Lariat
SADDLEBACK & IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGES’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER
VOLUME 46, ISSUE 6
Out of the Darkness suicide prevention walk aims to make an Orange County chapter.
WEB
On the
WEDNESDAY, October 30, 2013
Fighting
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cancer
one duck at a time “The recent tragedy of losing my cousin to cancer, makes me realize that people don’t get as involved until it hits home.” - Iman Moujtahed
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chemo
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rubber ducks
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$10 for a rubber duck
When: Nov. 5, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Where: the SSC quad
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Courtesy of Lu Sipos
Chelsea Jarrell
leven-year-old Gabe Sipos and his plush duck named Connor have been in cancer remission since 2003. Gabe named his duck after Connor Hunley, a childhood friend who he met in Monroe Carell Children’s hospital at Vanderbuilt University. Connor taught Gabe playful things like how to shoot water at the nurses using a syringe. Gabe and Connor had both been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer. Gabe’s cancer was focused in his sinus cavity, Connor’s in his bladder. The two boys gravitated towards each other right away and became great friends.
“Gabe was only one when he was diagnosed with cancer,” said Lu Sipos, mother and founder of non-profit organization, Gabe’s My Heart. “We all had a hard time understanding what was happening.” The malignant tumor resting on Gabe’s brain was crushing his optic nerve, leaving Lu and Gabe’s father Rob feeling lost. Lu wanted help her baby boy feel more comfortable after the discovery of the tumor. A simple stuffed animal duck would soon be the start of something much bigger than she thought. (Continued on p. 4)
About
Life Editor
Gabe’s Chemo ducks The chemo ducks are used to comfort the children and to go through cancer treatment with the children. Various body parts on the duck mimic human parts, allowing processes to be done on the duck before the child: • a little cover on the arm (no-no arm immobilizer) is used to hold the IV in place • deep belly buttons to place in feeding tube • a chemotherapy port used to explain and show the process of chemotherapy to children
Death of IVC’s Darius Porter under investigation Kristen Wilcox
IPad Editor
Darius Porter, former Irvine Valley College Lasers basketball player, was killed Monday evening after he was hit by oncoming traffic on the northbound lane of the Santa Ana Freeway. Lt. Jeffrey Hallock, spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said in an email the “case is still under investigation and they have yet to determine ‘accident’ or ‘suicide.’” The coroner’s report stated that he was struck by multiple vehicles and killed at 6:47 p.m. First-hand witness Kenneth Bennett told Mission Viejo Patch that he had seen
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Porter hurl himself in front of the first vehicle, then pulled over and tried unsuccessfully to convince Porter to stay at the scene. Porter then ran, with a head injury, toward Burlington Coat Factory and the witness lost him. According to OCSD he then ran onto the Santa Ana Freeway onramp at Avery Parkway. Porter played forward as a freshman for IVC last season. Porter attended Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore, Calif. IVC recruited him from the basketball program, but he chose to go to another school up North, according to IVC Men’s Basketball Coach Jerry Hernandez. He eventually moved to San Clemente where
ipate in the recre-
WEDNESDAY, March 6, 2013
he had relatives and made his way to IVC. Hernandez released a statement the morning of Oct. 24. “On behalf of Irvine Valley College, we want to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Darius Porter. The Irvine Valley family was deeply saddened to hear the news of his death. Darius will truly be missed. In the year that he was part of our program, we knew him as a great teammate and friend. We have offered counseling support, if needed, to our players during this tough time. Again, our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to everyone who knew, cared for and loved Darius. We are sorry for their loss.” (Continued on p. 4)
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IVC Veteran’s Day ceremony
Irvine Valley College will hold a commemoration ceremony next week for Veteran’s day. The event will occur on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. at the Student Services Center Lobby. South Orange County Community College District Trustee James R. Wright will be a guest speaker at the event. According to his biography on the SOCCCD website, Wright was a
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colonel in the United States Air Force for 27 years, also serving as commander of the Air Force Academy Preparatory School
Halloween double-feature
The Saddleback College Associated Student Government will be hosting a special, double-feature Halloween movie night on Oct. 30 in the Quad. The first film to be shown will be the 1993 Disney movie, “Hocus Pocus.” The second film in the double feature will be the 2004 British comedy movie, “Shaun of the Dead.” The first movie will begin at 6 p.m. The first 75 ASB Stamp Holders will receive free food.
