Countywide : Ensuring That Kids Are Cared For

More than 250 disadvantaged children will be treated to rides and shows at the Balboa Fun Zone today by Johnson & Higgins, an insurance broker celebrating its 150th anniversary.

On Thursday, 75 employees from the firm repainted the gymnasium at the Orangewood Children’s Home in Orange and planted 150 trees around the center’s fences. As children eagerly watched, the Johnson & Higgins employees also filled in a sandbox that hasn’t been used in two years.

“Instead of putting on a corporate party for our clients, we decided it would be best to put something back into the community,” said Mason Williams, executive vice president and branch manager for the Costa Mesa office. “It is with great pride and enthusiasm that we celebrate our lasting success by investing our time and efforts in our young people.”

Ralph Rodheim, the owner of Balboa Boat Rentals, said he plans to give the children free rides around the bay by making a fleet of 10 motorboats available today.

“The children need something like this,” he said. “Many of them come from broken homes or have been abandoned or have suffered from physical or sexual abuse in the past. This is just the right cure for them.”

Joe Inge, an employee with Johnson & Higgins who is spearheading the event, said court-appointed advocates of some of the minors have been calling in to tell him the children could hardly wait for today to come.

“Basically, it’s like Christmastime for them,” Inge said. “It’s all free--the Ferris wheel, the bumper cars, the ‘Dark and Scary’ ride. The kids are going to go bananas.”