around Town: Jewish genealogical society to have Ellis Island immigration presentation
The Orange County Jewish Genealogical Society will have a presentation this month about Ellis Island immigration.
The April 24 event will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Temple Bat Yahm, 1011 Camelback St., Newport Beach.
Speaker Joel Weintraub will discuss the waves of immigration through New York’s Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954. Weintraub is a Cal State Fullerton professor emeritus and a former volunteer at the National Archives and Records Administration.
Admission is $5. For more information, visit ocjgs.org.
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Costa Mesa Facebook group holds family picnic
Costa Mesa Public Square, a Facebook group with more than 6,100 members, presented its first picnic Sunday.
About 30 people attended the event at the Halecrest Park Swim & Tennis Club for a chance to meet face-to-face, group moderator Julie Mercurio said. She added that she hopes the picnic will become a regular occurrence.
“The rapid membership growth experienced over the past year drove home to me the need for this forum,” Mercurio said. “As we have hashed through complicated and sometimes contentious issues, friendships have been formed. We come from all political parties, ages, financial ranges and perspectives.
“We share a love of our city and desire to be more engaged in these important times.”
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O.C. Community Foundation to present Giving Day
The Orange County Community Foundation will hold its second annual iHeartoc Giving Day this month.
From 6 a.m. April 27 through noon April 28, people can give money to participating local nonprofits using the iheartoc.org website. The goal is to raise $1.8 million.
The nonprofits will be eligible to receive up to $500,000 in bonus awards and prizes provided by the foundation and other Giving Day partners.
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Project Hope Alliance CEO to receive UCI award
Jennifer Friend, chief executive of Costa Mesa-based Project Hope Alliance, will receive one of UC Irvine’s Lauds and Laurels awards May 12.
Friend, a member of UCI’s class of 1995, will receive the award from the School of Social Ecology as a distinguished alumna. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UCI in criminology, law and society.
“Jennifer is the model UCI alumna who has actively sought ways to engage UCI, its students, faculty and researchers with Project Hope Alliance,” Barney Ellis-Perry, chief executive of the UC Irvine Alumni Assn., said in a statement. “Jennifer is a tireless volunteer, advocate and friend of UCI, and I am thrilled she is a recipient of this year’s Lauds and Laurels honor.”
—From staff reports