How to Make This Weekend Matter

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be part of Volunteer Connection Days, a countywide event taking place Friday through Sunday.

But you could be.

Scientists and engineers, painters and plumbers, book lovers, tree huggers, surfers and spring cleaners will donate time to good causes at 140 sites throughout the county.

They’ll be helping 200 students launch bottle rockets at the Future Scientists and Engineers of America contest at Tustin High. Or reading to children at Kids Care Preschool in Cypress.

They’ll be walking their neighborhoods, collecting diapers for the Community Development Council in Garden Grove or canned goods for Canning Hunger’s food drive.

Want to take a swipe at graffiti? Plant a tree? Clean up a beach?

You can build a baseball diamond in Santa Ana or paint condos used to house the homeless in Laguna Hills.

To help you participate, here’s a list of volunteer opportunities, gathered by the the Volunteer Center of Orange County, a resource center for volunteers and nonprofit organizations. Information: (714) 953-5757, Ext. 106; https://www.volunteercenter.org

Countywide

Boy Scouts of America. Trash cleanup by troops in San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. Peter Nystrom or Julie Viers, (714) 546-4990.

Canning Hunger--Orange County. Walk neighborhoods to collect food. Norm Whan or Greg Contopulos, (714) 279-6570.

Christmas in April. Rehabilitate 30 homes in Orange County. Cy Bauman, (949) 440-5702.

County of Orange Project Together. Sort through donated clothing and personal-care items for its Resource Center. Lee Boon, (714) 796-0100.

Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. Build a pair of two-story homes for needy families. Jason McKinstry, (714) 895-4331.

Olive Crest Homes & Services for Abused Children. Clean, repair and spruce up the gardens at group homes in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Mission Viejo, Orange and Santa Ana. Kelley Johnson, (714) 543-5437.

Anaheim

Benjamin Franklin School. Food drive. Patsy Tafolla, (714) 517-8764.

Canyon Acres Children’s Services City. Painting, gardening or other site maintenance work. Beverly Sciarretta, (714) 998-3272.

Canyon High. Food drive. Liza Clay, (714) 921-1475.

City of Anaheim--Wipe Out Graffiti. Paint out graffiti and restore walls throughout the city. Richard LaRochelle, (714) 765-4413.

Crescent Intermediate School. Shelley Frauenberger, (714) 997-6371.

County of Orange Public Facilities Recreation Department Operations. Cleanup of flood-control channels near Bolsa Chica. Henry Tiltz, (714) 567-6280.

Esperanza High. Book drive. Mr. Domene, (714) 779-7870.

Roosevelt Elementary School--P.A.L. Maintenance work. Marie Peck, (714) 517-8733.

Savanna High. Clothing drive. Patrice Stevens, (714) 220-4297.

Special Olympics of Orange County. Assist athletes and students. Jean Gottschall, (714) 672-9113.

Yorba Regional Park. Remove debris that clogs storm drains. Ron Nadeau, (714) 970-1460.

Brea

Boys and Girls Club of Brea. Paint the club’s interior and transform the landscape into an area filled with flowers and shrubs. Ilonka Barr, (714) 990-7175.

Brea Junior High. Campus cleanup. David LeNeve, (714) 529-3686.

Brea Lions Scout Center Foundation. Help create a meeting home for Brea Boys & Girl Scouts in Brea’s Old City Hall. Jan Wingerter, (714) 529-8143.

Brea Olinda School District. Collect new and slightly used books in Spanish and English for Brea’s sister city in Mexico, Lagos de Moreno, the Brea Boys & Girls Club, Brea Head Start and Florence Crittenton. Kristi Cole , (714) 990-7175.

City of Brea Senior Center. Set up and serve lunch to seniors. Alicia Jensen, (714) 990-7751.

Easter Seals Senior Day Care. Visit the elderly. Kristen Anderson, (714) 672-0343.

Head Start Inc. Clean the preschool classrooms. Debra Wegenka, (714) 990-4391.

Orange County Public Library. Make small prizes to be given to children who participate in the 1999 Summer Reading Program. Cheryl Nakaji, (714) 671-1722.

Buena Park

Buena Park Public Library. Move and clean books. Linda Katsouleas, (714) 826-4100.

City of Buena Park. Plant eight trees, paint 45 picnic tables and remove graffiti at four parks. Rudy Juarez, (714) 562-3844.

Capistrano Beach

Palisades Elementary School. Make custom coloring books for children at Orangewood and Laura’s House. Pamela Percival, (949) 496-5942.

