Foothills Sentry April 2024

Foothills Sentry Page 10 APRIL 2024 Gaddi Vasquez to speak at Covenant luncheon Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez will be the keynote speaker for Covenant’s Women’s Fellowship Luncheon on Thursday, April 18. His topic will be "Combating World Hunger: A Matter of Life and Death.” Vasquez began his public ser- vice as a police officer in the City of Orange, and is a home- grown leader who has gone on to serve as an appointee of two U. S. presidents and three California governors. He served as U.S. Ambassa- dor to the United Nations Orga- nizations in Rome, including the World Food Program and the U.N. Food and Agricultural Or- ganization. Ambassador Vasquez served as director of the United States Peace Corps, where he led agency programs and the interna- tional volunteer service organiza- tion serving 77 countries. He has been a leader in com- bating issues related to world hunger and food insecurity, which resulted in the Director of the U.N. World Food Program naming Ambassador Vasquez as Champion in the Battle Against Hunger. The luncheon is open to the community, and will be held in St. Andrew’s Hall on the church campus, 1855 N. Orange-Olive Road. Men are welcome to at- tend. Doors open at 11 a.m.; the program begins at 11:30 a.m. A catered lunch is $15 per per- son, payable in advance. Reser- vations are required by Saturday, April 13, by calling Linda at (951) 237-9888. Reservations are also required to attend the pro- gram only at 12:30 p.m.; the cost is $5, payable at the door. ElMo scores big with new scoreboard After three years of permits and red tape, the El Modena Van- guards softball team has a new, working scoreboard, the jewel of their pristinely manicured field. At the dedication, Feb. 24, Coach Robert Calderon thanked their benefactor, Ward Bassett ’87 and Bassett Salon Solutions for their many contributions, in- cluding the scoreboard that bears his name. Bassett believes in the ElMo softball program, and has been assisting it since his daughter was a freshman player in 2019. At the first parent meeting, he was dis- mayed to learn the girls did not have home and away uniforms with matching numbers. Bassett rectified that with new JV and varsity uniforms and hel- mets. The wooden backstop was not effective; Bassett installed the new padding himself. Dugout covers and matching benches fol- lowed. Even after his daughter moved on from the program, Bassett con- tinued to support ElMo softball. The field was groomed: graded, leveled and lasered to remove a dangerous lip. Then a zero-turn lawn mower was needed for up- keep. It was learned, during COVID, that the softball field sprinklers were on the same lines as the Fred Kelly Field. When the Fred Kel- ly sprinklers were turned off, the softball outfield turned brown. Bassett supplied the materials for a new, separate irrigation system, and the field is now one of the premiere venues in OC. Both the junior varsity and var- sity softball teams are currently 4-0, and look forward to more runs on their new scoreboard. e new Vanguard scoreboard donated by the Bassett family. Benefactor Ward Bassett, le and coach Robert Calderon shake hands at the scoreboard dedication. Gaddi Vasquez. Photos by Jackie Driskill The Orange Park Acres Wom- en's League reports its March garage sale was a grand suc- cess. The league thanks all those who donated items and volunteered their time to help fund the group’s philanthro- pies. The Women's League is also pleased to announce that Dawn Dietz will be taking on the Vice President of Commu- nication for the League.