Around Town: Festival of Trees to raise money for Irvine nonprofit
South County Outreach, an Irvine-based nonprofit, will present its second annual Festival of Trees fundraiser next month at the Fairmont Hotel in Newport Beach.
This week, the hotel will be transformed with decorated holiday trees, each with its own theme. The trees will be on display Friday through Dec. 2.
The trees will be sponsored and decorated by businesses, organizations and individuals, and will be the focal points of an auction at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3. The evening also will feature wine, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment. Tickets are $100 each.
Ninety cents of every dollar raised from the auction will go toward South County Outreach programs, which work to prevent homelessness and to house homeless families, according to a news release.
For more information or to buy tree sponsorships or reception reservations, visit sco-oc.org.
* Toys for Marines’ children being collected in Costa Mesa
The city of Costa Mesa and its Military Affairs Team are accepting donated new, unwrapped toys for children of the 1st Battalion 5th Marines.
The toys for families of the city’s “adopted” battalion will be given during a Christmas carnival at Camp Pendleton.
Stuffed animals, dolls and accessories, action figures and outdoor toys are suggested for children 7 and younger. For kids 8 and older, sporting equipment, Legos, arts and crafts, hair accessories and baseball caps are recommended.
Donations can be dropped off until Dec. 11 in the foot locker in the lobby at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.
For more information, call Dan Baker at (714) 754-5156.
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Project Independence gets new director of development
Project Independence, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit supporting adults with developmental disabilities, has named Todd Eckert its new director of development.
Eckert, who recently moved to Newport Beach with his family, previously worked for the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation in Maryland.
“We have served those in need for 40 years. Todd’s background in both business and in the nonprofit world will help us expand our donor base and generate support to take us into our next 40 years,” Debra Marsteller, Project Independence executive director, said in a statement.
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UCI arts school to host children’s performance
“Our Stories,” an original theatrical performance by third- through sixth-graders, will premiere this weekend at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
The students from Culverdale Elementary School in Irvine attended workshops to create the storyline for their performance.
The workshops encouraged the young performers to think about questions such as “What makes me special?” and “What is home?”
While creating their production, they participated in improvisation, puppetry, creative writing and dance.
“Our Stories” will run at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at Studio 5 at the school of the arts. Admission is free.
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Assistance League raises funds for youth services
The Assistance League of Newport-Mesa helped raise money for children’s philanthropic programs at the Carousel of Possible Dreams presented by the Festival of Children Foundation.
Representatives of more than 40 charities rode the King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland last week 50 times each to raise money for youth programs. The groups helped raise more than $580,000 at the event.
The Assistance League of Newport-Mesa will receive $6,500 to put toward its own programs, according to a news release.
The organization has four philanthropic programs: the Cheri Harris Dental Center, Community Outreach Program, Kids on the Block and Operation School Bell. They are funded through grants, endowments, fundraising events and private donations.