Citywide day of service lets locals show how much they ‘Love Costa Mesa’
This Saturday presents a unique opportunity to show the city of Costa Mesa some love.
Hundreds of locals will spend their morning clearing weeds, painting public art pieces, assembling care kits and engaging in acts of kindness big and small as part of the citywide day of service “Love Costa Mesa 2020.”
Postponed from its usual appearance in mid-May and now in its third year, the event allows citizens to suggest, organize and execute service projects that contribute to the betterment of others and the broader community.
Locals can browse a list of projects to see where volunteers are still needed and then sign up and show up at the indicated time and place. Projects run the gamut, from participating in a prayer walk to assembling care kits to writing notes of compassion for nursing home residents.
Most projects run from 9 a.m. to noon and will be bookended by drive-through rallies throughout town where volunteers can celebrate their accomplishments and receive a complimentary T-shirt from 8 to 9:30 a.m. or from noon to 1:30 p.m.
The event is part of a broader “Love Our Cities” campaign that includes similar service days in Orange County and beyond. Love Costa Mesa is locally sponsored by Trellis, a nonprofit collaboration of church leaders and community members that addresses civic issues.
“This is a time when we need to pull people together” said Ian Stevenson, executive director of Trellis. “Everyone is sitting around worrying and complaining about things. We just wanted to do something positive, and this is a way for that to happen.”
A Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue spokesman said a nearly 1-acre fire broke out Thursday afternoon near a picnic area at Fairview Park. One man was injured during the blaze and was transported to a nearby burn center for treatment.
Stevenson said this year’s projects are low touch, socially distanced or even virtual to keep volunteers safe.
Costa Mesa’s Kelli Frager, who serves on the city’s Parks, Arts & Community Service Commission, was encouraged by colleagues to lead an art-based project. And so Saturday morning will find her at the intersection of Arlington and Junipero drives, where volunteers will paint art designs in the crosswalks.
Frager said the event is a unique way for people to help in whatever way inspires them and to get a taste of the many different service organizations and volunteer opportunities in the community.
“I just think it’s really neat, even more so with coronavirus, how the projects are accessible to people of all passions and all abilities and availabilities and skill sets,” Frager said. “There are so many different ways people can participate in the day.”
Although the work takes place in Costa Mesa, residents from other cities are welcome. Irvine resident Stephanie Mowery submitted a project to give some classrooms at the Wilson Street Learning Center a fresh coat of paint.
A member of Costa Mesa’s Faith Worship Community Church, Mowery learned about the center when her congregation began holding outdoor services there during the pandemic. For weeks, she and other church members have been working on the property.
Love Costa Mesa provides an opportunity to mobilize more help.
“The building was built back in the 1950s — it just needed a lot of love,” Mowery said. “We’ve been working on it a little bit at a time, so we’re excited for Saturday. We’re hoping to have about 30 volunteers.”
Stevenson said while the annual event takes place just one day a year, projects often have a wider ripple effect throughout the community as people come together and find common ground in helping neighbors in need.
For volunteers like Mowery, Love Costa Mesa is a reminder of what a blessing it is to be able to serve.
“I think it’s beautiful. I wish every city would have something like this,” she said.
Costa Mesa High School football coach Jimmy Nolan provided another update Tuesday on the condition of his wife, Taran, who was severely injured in a car crash that killed two people in South Carolina, in a Facebook post.
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