Community and Clubs: Volunteers dedicated to foster ‘daughters’

Newport Beach’s Deborah Keillor, stylist and fashion show producer, has a passion for helping foster children, having chaired the Friends of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Luncheon and Fashion Show many years.

At one such show, she met a volunteer who lived in an Orange County home for emancipated foster children. Keillor was moved by the girl’s story and the dedication of the home’s resident “mother,” Lauri Burns, to her emancipated foster “daughters.”

Together with Jennifer Blanchfield, Keillor founded Teens for The Teen Project to support Burns and her charity, The Teen Project. Keillor and Blanchfield recruited their daughters and more than 40 mother and daughter teams to work directly with Burns and her “daughters.”

Twenty-five thousand teens exit foster care each year nationally and many are homeless within weeks of emancipation. Desperate and alone, many turn to drugs and prostitution and few have hope for the future, according to the group. The Teen Project provides resources and support, including safe housing, financial support toward higher education, counseling and mentoring on leading a productive and healthy life.

With no federal or state funding, The Teen Project relies on more than 400 volunteers and private donations.

This Mother’s Day, Teens for The Teen Project presented its second annual fashion show on the Westin South Coast Plaza rooftop to raise awareness and funds for The Teen Project.

More than 40 teens modeled fashions from premier South Coast Plaza retailers. Attendees enjoyed a beautiful evening with music and food. Last year’s event raised $89,000, funding The Teen Project’s Orange County operation for a year. This year’s goal is to fund the Orange County operation and support a new home for boys.

Teens for The Teen Project’s work with Burns continues year-round. Activities include monthly fundraisers.

The group’s mother and daughter volunteers are proud to raise funds for this important cause, but their passion for the service extends much further.

“We get to introduce philanthropy to our daughters, interact with the people we are helping, create lifetime bonds and work with people with different challenges,” Keillor said.

Student members enjoy their service because they witness the challenges Burns’ “daughters” face and how the group’s service benefits them.

Other Teens for Teen Project Committee members include Teri Cullen, public relations; Annette Juptner-Gonzalez, decor; Maggie Flornes, special projects; Stacy Peterson, registration; and Nancy Vaughan, treasurer.

“Our group has no dues and no exclusivity. We welcome people who want to work hard for the cause,” Keillor said.

For more information, email [email protected].

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Field of Honor celebrates heroes

The Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will present its sixth annual Field of Honor from Friday through Sunday at Castaways Park in Newport Beach.

The Field of Honor flies 1,776 flags in honor of men and women who have served in the U.S. military or as law enforcement, fire personnel or first responders. Flag viewing begins at 9 a.m. each day and ends at 8 p.m. Veterans will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to talk about their service and the Field of Honor.

Ceremonies will be held 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday and from noon until 1 p.m. Saturday. They will include musical performances, guest speakers, essay reading and art displays by local students, flag folding and more.

Seven hundred Newport-Mesa Unified School District students are expected to attend Friday’s ceremony. This year’s national anthem singer, George Key, is 92 years old and the great, great grandson of Francis Scott Key, author of the anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Saturday’s flag-folding ceremony will be in honor of Navy Seal Stephen Matthew Mills, who was killed in action on Aug. 6, 2011, when his helicopter was shot down. The flag will be presented to Cindi Gore, his mother-in-law, and Connie D Murphy, his grandmother-in-law.

For a $45 donation, a flag may be dedicated to honor a service man or woman. Donations may be made at the event or at nhexchange.org.

The Exchange Club of Newport Harbor is a nonprofit service club that supports the prevention of child abuse and promotes Americanism. Net proceeds from the Field of Honor benefit wounded warriors and transitional services for veterans, child abuse prevention and other youth charities.

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In March, 47 members of the Circle K Club of Orange Coast College attended the California-Nevada-Hawaii District convention of Circle K International in Woodland Hills. The year’s accomplishments were celebrated and new officers appointed.

OCC’s Circle K members earned several honors. Christina Tran received the Distinguished Kiwanis Family Relations Award; Cecilia Pham, the Distinguished Membership Development and Education Award; and Chris Vuong and his committee, the First-Place Outstanding Inter-clubs Award.

Annie Tran, Jimmy Fung and Omar Sanchez were named distinguished committee chairs, and the entire executive board was designated as distinguished, including Alex D. Nguyen (president), Vuong Pham (vice president of administration), Peter V. Nguyen (vice president of service), Helen Nguyen (secretary) and Patrick Pham (treasurer).

Jeff Dimsdale, longtime club advisor and dean of students emeritus, was named Faculty Advisor of the Year.

Circle K’s retiring President Alex D. Nguyen was elected to the district board of trustees as the lieutenant governor of the Magic Kingdom Division, which includes 10 colleges and universities from Whittier College in the north to Saddleback College in the south.

In a separate event, Costa Mesa High School junior Vince Nguyen was elected lieutenant governor for Key Club Division 41 North, covering schools in the Newport-Mesa and Irvine unified school districts.

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Exchange Club honors Newport-Mesa seniors

The Exchange Club recently honored several Newport-Mesa Unified seniors during its lunch meetings.

Each year, the group gives one boy and one girl from Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Estancia and Newport Harbor high schools a $3,000 scholarship. Award decisions are based on student applications and input from high school counselors.

This year’s honorees include Allison Green and Patrick Ong, Corona del Mar; Teresa Ford and David Gaona, Costa Mesa; Eliza Jason and Charlie Griffen, Estancia; and Samantha Ludes and Nicholas Belida, Newport Harbor. Leo Fracalosy led this scholarship program for the Exchange Club.

The Exchange Club also presented Accepting the Challenge of Excellence scholarships, in the amount of $3,000, to 10 students who have overcome challenging personal problems to excel in various ways. Challenging circumstances may include physical or emotional problems. Eligible students attend Back Bay, Costa Mesa, Estancia and Monte Vista high schools.

This year’s recipients included Kevin Elvira, Jacob Switzer, Sarah Groff, Janet Cortez and Nisa Atlas, Back Bay; Evelyn Ibanez, Costa Mesa; Michaela Anderson, Estancia; and Charly Riggs, Cecilia Earl and McKenzie Johnston, Monte Vista. Bob Kinton led this scholarship program for the Exchange Club.

The Daily Pilot wants to hear about your club’s or organization’s events so we can inform our readers. Contact DIANE DARUTY at [email protected] or (949) 322-7949.