Foothills Sentry Page 8 JANUARY 2026 Orange Elks hold memorial service Orange Elks Lodge 1475 memorialized 23 of its members who have passed away during the year; of those, eight were veterans. The memorial service, held the first week in December, honored "Our Absent Members," so that they are not forgotten. The service was presided over by Exalted Ruler Kelley Martinez, who, by tradition, asked each officer, “What offering do you dedicate to our altar for their memory?” The offerings included the Forget-Me-Not, typifying charity, which teaches us to remember only the good that has been done. Then Amaranth, the emblem of immortality, the just reward of true and upright lives. The final offering of the Clinging Ivy is a symbol of brotherly love. The Exalted Ruler offers fidelity that embraces all the offerings. It inculcates devotion as the Forget-Me-Not, everlasting as the Amaranth, and constant as the Clinging Ivy. As the Lodge secretary reads each name, the Chaplain lights a candle, and the Esquire presents a Bible to the family of the absent member. Members of the Central Orange County Democratic Club collected toys for Operation Santa Claus, which provides gifts and toys to children and teens who are abandoned, neglected, and/or abused and are placed in foster care in Orange County. The group also collected food, clothing and blankets for the local homeless community. Donations were given to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tustin, which provides care and services to the homeless. Above, left, club member Ronna Sarvas Weltman and club Chair Frank Gomez display the cache of collected toys. At right, Gomez with food donations. The Orange Elks Lodge 1475 welcomes new members each month, who are integral to the success of Elks programs. The December class was just in time to help with the many holiday programs the Elks undertake each year to make the season bright for as many people as they can. The Elks Christmas Basket project supports 200 low-income families with food, toys, pet food and a gift card. The goal, as in past years, was to hand out 200 Christmas baskets (boxes) to families with young children to help make The December class of new Orange Elks in Lodge 1475. the holidays more magical. The Orange Elks also host a Christmas Party for children, with lunch, crafts, cookie decorating, games and a gift from Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Emblem Club is collecting gently used purses and personal Central OC Dems to feature writer The Central Orange County Democratic Club will host "The Nation" magazine writer Sasha Abramsky at its Wednesday, Jan. 28 meeting. In addition to speaking about the state of the nation, Abramsky will sign copies of his newest book, "American Carnage: How Trump, Musk and DOGE Butchered the U.S. Government." Snacks and shmooze at 6:30 p.m., general meeting at 7 p.m. RSVP to CentralOCDems@gmail.com, is required to attend. Anyone wanting to connect with fellow Democrats, get informed, learn how to be an activist, increase community involvement, and hobnob with a group of friendly people, is welcome to join Central OC Dems. Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of each month in Tustin. From left, Joanne Hubble, canyon community representative; Bill Klovstad, El Rodeo Rescue; Dee Dee Friedrich, president, Yorba Linda Country Riders; Supervisor Don Wagner; and Sherry Panttaja, president, Orange Park Association Large animal rescue gets funding boost Supervisor Don Wagner has allocated $75,000 of discretionary funding to support the new Orange County Animal Rescue Team (OCART). OCART will be a trained volunteer team dedicated to assisting with large animals during emergencies, especially wildfires, throughout Orange County. It will operate under a Plan of Cooperation with the county. Wagner’s office has been working with the equestrian community to develop a county-supported program to help with large animal evacuations. The new volunteer group fills a gap left in 2023 when the San Juan Capistrano Large Animal Rescue Team stopped providing resources countywide. Long time coming “I am very thankful to Supervisor Wagner for pushing this through and making sure it came to fruition,” said Sherry Panttaja, president of the Orange Park Association. “This is something we’ve been working on for many years, so that we can help neighborhoods throughout Orange County and make them feel like they’ve got somewhere to go when there is a fire.” “It’s very important to make sure that the animals are taken care of and to get out early. In order to do that, we needed to have a good team in place, and now we finally have one,” said Joanne Hubble, canyon community representative. “Thanks to Don and his team, the hard work of Bill and Dee Dee, we got it done.” The funds approved will cover costs related to insurance, training supplies, a rescue trailer, volunteer equipment and other necessary materials. care items, such as lip gloss, combs, hand sanitizer, etc., for Joanie’s Purse Project, which will distribute the bags to disadvantaged women. Offerings in honor of Elks' absent members Orange Elks welcome new members just in time for the holidays
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