News & Events
Perfect Beach Day at Crystal Cove
Sunday August 22 was a picture perfect summer day, much to the delight of the FCC families and friends gathered at Crystal Cove State Beach. Around 20 families, or 60 individuals, turned out for the event, which was expertly organized and executed by Sandy Draper and husband Joel Warner (who lugged a ton of stuff down the steep path). Many thanks to both!
Our group congregated around an extra large shade canopy sheltering cold drinks and a variety of snacks, even watermelon! Each family brought their own lunch and beach gear. There was no shortage of sand toys, and a few of the older kids braved the chilly ocean water on boogie boards. Some folks took a short walk to check out the tide pools. All the girls (and even a few boys) had hours of endless play in the sand and the waves, and all the parents enjoyed visiting. A wonderful time was had by all!
Check out our gallery of Beach Day photos. Our thanks to Ann Marie Rousseau and Patty Uy for contributing the photos.
The Blazing Paddles Team Does It Again!
Genevieve Davenport writes:
Our team, Blazing Paddles had a great Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival this year! Our mixed team did wonderfully. We showed our team spirit and persevered to the end. We ended up placing second in the final race in our division on Sunday. We placed fourth in our second race on Saturday. Our women’s team (mostly moms and daughters) looked great and had three great races.
This year our team really understood that technique was more important than speed in every stroke that we paddled. Everyone worked as a unit which made the boat surge forward.
Fun With Friends at the 2010 FCC-SoCal Summer Picnic
This year's FCC-SoCal/OCA summer picnic on June 5th rejoined old and new friends alike at an unique park in the city of San Gabriel, in western San Gabriel Valley. We picnicked directly adjacent to Dinosaur Park, an artistic treasure nestled in the quiet corner of Victor Lugo Park. The event was well attended by over fifteen families, and offered opportunities for enjoying delicious food (Hawaiian theme!) and warm conversation. Many members met the new FCC board members for the first time.
Read full post and visit the gallery.
OC Kids Learn About Self Defense
The family self defense workshop held Saturday May 15 was a great success! About twenty kids with one or two parents per family turned out for the session. The age range of the kids was from three and a half to ten, with the majority five to seven years old.
Instructor and FCC Mom Laura Hesser did an excellent job. She made it fun for the kids all the while they were learning important information and skills. Laura's set-up was perfect with the parents sitting in the background and the kids sitting up front around her, which resulted in the session being interactive for the kids, both discussion-wise and physically. Laura was able to tailor the session to the age range that attended so there was high participation and the kids seemed to get the messages. The session was relevant and a fun opportunity for the families to get to know each other better. All in all a wonderful event!
Summer Reading
Add Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang to your summer reading list, and get ready for FCC-SoCal's book discussion event in October!
Factory Girls demonstrates how the mass movement from rural villages to cities is remaking individual lives and transforming Chinese society, much as immigration to America’s shores remade our own country a century ago."
FCC-SoCal will host a discussion of Factory Girls on Saturday, October 16 in Irvine. A concurrent storytelling event will be held for kids in an adjoining room. Location, exact times and more details will be posted closer to the date. Mark your calendars now - you won't want to miss this new FCC activity!
Stellar Turnout for the SoCal Friends March in the Golden Dragon Parade
FCC-SoCal had a stellar turnout for the “Friends of FCC” activity to march in the Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday, February 20 in Chinatown! We more than doubled our participation from last year, with over 50 parents, children, and friends.
Despite the threat of weather challenges (this was during the peak of the rainy season!), we had a nice, sunny day! Click through to the full post to see additional photos of the memorable event.
Year of the Tiger Banquets a Big Success
The Year of the Tiger roared into town with two banquets for FCC SoCal members and their guests on Feb 6th and 27th. Our annual tradition of gathering to celebrate and re-connect continued for its 13th year, though this time with a new committee at the helm. Many thanks to Jeri, Susan and Lee for making this a favorite event for so many years and giving the new bunch an easy template to follow.
Though the first banquet was smaller than in recent years with about 250 people, it was lovely to have a bit more elbow room and the opportunity to mingle with friends and actually hear them. The Lion Dance topped off the evening with a particularly thrilling performance with lots of interaction with the kids. Their high voltage energy led us all onto the bubble wrap for the loud dance of joy. Everyone had a huge grin on their faces watching the kids let loose with glee.