Community & Clubs: Have spirit, will run in Newport Beach

Newport-Mesa residents, from toddlers to senior citizens, will lace up their shoes for the 32nd Annual Newport-Mesa Spirit Run on March 15 at Fashion Island.

The spirit of community and goodwill is stronger than ever in 2015, as the city of Newport Beach and several local community clubs and nonprofits work with Spirit Run to benefit youth causes.

Spirit Run is a community running and walking event whose net proceeds benefit education and athletics in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

It features 12 road-racing competitions, a toddler trot and a 5K Family Walk. Spirit Run hosts a pancake breakfast, the sounds of Corona del Mar High’s Jazz Band and Drumline, youth activities including rock climbing, bungee trampoline and a skateboard demonstration, and much more.

Olympian Steve Scott will warm up and run with children in the seven separate quarter-mile to 1-mile races. Newport-Mesa Unified Supt. Fred Navarro, many principals, Mayor Ed Selich, Councilman Tony Petros and other Newport Beach officials are expected to attend.

The city is helping to keep the spirit alive with its Adult 5K Title Sponsorship. The city will also host its Camp Newport expo at Spirit Run. Representatives from 21 city summer camps will provide information, fun activities and giveaways for children.

For the fifth year, the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa is supporting Spirit Run by sponsoring entry fees and bus transportation for underprivileged Newport-Mesa Unified students. Rotary will also operate Spirit Run’s information and first aid booth and volunteer in other capacities.

Members of the Newport Harbor Exchange Club, accompanied by the Corona del Mar High School drumline, will demonstrate their spirit by walking in Spirit Run’s 5K to promote the club’s Field of Honor.

“The Exchange Club is looking to the Spirit Run as the preview and kickoff for the Field of Honor, which will take place, in conjunction with Armed Forces Day, May 15 through 17 at Castaways Park,” said Ken Dufour, Exchange Club board member and Spirit Run liaison.

The Field of Honor displays 1,776 American flags in honor of veterans, law enforcement, firefighters and first responders. The Exchange Club will have a Spirit Run booth to promote the opportunity to dedicate flags. The Field of Honor’s net proceeds benefit families of servicemen and women, other projects and local youth charities.

The Newport Beach Sister City Assn. and the 2015 exchange students are raising funds through Spirit Run for the Wendell Fish Okazaki Youth Exchange Program. Each July, this program provides Newport Beach students and teachers the opportunity to attend school and live with families in Okazaki, Japan, and, the following fall, to host Okazaki students and teachers in Newport Beach.

Together with Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa, Sister City funds all program costs except student airfare.

“We are so excited that the Newport Beach Sister City Assn. is partnering with the Spirit Run for the first time,” said Connie Skibba, who heads the program.

Several high school clubs are fundraising through Spirit Run. Newport-Mesa Unified parent booster clubs are fundraising to support CdM boys soccer and girls softball and Newport Harbor girls lacrosse. CdM’s Power Club, which stands for Protecting Our Women’s Educational Rights, is fundraising to help its partner Pencils for Promise construct a school in Guatemala by 2017. Power Club’s mission is to empower underprivileged children around the world through literacy and education and to promote the importance of educating women.

To register for Spirit Run or to donate to one of its participating clubs and teams, visit https://www.nmspiritrun.org.

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Circle K Club shoots hoops for charity

On Feb. 28, Orange Coast College’s Circle K Club held its fifth annual charity basketball tournament at the Boys & Girls Club of the Harbor Area.

Eleven teams from Circle K Clubs across Orange County and Los Angeles competed and raised $600 to benefit the Boys & Girls Club as well as Kiwanis International’s and UNICEF’s Eliminate Project, whose mission is to rid the world of maternal-neonatal tetanus. During the past 12 months, OCC’s Circle K Club has completed more than 12,000 hours of community service and raised over $3,000 for charity.

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Harbor Mesa Lions members honored

Two members of the Harbor Mesa Lions were recently honored at the annual Melvin Jones Birthday Dinner celebration, held on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Melvin Jones is the founder of Lions International.

Lions Clubs worldwide honor members with a Melvin Jones Fellowship each year. This highly esteemed award went to Dalila Vaden for her dedication and work in many areas of community service. Joan Parks was honored with a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellowship for her commitment to serving her community.

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Community club events in March

Can’t make the next “America’s Got Talent” tryout? Sign up to audition for the Newport Harbor Exchange Club’s 50th annual “Search for Talent” contest on March 13 at the OASIS Senior Center’s Evelyn Hart Event Center. Judges will select top performers to proceed to a district and possibly national competition.

On March 21, 16 members of Soroptimist International, along with teens participating in the Mosaic Teen Project, will travel to Baja California to spend the day in an orphanage. Soroptimist’s purpose is to brighten the day for the orphans and inspire the teens to dream of great futures.

Soroptimist International’s mission is to improve the lives of women and girls through education.

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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 or DUNCAN FORGEY at [email protected] or (949) 548-4800.