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Lariat WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013
Opinion 2
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Campus
Costume-less at a costume party At Halloween time, there are far more freightening things than ghosts and ghouls Chelsea Jarrell
Life Editor
Aladdin asked if I wish to see the genie in a bottle hoisted to his hip. The invitation was declined for endeavors like force feeding my face with chips from the table near the angel-devil couple openly kissing on the couch. In my perfect world, every man would come dressed to Halloween parties as Frank Sinatra—whisking gals away to the dance floor while humming tunes like, “I’ve Got the World on a String,” or strap a beard to his face with a button-up Colonial suit as worn by Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President and General of the Civil
War. After all, pantaloon pants, genie lamps and chest hairs never impressed women such as a Union general with a loaded gun. Standing in the middle of a parade of red cups, retired beer cans, a high-heeled Tequila Girl and her straw sombrero, the Joker’s smeared smile, and sexy Dorothy—feels unsettling. Unfortunately, there are no Sinatras or war hero-turned-presidents to be found. Besides the angel-devil still sucking face on the couch, the scariest thing about Halloween parties isn’t being without a costume. It’s finding a costume that’s sexy, yet screams self-worth. Efforts must be made by both sexes to maintain mystery in this generation of bunny ears and thigh-high fishnets. Divert from the skimpy blue dress and red slippers. Follow the Yellow Brick Road to where men and women dress up
as classy, reputable figures on Halloween
Comments:
night.
Halloween could potentially be a
day of high dignity. Women must find
the inner Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Queen
Elizabeth Catherine the Great as opposed
What had been your most creative Halloween costume?
to any slutty abomination of health care professionals and comic book characters.
Imagine ghosts bowing down to their
majesties as they trot into Halloween
“My most creative Halloween costume was Gnomeo, from Gnomeo and Juliet. The movie is a spinoff of Romeo and Juliet except with gnomes. It was all homemade basically just fabric.”
bashes, ghouls trembling at the sight of lacking sleaze.
After assessing my fellow shot-taking
peers, there are far worse things than being costume-less at a costume party—
like accepting Aladdin’s invitation or dancing with the Joker who doesn’t know
-FRANCISCO CASTELLO, 30, mechanical
the first thing about humming a love tune. cjarrell.lariat@gmail.com
“I would say my most creative costumes were last year. I dressed up as a tourist and a chubaka for different parties.“
Media is not to blame for adolescent rebellion Parents should focus on the positive aspects of media rather than the negative Melanie Roberts
Editor-in-Chief
For the first few years of their lives, children look to their parents for guidance. They follow their values and mimic their behavior. As a child grows, they start to question those values and veer from parental influence to that of their peers and the media. Some parents begin to blame celebrities and the media for their child’s change in behavior, but they should be reevaluating the connection they have with them and lead a dialogue about what those behaviors shown by the media impact their family. Individual celebrities should not have to alter their behavior to fit someone else’s ideals.