Corona Del Mar

Meals on Wheels. Pack and deliver meals to homebound seniors. Marc Marger, (949) 380-0155.

Newport Beach Recital Series. Shrink-wrap compact discs, heat-press T-shirts and gifts and update mailing list. Nan Morisseau, (949) 640-6276.

Costa Mesa

City of Costa Mesa. Neighbor-to-neighbor cleanup project. Muriel Ullman, (714) 754-5140.

New Directions for Women Inc. Paint, plant and recondition the building and garden areas. Bekki Stewart, (949) 548-8754.

Cypress

City of Cypress--Kids Corner Preschool. Spend the morning reading stories to 4-year-olds. Melissa Murray, (714) 952-9748.

Cypress Senior Citizens Center. Weed the planters around the senior center building and replant flowers in central entrance planters. Shelley Hellen, (714) 229-2005.

Dana Point

County of Orange, Harbors, Beaches and Parks. Beach cleanup at Salt Creek Beach. Steve Ferrar, (949) 661-7013.

Fountain Valley

Arthritis Foundation. Help with the seventh annual Arthritis Foundation Mini Grand Prix. Nicole Corwin, (714) 436-1623.

Fullerton

Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton. Team with club members and compete in various athletic endeavors, or serve as judges and coaches at the Mini-Olympics. Michelle Regan, (714) 525-8241.

City of Fullerton. Community cleanup projects, including graffiti removal and trash pickup. Stacy Simpson, (714) 738-6581.

Free Arts for Abused Children. Guide the children through art activities at the Free Arts Days. Mark Hartman or Kris Nieder, (714) 543-7278.

Star 6 Children’s Foundation. Repair bikes. Linda Wang, (714) 526-7174.

Garden Grove

Acacia Adult Day Services. Clean the center’s grounds and facility. Julie Duarte, (714) 530-1566.

CDC’s Orange County Food Bank. Assemble food boxes for children from low-income families. Julie Martin, (714) 897-6670.

City of Garden Grove. Assist with arts and crafts activities, races and games at the Spring Fling. Christy Borada, (714) 741-5265.

City of Garden Grove Public Works Department. Plant trees and distribute educational materials in support of the City’s Urban Forest Enhancement Project. Peggy Snyder, (714) 741-5372.

Community Development Council. Collect diapers for agencies that help low-income families. Mark Lowry, (714) 897-6670.

Garden Grove High. Book drive. Nancy Nguyen, (714) 537-4752.

Hearts United Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (HUG). Help organize files. Irene Koontz, (714) 636-5430.

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach Public Library. Clean and repair books. Kim Withey, (714) 375-5033.

Ocean View High. Collect and distribute homework materials for needy students. Nancy Steiner, (949) 848-0656.

Surfrider Foundation--Huntington & Newport Beach Chapter. Beach cleanup from Huntington State Beach to the Santa Ana River jetties. Steve McCuen, (213) 897-6315.

Irvine

ShadeTree Partnership Inc. Plant trees along a bike path and bridle trail. Bob Snell, (949) 453-5806.

Sierra Vista Middle School. Campus beautification. Tom Allesi, (949) 936-6635.

University High. Create a video on community issues. Adam Rachlis, (949) 509-9055.

La Habra

City of La Habra. Clean up Coyote Creek and paint playground equipment at La Bonita Park. Kay Jacklin or Eve Porter, (562) 905-9708.

La Palma

City of La Palma. Help with the Arbor Day Celebration with tree plantings. Mike Belknap, (714) 522-6740.

Laguna Beach

Crystal Cove State Park. Beach cleanup, remove exotics plants and plant native vegetation. Winter Bonnin or Mike Eaton, (949) 497-7647.

Laguna Canyon Foundation. Help at registration and assist guides at the March for Park events at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Mary Fegrans, (949) 497-8324.

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Exotic plant removal. Larry Sweet, (949) 494-7549.

Surfrider Foundation--Laguna Beach Chapter. Beach cleanup at Creek Beach and Main Beach. Rose McClelland, (949) 497-2142.

Laguna Hills

City of Laguna Hills. Clean trails, pick up recyclable debris and paint over graffiti. Quinn Connolly, (949) 707-2685.

Florence Sylvestor Memorial Senior Center. Set up and serve meals to seniors. Marc Marger, (949) 380-0155.

Laguna Hills Adult Day Care. Serve meals and assist in social activities with seniors. Marc Marger, (949) 380-0155.

