Foothills Sentry November 2021

Foothills Sentry Page 9 November 2021 “ Let us Help You Take that Leap” Residential & Industrial Properties Serving Orange, North Tustin/Tustin, Irvine, and Anaheim Areas SALES • PURCHASES • RELOCATIONS • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (714) 235-1229 CA DRE Broker # 01869578 7540 E. Chapman Ave. Orange, CA 92869 (714) 639-9792 MEAT&DELI, PRODUCE, BAKERY, FRESH FISH, GIFT BASKETS, WINE MON-SAT: 8am - 9pmSUN: 8am - 8pm www.Paci�icRanchMarket.com $ OFF Excluding alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. With coupon only. May not be combined with any other offer or discount. Limit one coupon per customer. Valid only at Paci�ic Ranch Market. When You Spend $25 or More * EXPIRES: 11/30/21 5 OC’s Premier ProduceMarket Members of Orange Elks Lodge 1475 supported the Down Syndrome Association Buddy Walk and Drive-Thru event. Local Elks aid Down Syndrome Association The Orange Elks Lodge sup- ports the military, as well as numerous community and chil- dren’s programs. Assisting the Down Syndrome Association of OC (DSAOC) is always a priority for the lodge. The pandemic cancelled the an- nual picnic the Elks traditionally sponsor for the group. However, the Orange Elks won a $3,500 Beacon Grant from the Grand Lodge and presented it to DSA- OC to help support its programs. Following the COVID lockdown, the Elks helped reopen the DSA- OC facility and participated in the organization's Buddy Walk and Family Drive-thru event. The Elks cooked hot dogs. A DJ played dance music, and Star Wars characters, princesses, a stilt walker, and a unicycle rider pro- vided entertainment. Assistance League raises holiday spirits and funds A pop-up sale of holiday crafts and decor raised almost $5,000 for Assistance League of Orange philanthropies, despite record heat, at the outdoor sales venue, Oct. 1-2. Thirteen members created all of the merchandise, which ranged from Halloween and fall-themed items to Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and drew approximately 250 shoppers. The sale was a miniature ver- sion of the highly popular Bou- tique Noël, an annual event that brought dozens of vendors with unique gifts and home décor items together with thousands of visitors to Assistance League’s downtown Orange location for pre-holiday shopping. The pandemic made planning for the traditional event impossi- ble, but the Noëls committee was undeterred in its desire to make and sell creative wares to benefit Assistance League’s many phil- anthropic programs. In the coming months, Noëls members will share their crafting expertise with such partner orga- nization recipients as the Orange Senior Center and Wise Place transitional housing program. State of the City highlights the best of Orange The Orange Chamber of Com- merce hosted the 2021 State of the City, Oct. 6, at Chapman University Musco Center with updates by Mayor Mark Mur- phy, Chapman President Daniele Strupa and presentations of the annual awards. Margaret Greinke, a longtime member of the Assistance League of Orange, Chairman Emeritus of SC Fuels, the 35th District’s Woman of the Year, was named Orange Citizen of the Year for 2019 (an honor delayed by the pandemic). Ms. Greinke has been a philanthropist and an active vol- unteer with a number of Orange organizations, including teaching religion to children, making pil- grimages to Lourdes, France with seriously ill patients, and partici- pating in the St. Norbert’s Church Parish Nurse Program. The Large Business of the Year was awarded to Thompson Build- ing Materials, an Orange institu- tion for more than 50 years, with 80 employees. Communications Lab, a homegrown firm owned by Brian Lockrie and Arianna Bar- rios, received the Small Business of the Year. Assistance League of Orange, serving the community for 81 years with over 39,000 vol- unteer hours, was named Com- munity Organization of the Year. Tending to tough times Mayor Murphy described the city as having weathered the pan- demic “fairly well.” The creation of the Paseo in Old Towne kept restaurants in business and gen- erated tax revenue. Early on, the city activated remote meetings for all business. Employees de- ferred raises to help ease the fi- nancial burden. The city provided meals for seniors; the El Modena Library offered lunch for children. Over 200 businesses benefited from CARES grants. An agreement with Providence medical group will generate $1.8 million in sales tax; the sale of bonds for the pension liability fund will save about $6.5 million. Orange hired 141 employees during the pandemic, includ- ing police and fire personnel, and launched an app that allows conditions that need attention – potholes, graffiti, noise – to be reported. Despite pandemic problems, Handy Park was renovated, the police station and a fire station are being remodeled, and a new fire station is being built. P artnerships applauded The city’s efforts to create housing and its partnerships with other cities to reduce homeless- ness, including food recovery programs that have become a national model, were noted. The HEART (Homeless Engagement, Assistance & Resource Team) re- mains a unique outreach program designed to aid people who live Assistance League of Orange, President Karen O’Keefe (left), Orange Blossoms Auxiliary, Wen- di Forrest on the street. Chapman President Strupa focused on the university’s part- nerships with the city, including contributions to Orange Home Grown, collaboration with Or- ange Unified, vaccination support and CU students volunteering in the community. Chapman made Panther Village available to quar- antine first responders. “I always want to see what we are doing for the community,” Strupa said. “The ultimate goal of research and education is to give back to the community.” Chamber President Al Ricci and Citizen of the Year Margaret Greinke