Community & Clubs: Ending a productive year with roses

This is a busy time of the year for service clubs in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Some club members are ringing the Salvation Army bells and staffing the donation kettles at local shopping centers. Other clubs are delivering food and Christmas gifts to families in need.

Still others are partnering with their Interact or Key Club groups and decorating their Rose Parade floats in time for the 125th parade being held Jan. 1 in Pasadena.

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Rotary Rose Parade float

This year marks the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee’s 35th consecutive year of promoting Rotary International with an entry in the Tournament of Roses. Rotary International President-elect Ron Burton’s theme for the 2013-14 year is “Engage Rotary, Change Lives,” and the Tournament of Roses’ theme for the 2014 Rose Parade is “Dreams Come True.”

Rotary members are focusing the 2014 float’s design and theme on a combination of these two outstanding, and related, themes. Through Rotary, we have been changing lives and making dreams come true for more than 100 years. For more on the Rotary Rose Parade float, visit https://www.rotaryfloat.org.

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‘Lions Building Matteo’s Dream’

The Lions’ Tournament of Roses float depicts Matteo’s Dream, a park built by Lions in Concord, Calif. The sketch best depicting Matteo’s Dream was selected and given the title “Lions Built Matteo’s Dream.” Forty-five Lions Clubs and 3,000 volunteers built the park in eight days. For more information on the Lions’ Rose Parade float, visit https://www.lionsrosefloat.com.

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Kiwanis Rose Parade float

For Kiwanis International, “Bridging Children’s Dreams” is a scene taken out of the forest in the Redwoods. A bridge crosses over a creek and leads to a mount that houses majestic trees. Signs of wilderness adorn the float: an owl, butterflies, a deer and an eagle departing from high atop one of the trees. For more on the Kiwanis Rose Parade float, visit https://www.kiwanisrosefloat.com.

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Look for the Kiwanis International, Rotary International and Lions Clubs International floats starting at 8 a.m. Jan. 1 as the Rose Parade steps off. The best TV viewing, uninterrupted by commercials, will be on KTLA Channel 5 in Southern California. If you are not out of bed at 8 a.m., KTLA will rebroadcast the parade several times on New Year’s Day.

The service clubs have also taken time to enjoy fellowship during the holidays. Several have held Christmas boat parade dinners at home and yacht clubs. Others have held Christmas parties for their children and grandchildren.

Most clubs will not be meeting for the next two weeks as members take time to enjoy their families and the holiday.

From my wife, Barbara, and me, Merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year!

COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published twice monthly on Wednesdays. Send your service club’s meeting information by e-mail to jdeboom@aol.com.