Laguna Hills Meals on Wheels. Pack and deliver meals to homebound seniors. Marc Marger, (949) 380-0155.

Saddleback Community Outreach. Paint condos that are used as transitional housing for homeless families. John Rooney, (949) 380-8144.

Laguna Niguel

Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park. Bridge construction and trail maintenance. Tom Maloney, (949) 831-2791.

City of Laguna Niguel Parks and Recreation. Planting, weeding and cleanup at Crown Valley Park. Sylvia Friedrichsen, (949) 362-4350.

George White Elementary School. Collect gently used toys and clothing for Working Wardrobes for a New Start and Project Smiling Eyes. Nancy Doyle, (949) 249-8572.

Laguna Niguel Senior Center and Meals on Wheels. Pack and deliver meals to homebound seniors. Marc Marger, (949) 380-0155.

Niguel Hills Middle School. Collect eyeglasses for local charity. Ted Alexander, (949) 831-3146.

Lake Forest

City of Lake Forest. Paint homes, pull weeds and clean out garages and yards of unwanted items in Laguna East and Landisview. Elaine Nagano, (949) 461-3471.

Serrano Intermediate School. Landscape the grounds and paint classrooms. Michael Cox, (949) 586-3221.

Rancho Canada Elementary. Phaedra Arellano, (949) 768-5252.

Los Alamitos

Laurel High. Food drive. Betsy Grajeda, (562) 799-4700.

City of Los Alamitos. Clean up Little Cottonwood Park. Gail Silva, (562) 430-1073.

Midway City

Midway City Child Development Center. Clean up the community Center and preschool. Marty Ramirez Jewelene Stegall, (714) 892-5625.

Mission Viejo

Capistrano Valley High. Paint murals on campus. Mrs. Deckert, (949) 364-6100.

City of Mission Viejo. Plant along the Oso Creek trail. Keith Rattay, (949) 470-3095.

Mission Viejo Lions Club. Paint, repair and carpet the Laguna Hills Adult Day Health Center. Anna Boyce, (949) 837-5484.

Women’s AssistanCenter. Paint the service facility at Saddleback College. A.J. Lane, (714) 745-5683.

Newport Beach

FISH (Friends in Service to Humanity). Pack groceries and deliver bags to families in need. Deanna Lewis, (949) 645-8050.

March of Dimes WalkAmerica. Help at registration, checkpoints and a barbecue at this event. Alixe Pesler, (949) 263-1100.

Newport-Balboa Rotary Club--City of Newport Beach. Help at a track meet to benefit youth. Veronica Cahill, (714) 536-6099.

Upper Newport Bay Naturalists. Help with Earth Day. Shelly Webster, (949) 640-6746.

Women’s Transitional Living Center. Paint the house. Lorraine Taylor, (714) 992-1939.

Orange

Casa Teresa. Paint interior of the main facility. Maggie Williamson, (714) 538-4860.

City of Orange. Plant rosebushes and trees at Hart Park. (714) 744-2208.

El Modena High School. Collect clothes for adults and children. Nadia and Monica Rozales, (714) 997-6331.

Handy Elementary School. Food drive. Bambi Cardias, (714) 997-6183.

HUGS for Health. Share hugs and fellowship with the elderly in senior care and residential facilities. Jo Lindberg, (714) 832-4847.

Irvine Regional Park. Remove an acre of invasive, nonnative vegetation. Jim Simkins, (714) 633-8072.

Lutheran Social Services. Work at rest stops and help with setup and cleanup at the Walk-A-Thon fund-raiser for emergency assistance and senior programs. Bonnie Miller or Jill Atkins, (714) 771-2969.

Muscular Dystrophy Assn. Assist with registration, the silent auction and deliver items to donor tables at a gala fund-raiser honoring artist Aldo Luongo. Violette Berns, (714) 550-0161.

Orange County Animal Shelter. Built and painted an interactive educational display. Barbara Morrison, (714) 935-6301.

Orange County Harvest. Salvage food for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Sandra Thomas, (714) 771-1343.

Walking Shield American Indian Society. Box, sort and label donated goods, and clean and repair the office. Samantha Coopharer, (714) 634-9583.

Placentia

City of Placentia. Monitor race routes and finish lines, set up and take down staging area, hand out water or assist with registration at the 5K, 8K and 1K run for children. Steve Pischel, (714) 993-8117.

San Clemente

City of San Clemente. Paint the handrail along the San Clemente Municipal Pier or clean up the parkway areas along El Camino Real business district street. Steve Lashbrook, (949) 361-8219.

