Project Independence

A recent Costa Mesa fundraiser netted $27,000 for adults with developmental disabilities. The Walk for Independence and Health Fair at TeWinkle Park on Saturday drew funds from sponsors, teams of volunteer and walkers. The organizers were Project Independence, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that advocates and supports adults with disabilities such as Down syndrome. "Our support for people with disabilities is a community affair," Board Chairman Dan Pittman said in a statement.

A number of changes are planned for the Newport-Mesa area in July. Along with several promotions within the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa police departments, two major charities in the area will merge on July 1. Project Independence, which helps parents of disabled children assist their kids in living independently, and Orange County-based Vantage Foundation will join forces at the beginning of next month, according to a news release. The merge will allow both organizations to provide more comprehensive care with money, services and personal assistance.

The Board of Directors of Project Independence announced today that Mitsubishi Electric USA of Cypress, California has generously donated an elevator for use at the nonprofit?s Costa Mesa office. ?One of our major goals this year was to make our new offices fully accessible for all of our clients. This terrific donation makes the dream a reality,? said Dan Pittman, the agency?s Board chair. The cost of the elevator?s installation will be covered by donations, including funds raised at Project Independence?

A Costa Mesa-based nonprofit is asking for donations after $12,000 to $14,000 worth of items were stolen, an organizer said. Project Independence, which serves about 600 adults with developmental disabilities in Orange County, lost items including a karaoke machine, audio equipment, computers, a big screen TV, DVD player and saw horses during a late-night break in April 8, said Associate Director Bob Watson. The thieves may have been scared away before they could take more because some supplies were found in the parking lot, Watson said.

Project Independence, a Costa Mesa nonprofit group for adults with developmental disabilities, has hired Michael Manchester to manage its new senior housing program that will be funded by a $76,000 grant received last month from the California Council on Developmental Disabilities. With the funds, Project Independence will help three or four senior citizens at each of its six homes to share leasing costs during the yearlong pilot program, Manchester said.

Project Independence is celebrating its 30th anniversary and showing off its new building in Costa Mesa on Friday afternoon. The organization, which aims to help people with developmental disabilities, merged with a group with a similar mission last year, and the combined resources allowed it to buy new digs with space to entertain. The old Project Independence building, across the street from the new one, was not as well suited for some of the events the nonprofit hosts, including karaoke nights, holiday parties and meetings to teach people with disabilities their rights, according to Executive Director Debra Marsteller.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- A local housing program is having a mixer for developmentally disabled adults today to try to continue the bonding that began at a similar event earlier this month. "I think a lot of them [disabled adults] sometimes feel that they don't have anything in common with other people," said Kim Rendi, a team leader for the program known as Project Independence. "It's great for them to find similarities with other people, and some found others who had the same jobs, issues with roommates or similar personalities.

JUDY KEARNS BECKNER    April 7, 1929 - February 21, 2013 Judy Kearns Beckner passed away peacefully in her home on February 21, 2013.  She was predeceased in death by her husband Robert Kearns, and her second husband Charles Beckner. Judy is survived by her sons, Kevin (Allison), Jeff Kearns, and Greg Kearns, and two grandchildren Bobby and Katie Kearns.  She also leaves behind her sister, Marcia Powers, who resides in Dayton, WY, and step-daughters, Susan McDougal, Washington and Abbe Dewitt, China.

Two Costa Mesa-based nonprofit organizations that serve residents with developmental disabilities are considering a merger that would likely mean a boost in resources and a significant expansion in programs. Board members from the Vantage Foundation and Project Independence, both founded in 1977, are in preliminary discussions about the potential merger. The agencies are already united through Debra Marsteller, who was named executive director of Project Independence in July and who has headed Vantage Foundation for 25 years.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- Armed with a $76,000 grant, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit organization is ready to move forward with a plan to counter the limited availability of affordable housing in the county. The plan by Project Independence calls for member-run cooperative housing for senior citizens with developmental disabilities and for developmentally disabled people with parents who are senior citizens, said Andrea Erickson, executive director of the nonprofit.

A Costa Mesa-based nonprofit is asking for donations after $12,000 to $14,000 worth of items were stolen, an organizer said. Project Independence, which serves about 600 adults with developmental disabilities in Orange County, lost items including a karaoke machine, audio equipment, computers, a big screen TV, DVD player and saw horses during a late-night break in April 8, said Associate Director Bob Watson. The thieves may have been scared away before they could take more because some supplies were found in the parking lot, Watson said.

