Community & Clubs -- Jim de Boom

Last week, I asked that as you make your New Year’s resolutions, you

add one to visit a service club and check them out for possible

membership in 2002. Membership in a service club is an extra 30 minutes a

week on a breakfast, lunch or dinner hour for a club meeting filled with

information, fun, friends and service. For some, it’s a way to start a

day inspired with a sunrise club. For others, it’s a way to stay informed

about your community. For still others, service club membership is way to

end a day with friends at a dinner meeting.

We should be thankful for all our blessings, for we could have been

born in the Sudan or Afghanistan. We are indeed blessed people. Service

club membership is one way to share our time, talent and treasure with

our neighbors, here and abroad.

Many people want to make a difference in the world, and for those of

us in service clubs, find that we can have a greater effect as a group

than as an individual. Take, for example, Rotary’s $480-million effort to

eradicate polio from around the world and providing the polio vaccine to

some 2 billion children under the age of 5 in the past 12 years.

And there are 1.2 million Rotarians, including 200 in Costa Mesa and

Newport Beach, who are making a difference with their support of the Los

Angeles Times Reading by 9 program.

Exchange Club members make a difference with their major thrust of

prevention of child abuse. They are pretty good at promoting Americanism

with the Freedom Shrines -- copies of historical documents important in

American history -- found in our local schools, libraries and at John

Wayne Airport.

Soroptimist International, including our local Newport Harbor chapter,

makes a difference with its emphasis on local women’s opportunities and

the development of women peace ambassadors around the world.

The Lions Club’s major emphasis is on blindness and preserving sight

with eye exams for our local schoolchildren and major treatment campaigns

in Third World countries. You can recycle your old eyeglasses, thanks to

the efforts of Lions Clubs locally.

Kiwanis Clubs around the world have a major campaign underway to

eliminate iodine deficiency disorders.

Try helping your community and the world through a service club. For

many, service club membership is an extension of our religious beliefs

and congregation affiliation.

You are invited to attend a club meeting this coming week to learn

more about service clubs. You will probably meet neighbors, business

leaders and community members at the meeting. Most clubs will buy your

first meal for you as you get acquainted with them.

MONDAY

6:30 p.m.: The Harbor Mesa Lions club will meet at the Costa Mesa

County Club to hear Kathy Blake of the Braille Institute, along with her

seeing eye dog, Angel.

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The 40-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club will meet

at Five Crowns Restaurant.

6:30 p.m.: The Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club, also known as the

Fish Fry Club, will meet at the Costa Mesa Country Club for a business

meeting.

WEDNESDAY

7:15 a.m.: The South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet at the Center

Club (o7 www.southcoastmetrorotary.orgf7 ), and the Newport Harbor

Kiwanis Club will meet at the University Athletic Club.

Noon: The Exchange Club of the Orange Coast will meet at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club for a program on fire prevention.

6 p.m.: The 60-member Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa will meet at the

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program on Project Deaf India by Raj

Desai and Wendell Sawyer (o7 www.newportbalboa.orgf7 ).

THURSDAY

7 p.m.: The 20-plus member Costa Mesa-Orange Coast Breakfast Lions

Club will meet at Mimi’s Cafe for “Getting to Know Tom Gielow.”

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club will meet at the Holiday

Inn, the Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis Club will meet at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club, the 80-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will

meet at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum for a program by Officers

Michelle Shean and George Lesley on the DARE program (o7

www.nhexchangeclub.comf7 ), and the 100-member Newport-Irvine Rotary

Club will meet at the Irvine Marriott for a program by Dr. Michael Glueck

on biological warfare (o7 http;//www.nirotary.orgf7 ).

WORTH REPEATING: From “Thought for the Day” provided by Greg Kelley of

the Newport-Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “Let no one ever come to you

without leaving better and happier.” -- Mother Teresa

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays in the Daily Pilot. Send

your service club’s meeting information by fax to (949) 660-8667; e-mail

to jdeboom@aol.com or by mail to 2082 S.E. Bristol St., Suite 201,

Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.