Doheny Longboard Surfing Assn. Beach cleanup. Rodger More, (949) 361-6610.

PAL Program--Lobo Elementary. Book drive for Laura’s House. Freda Weber, (949) 366-6740.

San Clemente Senior Center and Meals on Wheels. Pack and deliver meals to homebound seniors. Marc Marger, (949) 380-0155.

Surfrider Foundation--San Clemente Chapter. Clean up Trestles and San Clemente Pier area. Ed Mazzarella, (949) 492-8170.

San Juan Capistrano

City of San Juan Capistrano Community Services Department. Help at this clearinghouse for volunteer activities. Karen Crocker, (949) 443-6492.

Del Obispo Elementary. Clothing, book and food drive. Cynthia Wilson or Alfa Villaflor, (949) 493-1914.

Fran Joswick Therapeutic Riding Center. Trail maintenance. Jane Lewis, (949) 240-8441.

San Juan Capistrano Meals on Wheels. Pack and deliver meals to homebound seniors. Marc Marger, (949) 380-0155.

Santa Ana

Blind Children’s Learning Center. Assist with remodeling the children’s playground. Sharon Mitchell, (714) 573-8888.

City of Santa Ana. Help at training workshops for community volunteers. Belem Solis, (714) 571-4251.

FLAMA, CSF & Key Clubs. Clean and weed flower beds, plant flowers and fertilize. Peggy Pierson, (714) 567-4900.

Hewes Middle School. Participate in a “Pennies for Pasta” fund-raiser. Bob Valdez, (714) 730-7348.

Imagination Celebration of Orange County/Santa Ana Zoo. Assist with setup and breakdown of the event. Peggy McGee, (949) 833-8500.

McFadden Intermediate School. Book drive. Tyra Demalus, (714) 241-6525.

Mercy House Transitional Living Center. Spruce up the two shelters. Linda Wilson, (714) 836-7188.

Orange County Health Care Agency. Paint murals. Tina Wimberley, (714) 834-8794.

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Read textbooks ranging from literature to science onto cassette tapes. Stephen Bigelow, (714) 547-4171.

Valley High. Clean up the campus. Mr. Statles, (714) 241-6410.

Orange County Probation Department. Become a mentor to delinquent children. Gerard Bergeron, (714) 667-7709.

Phoenix House. Build a set of bleachers, backstop and team benches for a baseball diamond. Mary Anne Hassing Lee James, (714) 953-9373.

READ/Orange County. Walk neighborhoods to hang literacy information pieces on doorknobs. Marcia Tungate, (714) 566-3070.

Seal Beach

City of Seal Beach. Clean up Gum Grove Park. Bob Eagle, (562) 431-2527.

Tustin

Boys & Girls Clubs of Tustin. Salvage usable supplies and organize the club. Gary Oustad, (714) 838-5223.

City of Tustin & Youth Action Team. Spruce up the Tustin Area Senior Center grounds. Gladys Kaiser, (714) 573-3370.

Future Scientists & Engineers of America. Help with the Annual Rocket Competition. Sheryl France-Moran, (714) 229-2226.

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Assemble flip charts for the high school prevention programs. Reidel Post, (714) 838-6199.

Orange County Rescue Mission. Assemble hygiene kits, food and care packages for needy families. Doug Hyepock, (714) 258-4450.

Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts & City of Tustin. Help with KATS--Kids Arts, Theater and Surprises. Pamela Passow, (714) 573-3333.

Tustin Pride, Tustin Boys & Girls Club, City of Tustin. Spruce up the Tustin Boys and Girls Club. Pamela Passow, (714) 573-3333.

YMCA/ARK Services for the Abused Children. Play with a child at Saturday Fundays. Carole Rawe, (714) 838-1385.

YMCA New Horizons. Help at the Friday Nite Owl Excursion. Susan Alexander, (714) 838-4549.

Villa Park

CASA/PAL Cerro Villa Middle School. Karen Millet, (714) 997-6251.

Villa Park High. Clean up the campus. Laura Farr, (714) 532-8020.

Westminister

City of Westminster. Clean up schools, businesses, churches and residential areas. Charlene Lent, (714) 895-2860.

La Quinta High. Clean up the campus with the Key Club, Boys League, Girls League and CSF. Kim Dao, (714) 663-6372.

Yorba Linda

City of Yorba Linda. Plant flowers. Penny Krueger, (714) 961-7181.