The ECO Warrior Foundation’s annual fundraiser will take place 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, at The British Hair Company, 750 South Coast Highway. All proceeds benefit the new ECO Warrior Foundation Campaign “Live Litter Free.” A $30 ticket includes a martini and two raffle tickets; a $50 ticket includes two martinis and five raffle tickets. Both are available from ecowarrior.ticketleap.com and the British Hair Company.
Hosted by Robert Englund, Freddy from “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” catered by Chronic Tacos and with live music by Party Foul, a fun night with auction and raffle items is promised. The star auction item is a Ben Aipa Sting surfboard custom painted for the event by Steve Adam.
Garden Club Welcomes the ‘King of Succulents’
Robin Stockwell will be the guest speaker at the Friday, Nov. 8, meeting of the Laguna Beach Garden Club. Stockwell has been growing succulents professionally since 1973. He has revolutionized vertical gardening with succulents, creating mural systems for small installations and mounting large collaborative exhibitions for the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. As an innovator, writer and speaker, he has inspired audiences in the joy of gardening with succulent plants. The 9:30 a.m. meeting takes place at the Laguna Beach Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Avenue. The public is welcome; there is no charge for guests on their first visit. Free parking in the Laguna Canyon Road lot (spaces 300-422) or $3 for all day parking in spaces 185-228.
Celebrate World Kindness Day
A Day of Kindness will take place on the cobblestones at Main Beach from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9. Expect music by Ava August, uplifting speakers and a sunset meditation at 4:52 p.m. The new Kindness Wall will invite all to “Take what you need and pay it forward.” A vigil and a prayer will be held for children who have died by suicide due to bullying.
‘Light Up a Life’ Honors Loved Ones, Caregivers
Every year, Mission Hospital offers an opportunity for families to remember their loved ones, honor their friends and the caregivers who have left an impact at the Light Up a Life celebration while supporting palliative and spiritual care services. This year’s event takes place Saturday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m. at the Mission Hospital Laguna Beach Auditorium, 31872 Coast Highway.
Honor a loved one by dedicating a message that will be placed on a lighthouse, symbolizing the way forward on the journey to healing, and enjoy an uplifting program with a harpist, choir and refreshments. Each gift will enhance palliative and spiritual care services to those who entrust Mission Hospital with their care.
To make a gift in honor or memory of someone special, visit www.mission4health.com/LUAL or contact Mission Hospital Foundation at 949-364-7783 for information.
Meet and Honor Local Veterans
Recognizing all veterans for their service protecting our country, the Laguna Beach America Legion will hold a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11 on the grounds of Post 222 at 384 Legion Street. The keynote speaker will be Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris of the 74th Assembly District. Mayor Bob Whalen will represent the City of Laguna Beach, and the Laguna Beach Police and Fire Departments will be providing a Color Guard. Patriotic music begins at 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Richard Moore at 949-637-4437.
American Legion Auxiliary Celebrates 100th Anniversary
The American Legion Auxiliary, founded on Nov. 10, 1919, is the world’s largest women’s patriotic organization. The organization’s goals are to provide assistance to the American Legion, to veterans and military, and to make local communities a better place to live. The Auxiliary’s theme is “Service Above Self.”
In Laguna Beach, Auxiliary members assist American Legion Post 222 with events including the Easter egg hunt at Laguna Beach High School, Memorial Day service at Heisler Park, Veterans Day ceremony, and the Post’s monthly dinner socials. In November, they decorate a Christmas tree for the “Sawdust Winter Fantasy.”
The Auxiliary’s main source of income is their poppy fundraiser, where red paper poppies are exchanged for donations. Poppy fund projects of Post 222 include donating supplies to Camp Pendleton schools and supporting numerous projects including Fisher House at Long Beach V.A., Gary Sinise Foundation, Pets for Vets and many others. The Unit sponsors high school juniors for the “Girl State” program and creates and fills handmade Christmas stockings with goodies and ships them to troops overseas.