JUDY KEARNS BECKNER    April 7, 1929 - February 21, 2013 Judy Kearns Beckner passed away peacefully in her home on February 21, 2013.  She was predeceased in death by her husband Robert Kearns, and her second husband Charles Beckner. Judy is survived by her sons, Kevin (Allison), Jeff Kearns, and Greg Kearns, and two grandchildren Bobby and Katie Kearns.  She also leaves behind her sister, Marcia Powers, who resides in Dayton, WY, and step-daughters, Susan McDougal, Washington and Abbe Dewitt, China.

A recent Costa Mesa fundraiser netted $27,000 for adults with developmental disabilities. The Walk for Independence and Health Fair at TeWinkle Park on Saturday drew funds from sponsors, teams of volunteer and walkers. The organizers were Project Independence, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that advocates and supports adults with disabilities such as Down syndrome. "Our support for people with disabilities is a community affair," Board Chairman Dan Pittman said in a statement.

The Board of Directors of Project Independence announced today that Mitsubishi Electric USA of Cypress, California has generously donated an elevator for use at the nonprofit?s Costa Mesa office. ?One of our major goals this year was to make our new offices fully accessible for all of our clients. This terrific donation makes the dream a reality,? said Dan Pittman, the agency?s Board chair. The cost of the elevator?s installation will be covered by donations, including funds raised at Project Independence?

Project Independence Announces Sabbatical Award Costa Mesa, CA October 24, 2009 -  Orange County’s Project Independence has been recognized three times in as many months for exemplary services for people with developmental disabilities. The latest is this week, The California Wellness Foundation awarded Project Independence and Executive Director Debra Marsteller their leadership award. The Sabbatical Program was created to support nonprofit leaders and seeks to improve the long-term effectiveness of health-focused nonprofits by providing their executives with the rest they need to continue to direct their organizations’ missions.

6/25/54 – 07/14/09 Don Perkins, 55, passed away at Hoag Hospital on July 14, 2009 following a brief illness. Don was born in Los Angeles on June 25, 1954. He was the only son of Carol Woldenberg Perkins and Robert Woodman Perkins. Don was raised in Corona del Mar, where he attended elementary school. Born with cerebral palsy, Don was still able to achieve a well rounded education, graduating from high school at Mardan School. He worked for all of his adult life at Mardan School as an office assistant.

Project Independence is celebrating its 30th anniversary and showing off its new building in Costa Mesa on Friday afternoon. The organization, which aims to help people with developmental disabilities, merged with a group with a similar mission last year, and the combined resources allowed it to buy new digs with space to entertain. The old Project Independence building, across the street from the new one, was not as well suited for some of the events the nonprofit hosts, including karaoke nights, holiday parties and meetings to teach people with disabilities their rights, according to Executive Director Debra Marsteller.

A number of changes are planned for the Newport-Mesa area in July. Along with several promotions within the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa police departments, two major charities in the area will merge on July 1. Project Independence, which helps parents of disabled children assist their kids in living independently, and Orange County-based Vantage Foundation will join forces at the beginning of next month, according to a news release. The merge will allow both organizations to provide more comprehensive care with money, services and personal assistance.

Jane Glen Haas, founder of Women Sage and the Girl Scout Council Orange County, will receive the Matters of the Heart Award from Soroptimist International Newport Harbor on Feb. 9 at a luncheon being held at the Turnip Rose in Costa Mesa. According to Soroptimist Ann Schultz, the luncheon begins at 11 a.m. with a reception and auction. The Women's Opportunity Award (given to female heads of households reentering the workforce) and the Violet Richardson Award (given to young women providing service to their community)

EDUCATION School district settles yearlong zoning dispute The dispute over the Corona del Mar Zone came to its official end Tuesday, as the Newport-Mesa school board voted unanimously to accept a reduced plan for changing the zone's attendance areas. The vote ended nearly a year of controversy, during which parents pleaded and petitioned the district not to split their neighborhoods between different schools. Originally, the district proposed shifting school boundaries to prevent an overcrowding at Newport Coast Elementary School and to boost enrollment at Eastbluff Elementary School.