According to everydaylife. globalpost.com, “As a parent, you can influence your child by helping him determine what makes a good celebrity role model. Discuss the consequences of the poor choices that a particular celebrity made, such as jail time or hefty fines.” Exploited affairs, night club appearances and questionable fashion choices bring judgmental eyes to young celebrities, but even more so to ex-child stars who are often blamed for the bad influence they have on their young fans. Celebrity lives are constantly on display for the public whether it’s on TV or in the tabloids, like Miley Cyrus’ performance on the Video Music Awards or the drug-related death of “Glee” star Cory Monteith where children and teens will inevitably see them. However, these celebrities should be able to grow up and have the same freedom
to express themselves as the average person, and not be accountable for the kids who might decide to follow them. Celebrities are human just like anyone else. They may rebel as they struggle to figure out who they are, but they shouldn’t be held to the mistakes they make at any given moment in time. Everyone makes mistakes and many times these young stars come out of the rebellion years later and turn their lives around. Not all examples that young celebs set are bad either. For example 21-year-old Selena Gomez tells young fans during her concerts to respect themselves and it’s ok to be who they are, though she is most remembered for her public relationship with Justin Beiber that ended badly. Star of the CW’s hit show “The Vampire Diaries,” Ian Somerhalder, used his fame to start his IS Foundation. According to his website, “The
IS Foundation aims to empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures.” Though some stars, like Monteith, don’t make it past their poor decisions, there are stars who have moved past their early-life errors. One of those success stories is Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, who struggled with drug addiction throughout his young life, but sought help through rehab and now works everyday to stay sober. He told Fox 411 that he’s been sober on and off for 7 years. Parents should focus their children’s attention on the positive things that celebs do and talk to them about how they are not perfect. They make mistakes, but also use their status to do good deeds.
-Garrett Spathers, 18, aerospace engineering
“I was in the fifth-grade and I was a genie. I got glittery sneakers and put on a loud genie belt. I also got to show my belly button which was a big deal in the fifth-grade.“
-parish jennings, 18, computer science (Left)
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“It’s between Nikki Minaj and Lady Gaga. Actually Lady Gaga was the most creative. I got a gift bag and turned it into a dress. I did some things like put bows in my hair. I was doing a Lady Gaga Christmas theme.”
-LAUREN REED, 18, undecided (Right)
Sneaking spyware into Web and social media will eventually backfire on parents Kaylee Johnston
News Editor
Social media, being an outlet for 81 percent of teens (aged 12-17) according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, has caused parents to resort to programs which allow them to rifle through their child’s Internet activity. Although maintaining children’s safety online is important, the tools being used to do so are becoming a “Big Brother” figure in the lives of those impacted by it. The monitoring website uKnowKids.com was created in 2009 to allow parents to follow most, if not all, social media posts, likes, tweets, etc. This website pulls all of the social media information and activity onto an “easy to understand” dashboard that translates slang for the parents among other tools, according to uKnowKids.com. It doesn’t stop there, however. The site also offers a variety of tools that allow parents to receive text conver-
sations and more from their teen’s iPhone or Android smartphone. These tools are aimed to be helpful in protecting children from bullying and possible dangerous situations, however, it is more of a trust issue than a concern for safety. Being able to secretly access all of this information can also create a barrier between the parents and children. The parents may view information that, although not dangerous to the child, may show they are depressed or going through a fight with friends. When given that informa-
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tion, it becomes a whole new game of whether or not they should approach the subject and risk damaging the trust between one another. This could cause a sense of uncomfortable realization for the children if brought up, or cause a feeling of uselessness in the parents if not talked about. Damages in trust can linger in a relationship between parents and children, and may even result in the child shutting the parents out even more. The main argument to support this new programming, or rather
Editors-in-Chief
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Chelsea Jarrell
Adam Kolvites
News Editor
Life Editor
Sports Editor
Christian Bonin
Nathalie Lozano
Phil Vogel
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more advanced form of the programming, is that is protects children from cyberbullying or receiving inappropriate messages/pictures. However, rather than having to become an almost co-user of their kids social media, parents could be teaching their teens safer ways to use the Internet. Social media programs, such as Facebook and Instagram, offer safety features that would help to prevent your teen from having their private information viewed by those who shouldn’t have access to it. If there is a big enough concern about the social networking itself, maybe the parents should consider keeping their children from using it. At least that would be less intrusive than an over-analyzing program having access to all of their conversations.