If you are related to a veteran or active duty military, as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, grandmother, granddaughter, or great-granddaughter, you are invited to join Unit 222. For more information, contact Sandi Werthe at 949-494-6016 or [email protected].
Residents Asked to Complete Wildfire Egress Survey
This summer, the City Council approved the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety subcommittee’s report along with 44 recommendations, one of which was to conduct a comprehensive evacuation time study.
The city of Laguna Beach has awarded KLD Engineering, Inc., which specializes in communities with wildfire risk, a contract to gather demographic and transportation data. They have created a 10-minute online survey than can be taken at: LagunaBeachSurvey.kdl.engineering.
For those who prefer to take the survey in person, KLD will have personnel at Pavilions, 600 N. Coast Highway, on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to noon, and on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 4-7 p.m.
The survey can also be taken at Whole Foods, 238 Broadway, on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 4-7 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Ralphs will have survey takers on hand Friday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 4-7 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Survey takers will be at Gelson’s Market, 30922 South Coast Highway, Thursday, Nov. 14, from 8-11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 15, from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 16, from 8-11 a.m.
For more information, contact Jordan Villwock at [email protected] or 949-497-0389.
Chabad Offers New Classes
Worrier to Warrior, a new course by Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) to help people deal with life challenges by accepting themselves and finding meaning in adversity begins Nov. 13 and runs for six weeks on Wednesdays from 7- 8:30 p.m. at Chabad Laguna Beach.
Worrier to Warrior is accredited in California for mental health professionals seeking to fulfill their continuing education requirements (CEU). Like all JLI programs, this course is designed to appeal to people at all levels of knowledge, including those without any prior experience or background in Jewish learning. All JLI courses are open to the public, and attendees need not be affiliated with a particular synagogue, temple, or other house of worship.
Interested students may call 949-499 0770 or visit www.myjli.com for registration and other course-related information. Guests are welcome to try the first class at no cost. Chabad is located at 30804 S. Coast Highway.
Jinger Wallace Awarded for Conservation Work
At the Laguna Canyon Conservancy Dinner on Monday night, Cox representatives Adriana Galdamez and Casey Haack presented a check for $10,000 to Jinger Wallace for winning the California Cox Conserves Heroes Award. Jinger donated the award to the Laguna Bluebelt Coalition to further their work to protect and restore Marine Protected Areas along Laguna’s coast.
Developer to Speak at Business Club Meeting
The Laguna Beach Business Club will host Mo Honarkar, the founder, chief executive officer and president of Honarkar Ventures, as the guest speaker at their 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, breakfast meeting. The title of Honarkar’s discussion will be “Good to Great.”
Honarkar Ventures includes Laguna Beach Company, Laguna Creative Ventures, 4G Ventures and The Honarkar Family Foundation.
Honarkar has invested heavily in his hometown of Laguna Beach and is currently working on development projects, including the renovation of Hotel Laguna, The Cleo Hotel and The Heisler Project, an art inspired hotel. In addition to the hotels, Honarkar is developing affordable housing and mixed-use projects.
Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Honarkar moved to the U.S. in the late 70s and earned a bachelors of science in physics from University of California, Irvine. After working as a software engineer for Toshiba, he went on to open his first business in the early 90s – a men’s clothing store called “Chez Lui.” Thereafter he founded GSM Wireless, Inc. a retail agent of PacBell, Cingular Wireless II, LLC and later AT&T Mobility. In 2006, Honarkar founded 4G Wireless, Inc., a chain of Verizon Wireless retailers.
Breakfast meetings are hosted at Seven7Seven, 777 Laguna Canyon Road. The non-member guest fee is $30 payable in cash or check to the Laguna Beach Business Club the day of the meeting. For more information about the LBBC or to register to attend a meeting, visit lagunabeachbusinessclub.com, email [email protected], or contact Pamela Knudsen at 949-285-3730.
