Around Town: H.B. man celebrates birthday by regifting stuffed animals to sick kids

Huntington Beach resident Barry Waldman, a former Boeing Co. vice president, received a herd of stuffed animals at his recent Halloween-themed birthday party so they could be given to young patients of Hoag Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

“The idea is to bring a smile to a child as part of the joy in celebrating a birthday,” Waldman’s wife, Marsha, wrote in an email. “And for a senior who does not need another gift at this stage in life, we were able to donate a trunkload and half the back car seat with these toys to Hoag and CHOC [on Monday].

“Many seniors could do something similar by donating gifts that are collected as part of a birthday celebration, and they too can make a huge difference in our local organizations.”

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Marina, Los Alamitos football game to help kick off campaign for Make-A-Wish

Marina High School and Los Alamitos High will put aside their football rivalry for a bit during Friday night’s game to help kick off Macy’s Believe campaign to benefit Make-A-Wish, which works to grant wishes of children who have life-threatening medical conditions.

Volunteers for Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire will join Make-A-Wish high school clubs for an appearance at halftime of the varsity game, which begins at 7 p.m. at Huntington Beach High School, 1905 Main St.

The Believe campaign, which runs Friday through Dec. 24, encourages people of all ages to send stamped letters to Santa Claus via Macy’s stores or online at macys.com/believe. For each letter received, Macy’s pledges to donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, up to $1 million.

The Make-A-Wish clubs at Marina and Los Alamitos High will be challenged to a friendly letter-writing competition for the campaign.

“Giving back to Make-A-Wish makes me feel genuinely accomplished and proud,” Gulshan Bains, president of Marina High School’s Make-A-Wish Club, said in a statement. “It has made me realize the impact I am able to make by being involved with Make-A-Wish. Also, it has allowed me to understand that hard work and patience can get you anywhere.”

The Marina club hosts bake sales and other fundraisers for the cause and has collected more than $27,000 to date, “adopting” the wishes of four children, according to a news release.