Around South County: Brief "Tidbits" As the 2nd Quarter of 2014 is Before Us....

I had a chance this week to join the City of Laguna Niguel's CEPA (Community Emergency Preparedness Academy) Class of 2014 to assist in my capacity as a CERT Team member and also to sit in on the training to get myself re-certifier on CPR.   It was gratifying to see another example of elevating the level of awareness necessary for the Community to be ready.   The next session will be on First Aid.   Such trainings are ever so critical especially as Southern California experienced two reasonably active quakes.    It is not a question of if, but when the next big one occurs.

As the first Quarter of 2014 is drawing to a close, there is the June elections.     With the exception of the State Senate (where Pat Bates is running unopposed),  there are interesting and exciting races all around.   From the City Council races in Laguna Niguel, the County Supervisor Races, the 34th District up in Santa Ana all the way to races such as the Clerk-Recorder, it is bound to be quite a race.   One of the County-Wide races features the candidacy of Gary Prichard--who is currently a sitting member of the Capistrano Unified School Board.

Beyond the politics and the local "happenings", there is the youth.    The Scouts in South County have begun their annual Scout-O-Rama fundraising campaign.    The new "Camp Card" is a $ 10 face value featuring a number of partners that would yield $ 50 in savings.    Two key partners are Dick Sporting Goods and Ralphs this year alone.     It was gratifying to see how the Community had embraced the youth yet again as I had a chance to visit with one of the Troops earlier.

I also found of curious interest the reorganization that occurred in the Orange County Sheriff Department's South County Bureau that serves all South County Cities.    The realignment should help with the on-going service and outreach efforts to the South County Community.   

The Vibrancy of South County is to be embraced--which I hope we can continue to deliberate here in this "Blog Channel" for "Outsiders". 

   

Briefly re: On the Prowl Around South County This Week

The vibrancy of South Orange County continues to be amazing ever more.    This past Friday saw the Mayor Pro Tem of Laguna Niguel, Jerry McCloskey, join the Eagle and Quarterly Court of Honor for Troop 772 whereby a celebration of achievement was at hand as the 2013 Troop 772 Eagles were honored for their achievement.  It was also a joy to be witness to a night of celebration as Scouts were acknowledged as they advanced in rank and achieved their merit badges.

April is also bound to be quite exciting around South County.   The City of Laguna Niguel is gearing up to graduate its' latest cadre of Community Emergency Preparedness Academy Graduates.     The grass roots community outreach efforts is also ever so evident as well.    There is also another exciting time before us:  the Elections throughout South County.    The candidates have declared and the campaigning and endorsements have begun in earnest.

May we all live in interesting times....

On Community Engagement: The HomeAid Essentials 2014

  Home Aid Orange County's Annual Essentials Campaign has been announced.     As part of the on-going Community Engagement & Outreach Effort,  Troop 772 has supported this for a number of years.  This is just another example of Community Engagement at its very best.     The "call to action" for this year was recently received here in "Outsiders" and has been noted below:

Dear Mike, Did you know that families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population and they are struggling to provide basic essentials such as diapers for their children?  On average, a family needs 3,000 diapers a year for one child and adding in other costs, such as wipes and care items, makes this an annual cost of over $1,000 a year. To address this great need in the community, HomeAid Essentials is a community-wide effort Friday, May 2 - 11, 2014, to collect diapers, wipes, care products and food for homeless infants and toddlers.  HomeAid Essentials supports agencies throughout Orange County that are serving homeless families.  Over the past six years, HomeAid has partnered with more than 500 businesses, community organizations and individuals that have collected over 2 million items for homeless children. Please sign-up to become a community partner of HomeAid's Essentials today!    Get more information about HomeAid Essentials Register Now!

On the "Prowl" In South Orange County: Brief Thoughts As Q1 2014 Comes to a Close.....

Orange County survived the storm watch.   The storms were quite brutal at times.   What I had hoped was to see a dent in the drought being experienced in California.   All indications so far are that it has just "made a small dent".    This is as I have seen reports that 19 Water Districts are in danger of running out of water.

What I found striking was a conversation I had with the Assistant Principal at Aliso Viejo Middle School.   He was sharing how how he "suited up" to help the sole custodian clear out the drains at the school since the rains had blocked them all.   I commended him for the proactive stance he took and shared the miracle that he and all the other teachers and admisntrators do constantly and consistently at all the 56 campuses of the Capistrano Unified School District.   I made this very clear in my thoughts that I shared when I joined a roundtable to discuss the search for the new Superindenant for the Capistrano Unified School District.

 We're also bound to have some very interesting times in Southern Orange County as we have a number of key leading figures in South Orange County vying for office.  It is bound to be a very very interesting number of months.

The 2nd Quarter of 2014 is bound to be quite exciting.