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The Lariat is the student newspaper of Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College. The Lariat is an independent, First Amendment, student-run public forum. One copy of the Lariat is free. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 at the Lariat newsroom, which is located in LRC 116. Letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit letters to 200 words or less and include a name, valid e-mail address and signa-
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Lariat WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013
Entertainment 3
Art
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BRIEF:
Exhibit
Saddleback to host Tony Award-winning show
here until Nov. 15 Anibal Santos / Lariat
Crowds flock to see the artwork on display in the “Another View III” exhibit at Saddleback College
The Department of Theater Arts at Saddleback College will be opening a new show next week in the McKinney Theatre. “Metamorphoses—A Play” will be opening on Nov. 7 at 7:30. The adaptation of the classic poem by Greek writer Ovid is described on the Fine Arts department website as, “…deeply moving and humorous, weaving familiar Greek mythology into a stunning exploration of love, loss, memory, imagination and the power to adapt and endure.” The play first opened on Broadway in February 2002. That year, it was nominated for three Tony
Awards, with writer and director Mary Zimmerman receiving the Tony for Best Direction of a Play. “Metamorphoses—A Play” will be running at the McKinney Theatre from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m., and from Nov. 9 to Nov. 10 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets will cost $15 for the general public, while students and seniors can get in for $10. For more information on upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, go to the Fine Arts department website at saddleback.edu/arts
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Fine Art:
The Los Angeles Printmaking Society brings wood-based art to Saddleback College Melanie Roberts
Editor-in-Chief
Another View III, Los Angeles Printmaking Society’s 21st National Juried Satellite Exhibit, opened in the Saddleback College art gallery on Oct. 22 to artists, students, staff and visitors at the artists’ reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The show features a variety of prints, from etchings to lithographs to woodcuts, that were specifically chosen by judges Vinita Voogd, Rick Reese (both printmaking instructors) and art gallery director Bob Rickerson. These judges filtered through 1,200 artworks from all over the country to find the 48 pieces shown in exhibit. Rickerson was pleased with the outcome of the show and the selection of the images. “I wasn’t disappointed by any, but I was surprised by quite a few on how they looked,” Rickerson said. “I think the quality is very strong and it’s affordable.” The two other judges, Voogd and Reese, were delighted by the scale of some of the pieces when they came to the gallery. “It was really interesting and
now that we’re looking at some of the artwork, and we thought [“In the Bark”] would be a 6 to 8 inch piece and we’re so excited about the scale,” Voogd said. “For this show we weren’t only looking at the content, but we were also looking at printmaking, but that wasn’t our main focus.” Reese said, “We were looking for different approaches to printmaking, because some people are going to be really traditional with a piece and some people may be more contemporary. But our main focus was to find the most quality prints we could.” Bart McHenry, dean of fine arts and technology said he thought it was an exciting installation for the gallery. “It really shows the breadth of art that can be created in printmaking,” McHenry said. “It’s also honoring that we can display the work of so many different university professors from around the nation and give them the opportunity to display their work.” In addition to the university professors, one former Saddleback student, Nathan Catlin, and one current student, Mariko Ishii, an art major, presented works at the exhibit as well. Ishii said she takes printmaking classes at Saddleback and has been working with this art form for over 20 years. Her piece, “Puddles,” was displayed in the
show. Another artist, Gail Jacobs, said she chose three recent pieces to submit to the exhibit and “Screen,” completed in 2012, was chosen. “I like that it has images that are a little bit new for me, as well as ones that I work with more frequently,” Jacobs said. “I draw a lot out of my imagination and my landscape material and use some ancient text. I sort of take it all apart and put it back together.” Student visitors Jennifer Waters, a 20-year-old art major and Emilee West, an 18-year old art major both were drawn to “Hilo” by Michael Marshall. “I love the vibrant colors of this one, they kind of just jump off the page,” Waters said. “The black and white part almost looks like music notes.” West said, “I like the contrasting between the black and the white. It makes everything pop. I think that it can relate to everybody in a different way.” Four pieces were sold at the reception, including Karla Hackenmiller’s “Liminal Spiral,” bought by Voogd’s husband, Maarten. West said it reminded him of a famous 14th Century printmaker, Albrecht Dürer. The exhibit will be displayed in the gallery until Nov. 15.
