Around Town: ‘American Ninja Warrior’ appears in Costa Mesa

“American Ninja Warrior” Kyle Cochran was the highlight of a diabetes-awareness event over the weekend in a Costa Mesa rock-climbing gym.

Cochran, a martial arts expert who has Type 1 diabetes, helped inspire the climber participants in the Saturday event at Rockreation on Logan Avenue, according to a news release.

The event was presented by the Pediatric-Adolescent Diabetes Research (PADRE) Foundation, Tandem Diabetes Care and Dexcom.

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Girls’ conference at UC Irvine

Nearly 250 teenage girls attended the third annual Girls Conference Orange County at UC Irvine on Saturday.

The event was organized by Girls Inc. of Orange County, based in Costa Mesa, and UCI’s Campus Assault Resources and Education.

Conference events included workshops for girls in sixth to 12th grades on topics such as college, media literacy and career readiness. Parents and guardians also attended to hear from experts about modern adolescent issues.

Actress Eden Sher was the keynote speaker.

Project Access and other community organizations helped groups attend the event.

“This collaborative event helps provide additional girls with our unique Girls Inc. experience that equips girls to navigate gender, economic and social barriers so they can grow up healthy, educated and independent,” said Girls Inc. CEO Lucy Santana in a statement.

“It is our hope that girls build confidence and embrace positive decision-making to take charge of their health and well-being, and achieve academic, personal and career goals.”

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Forum to address how girls view failure

Voice for Girls, presented by Girl Scouts of Orange County, will bring together 180 Orange County business and community leaders on May 8 in Newport Beach for discussions of how girls view failure and how that affects their ability to achieve their potential.

Developmental psychologist and author JoAnn Deak will deliver the keynote address, “Exploring Girls’ Fear of Failure and Their Need for Perfectionism.”

A panel discussion will include Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto, Michelle Khine, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at UC Irvine, and Kim Shepherd, chief executive of Decision Toolbox.

Afterward, those in attendance will work together to develop a message to girls intended to inspire them to move past their fear of failure.

The event will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Pacific Club, 4110 MacArthur Blvd.

For more information, visit https://www.girlscoutsoc.org.

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Former Costa Mesa police chief to retire

Beverly Hills Police Chief David Snowden, a former chief of the Costa Mesa Police Department, announced that he will retire effective June 13. His retirement was moved up several months because of impending back surgery, according to a report in the Canyon News.

Snowden has been Beverly Hills’ chief since 2004. Before that, he was chief in Costa Mesa from 1986 to 2003 and in Baldwin Park from 1980 to 1986.

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Hoag Women’s Health Institute Recognized

The National Consortium of Breast Centers recognized Hoag Hospital’s Women’s Health Institute this month as the only Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence in Orange County for the second consecutive year.

The consortium compares the quality of performance in assessing patient care and allocating resources when issuing the annual honor.

“In today’s dynamic health care industry, breast centers are faced with providing quality care while simultaneously keeping costs under control,” said Dr. January Lopez, director of breast imaging at Hoag Health Center.

“A center’s staff must not only be familiar with existing standards of care, but must also be aware of new advances in technology. Hoag actively ensures it provides the best possible quality breast care to women in [its] community.”

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Charity golf tournament

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County is holding its annual golf tournament at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast on Monday.

The 38th annual event is expected to raise more than $275,000 for the Santa Ana-based nonprofit and have about 150 golfers participating.

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Dance company junior camp

Corona del Mar’s Orchesis Dance Company will host a two-day junior camp for kindergarten through seventh graders next month.

Dance students will learn a dance routine led by the Orchesis team members. All participants will receive a camp T-shirt and will perform their routines for family and friends at the end of the camp.

The camp costs $50 per dancer for participants who register by May 18, or $60 at the door. The camp runs May 20 and 21 from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Applications are available on the Newport-Mesa Unified School District website.

From staff reports