Pregnancy

Members of Girls Inc. spent Saturday morning packing holiday gift boxes for families of incarcerated girls in Orange County Juvenile Hall, where the Costa Mesa nonprofit holds classes. More than a dozen middle-school-age girls from the nonprofit’s Eureka! program, along with volunteers from the community, wrapped cardboard boxes and filled them with canned food, toys, school supplies and other items. Jennifer Navarro, the coordinator for Eureka!, said the annual gift drive usually benefited about 20 families, and Girls Inc. was aiming for 30 this time.

1. The musical tops. Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties will host a benefit concert to promote the release of the "Best Bands of Orange County" compilation CD from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday at the Hard Rock Cafe, 451 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. The concert will help promote teen pregnancy awareness. $6. (714) 633-6373 Ext. 147. 2. Fair fiesta. The Deaf Fiesta will debut at 10 a.m. Saturday and continue through Sunday at the Orange County Fair & Exposition Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

On May 16, Joseph N. Bell wrote about what he perceived as the failure of abstinence education in public schools (The Bell Curve, "New studies tell troubling tale"). He cited studies that convinced him that there is a problem with teenage pregnancy and its prevention. Bell was right, there is a teenage pregnancy problem. In fact, the Planned Parenthood study he cited seemed to highlight Costa Mesa's southwest corner as perhaps the worst area in Orange County.

Lolita Harper A pastor, a parent and a teenager stood in the middle of a large group Friday night holding oversized signs that read abstinence, birth control and abortion, in bold letters. The exercise was part of the community forum on teen pregnancy, hosted by Speak Out! Students at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, designed to identify topics of discussion related to teen pregnancy. Members of the advocate teen group, part of Camp Fire USA, invited anyone from the area to participate in a discussion on prevention of teen pregnancy.

Girls Inc. program teaches about preventing drug abuse, pregnancy.Girls Inc. of Orange County, the Costa Mesa office of a nationwide nonprofit group for young females, plans to expand its services this week with a program at Orange County Juvenile Hall. The program, called Girls Inc.: Taking Care of Business, features classes about pregnancy prevention, preventing drug and alcohol abuse, communication skills and financial literacy for incarcerated girls ages 13 to 18. Staff members from the Costa Mesa office, which serves all girls in Orange County, will lead the courses at juvenile hall.

This is in response to the Daily Pilot’s editorial (“Parents best to teach sex ed,” May 17) which addresses Planned Parenthood’s objection to the district’s sex education curriculum, (“District gets ‘F’ in sex ed,” May 14). “Parents best to teach sex ed,” now that’s a good heading. Too bad it doesn’t hold up in the body of the editorial. It should have read “Parents best to teach abstinence” because that is what the Daily Pilot proposes: “Parents ought to promote abstinence if they choose.

Stefanie Frith With friends and family to cheer them on, about 40 members of St. Joachim Church participated Saturday morning in the annual Walk-For-Life in Costa Mesa. Now in it's sixth year, the Walk-For-Life, sponsored by the St. Joachim Pro-Life Committee, supports the Life Centers of Orange County. This year's event raised about $3,500, with perhaps more to come, said Diane Brown, church treasurer. The Life Centers were established in 1975, and their services include pregnancy testing, professional counseling, medical referrals and aid in finding financial and housing assistance.

MISTY Misty, 6, was adopted as a kitten from the Community Animal Network, but she now needs a new home. Her family has lost their home, the wife is pregnant unexpectedly with twins and the pregnancy is considered high risk. Her husband’s job takes him traveling most of the time and a volunteer is needed to help drive the cat to the network’s weekend adoption events when he is not available. For those interesting in adopting, Misty is a beautiful Maine Coon Mix with coloring like a mink (Sable or black/brown)

Lindsay Nieto The 15th Annual Golfer's Classic will be held at the Santa Ana Country Club on May 4, and it promises to be even more fantastic than before! Please join us as a sponsor or underwriter, as this will enable us to care for the amazing boys and girls we serve by providing safe and loving homes, guidance, college preparatory education, and scholarships. "Boys Hope Girls Hope" seeks out under-served and overlooked children who are most likely to fall prey to drugs, abuse, violence, teen pregnancy and despair, and offers them HOPE: Homes, Opportunities, Positive Parenting and Education.