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Gallery group photo shoot- Drawing and Printmaking Instructor Rick Reese (far left), former Saddleback College Drawing Instructor Bill Riley (left), Printmaking Instructor Vinita Voogd (center) Gallery Director Bob Rickerson (far back) History of Architecture Professor Irini Vallera Rickerson (right) Maarten Voogd (far right). Above:
Jennifer Waters, a 20-year-old art major (right) and Emilee West, an 18-yearold art major, admire one of the many prints in the show.
Right:
Photos by Anibal Santos
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Lariat WEDNESDAY, October 30, 2013
News 4 LARIATNEWS.COM
Gabe’s Chemo Duck continued from page 1
Huggable Hope Rubber ducks will be attending the Big Pluck on Nov. 5
Kristen Wilcox
Saddleback student Iman Moujtahed suffered the loss of her 11-year-old cousin to cancer. The tragedy has inspired her to promote the Pluck-A-Duck fundraiser to provide a little bit of hope to other children who have cancer. Elizabeth Ortiz Multimedia Editor
I
man Moujtahed lost her 11-year-old cousin, Aranza Garza, to cancer earlier this year. Moujtahed recalls Garza’s strength, which lasted even until her death on July 27 in Mexico City. “I don’t want to die, but if I do, I hope I have done everything that I could to help the people that I was supposed to here on earth,” Garza told her family before her death. Inspired to help others affected by cancer, Moujtahed, the 22-year-old Saddleback College ASG events committee officer of community service, started promoting Pluck-ADuck, a fundraiser for children with cancer. “The recent tragedy of losing my cousin to cancer, makes me realize that people don’t get as involved until it hits home,”
Moujtahed said. Moujtahed goes to Saddleback College classrooms explaining how buying ducks can make a difference to children who have cancer and are going through treatment. “The first time I went to a classroom, it was my speech class and right then and there, I sold a duck,” Moujtahed said. “It starts to becomes social pressure, but in a good way and I will even buy ducks out of pocket and collect money later,” she said. Pluck-A-Duck was started to provide these children with a stuffed animal that they can interact with in order to cope with the scary moments of having to go through chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Saddleback isn’t the only place that Moujtahed spreads the word about the program. She also goes to places in her community to raise awareness. Moujtahed’s explains posting Pluck-A-Duck flyers at
Starbucks and other neighboring spots with passion stems from a letter written by her uncle after his daughter died. “Dear friends and family, My daughter finally left her cancer and went to heaven. She had 19 chemotherapies, four operations and more then 30 stays at the hospital, almost a 100 bags of transfusions and lots of medicines. She was also given mental therapy, spiritual therapy, natural and home remedies, special diets, alternative medicine, radiation, blood analysis, oxygen tanks and so many other things that she left behind. She left her horrible distress behind and everyday that she is missing, everyday she is remembered. - Fernando Garza.” In Mexico, Garza’s family has gotten involved in local charities, providing a way for way the family to cope with the loss of Garza. eortiz.lariat@gmail.com
Darius Porter continued from page 1 Hernandez had formed a relationship with Porter when Porter chose to attend IVC. Porter opened up to Hernandez about his personal life and his struggles, Hernandez said. “At the end of the season he was struggling academically, financially, and he kind of decided, ‘Hey, coach, I want to play basketball and go to school but it’s just been challenging financially to support myself,’ and he chose not to come back,” Hernandez said. Hernandez said he did not see signs of suicide but was always concerned when Porter would leave campus. “Socially, athletically and personally he interacted comfortably like any other team member. I was concerned when his grades started to fall and he started to show signs of losing his confidence a little bit,” Hernandez said. “We’d try to remind Darius, ‘Hey, you’re only a freshman, you still have another year,’ but we could kind of see signs he was losing his self-esteem.” Men’s basketball team manager Andrea Gonzales also said she did not see signs. “I didn’t think it would have gotten this far,” Gonzales said. “I didn’t, honestly didn’t see signs. I haven’t hung out with him probably for a month and a half or so but I didn’t think it was that bad whatever it was. I was surprised.” Gonzales was a close friend of Porter’s. “I was actually collecting the balls and one of my teammates told me and I just went numb and then I ran outside of the gym and just started crying,” Gonzales said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was really shocked and it just even up to now it’s unreal. It’s just unreal.” Gonzales remembers Porter as a light-hearted friend who always had good times together. “He was hilarious. We had great times. Every time we hung out we would always just laugh,” Gonzales said. “Even today and yesterday I
would break out into laughter just thinking of funny times we’ve had just hanging out. Whether it was eating Mongolian barbecue down by Saddleback or just hanging out at the mall or something. I’m just going to miss him a lot.” Hernandez believed in Porter’s athletic capabilities. “Darius was very athletic,” Hernandez said. “I think had he been able to stay on academically and emotionally stayed on track and didn’t have all the other variables in his life, and been able to take care of himself financially, then he would have been a scholarship player, capable of perhaps division two. His potential was great.” Porter appeared in six games for the Lasers. He shot 2-4 from the field, and made five of six free throw attempts. “We knew that emotionally and socially and whatever other aspects he had, he had some problems with,” Hernandez said. “But we thought he had done a little bit of outside work and going to some organizations to help him deal with some of those. It wasn’t an issue so much for us because he was stable, but we could always tell what was going in his personal life because for us, we don’t have dorms we’re a commuter school. When he left here he was juggling a lot of things and we were disappointed he didn’t come back but we understood. He was kind enough to share some of his problems with us and we were open to help him get back into school and be able to be here this year but apparently there was just too many obstacles.”
Funeral service: Wednesday, October 30 at 2:00 PM 640 S. ELCAMINO REAL San Clemente, CA 92672
“I wanted to make a pal for him. I got little hospital pajamas to fit his duck. I can’t stitch, but I took home some chemotherapy port and sewed it to his chest.” Lu said. “I didn’t know what a fantastic teaching tool it would be. Gabe started practicing things with his duck.” Soon after, Lu founded the Gabe’s My Heart Foundation which connects children cancer patients with Chemo Ducks, replicas of Gabe’s stuffed animal duck wearing the same hospital pajamas and chemotherapy port. Ducks come with an instruction book, workbook, DVD and online activities that assist in educating families about the processes of cancer treatment while also helping children feel more comfortable throughout the process as their ducks may receive the same treatments as them. “The amount of ducks we give away vary year to year from about three thousand to five thousand,” Lu said. “The year Gabe was asked to play in the movie, Country Strong—that was a big year for us.” The 2010 movie was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee where the Sipos family resides. “My end goal would be for Chemo Duck to be a mascot for children with cancer,” Lu said. The ducks are in about 150 hospitals now but the foundation would like this number to grow. “We would love for the ducks to be in all hospitals with pediatric oncology.” Typically the foundation receives corporate Brief: Children of the Nations Children of the Nations (COTN) is reaching out to meet the needs of orphaned and destitute children. Their vision is to teach children how to transform the society and nation, in which they live, said the Director of Laguna Niguel’s COTN Chapter, Sara Booth.
sponsorship or does a lot of the fundraising themselves. Lu was pleasantly surprised when she found out Saddleback College is hosting the Pluck a Duck Fundraiser with proceeds planned to give Chemo Ducks to the children being treated at the Childrens Hospital of Orange County. “Someone must’ve taken it upon themselves to host this event to raise funds,” Lu said. “When I found out, I was blown away.” Connor Hunley passed away the day following his tenth birthday. Connor is still very much alive in the hearts and minds of Gabe’s family. Although Gabe can no longer talk to Connor, the duck serves as a memory of a friend who was willing to take Gabe—under his wing.
For more information on Gabe’s Chemo Duck visit: http://chemoduck.org/ For more information on the fundraiser visit: http://www.lariatnews. com
COTN reaches over 35,000 children in developing countries. Village partnership programs have been established for impoverished parents and caregivers that need assistance in education, medical care and daily nutrition. “Our Orange area office sent 1.3 million meals to Africa last
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year alone, including the Dominican Republican and Haiti. Applied Medical is a huge supporter who donates medical supplies,” Booth said. Booth said that sponsoring a child is the most important way to get involved. For more information visit cotn.org.
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