Love is a verb.

I had the honor to experience such an action by attending the annual Love Orange City-Wide Volunteer Day on Oct. 7. 

As found on the Love Orange website, this annual event was created to bring together the community of churches, businesses, organizations and individuals to make a difference in tangible ways within the city of Orange. The volunteers and local sponsors are what have made this event possible each year since its inception in 2012. 

***

With the sun shining bright at 8 a.m., the Love Orange kickoff event commenced at Orange High School. Upon arrival, I was welcomed by friendly hellos and genuine smiles. I knew the day was going to be a beautiful one. 

I had signed up to be a volunteer photographer, which would allow me to capture and document the excitement and volunteer duties of the day’s event.

I got the chance to talk with some volunteers at the event, like Carlos and Avery Calderon. Similar to myself, this was their first time volunteering at the annual Love Orange event. 

Carlos said that he followed the Love Orange Instagram page and saw the advertisement for the upcoming annual city-wide volunteer day. Carlos then showed his daughter Avery, to which she responded, “We just have to go this year!”

Fellow Love Orange first-timers, Dan and Audris Parks, enjoy being an active part of the community of Orange as they are the ones who bring the Old Towne Film Festival to Old Towne Orange each year.

They welcome independent filmmakers to Orange by screening their films for the community to come and enjoy. For more information, you can follow their Instagram @oldtowneff or check out their website oldtownefilmfestival.com.

When the kickoff was in full session, the percussive dancing set was a hit! Before the dancers hit the stage, Elizabeth Crawford explained what percussive dance was. She said, “(Percussive dance) is pretty much a mix between tap, Irish, stomp and clogging.” A lively and diverse mix that engaged the crowd before the volunteering began. 

It’s their second year performing at the Love Orange event.

It was a joy to witness every facet of the community come together to take part in this event, from the local Boy Scout troop and the percussive dancers to the appearance of 2023 Miss Orange recipient Madeleine Chocholaty.

The community of Orange is deeply connected and intertwined as Madeleine Chocholaty was Jains's babysitter, and now she is Miss Orange! They were able to reunite and share a sweet moment together at the Love Orange 2023 Kick-off.

Another special appearance was made by U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-40), who represents California. 

Kim shared a few uplifting words about the importance of actively loving a community like Orange. Kim joyfully expressed how the Love Orange event truly represents what it means to come together as a community in an act of love.

These three friends were a joy to photograph and talk to. This is their fifth year as Love Orange volunteers on the setup and takedown crew for the event.

With the volunteers all suited up with gloves and trash bags in hand to take on the clean up of the Santiago Creek, Andy Kyle showed me his first find, which he believed to be a good luck charm, quite literally, for the day. 

Kyle had found the horseshoe pendant that stated “bueno suerte” (“good luck” in Spanish) left in the dirt on his way down to the river bed of Santiago Creek.

I had the opportunity to photograph and engage in a conversation with Orange’s mayor, Dan Slater. 

Slater said, “We probably have 300 volunteers out here working on what is basically Orange’s central park, Santiago Creek, that runs right through the middle of our city and is a treasure and asset. We want to enhance it and make it a fantastic place for the community to come and enjoy nature and recreation.” 

We then got to talking about what the Love Orange event meant to Slater as the city’s mayor. He stated, “It means giving the community and all of our wonderful nonprofits the opportunity to come out and really show how much they love Orange by actually rolling up their sleeves and making it cleaner.” 

And with that, Slater joined the other volunteers as they enthusiastically cleaned up the areas around Santiago Creek.

It was a successful day of beautifying the city of Orange! 

I got the chance to speak with Orange resident Jeff Sherod (pictured above - middle) who told me, “I have lived in Orange for like 15, almost 20 years. I think Love Orange is cool because it brings not only churches, but (also) the whole city together. We have so much pride in our city. We love our little city of Orange, and it’s great to see a bunch of people out here picking up trash and running Fun Runs and doing everything that they are doing.” 

Sherod continued: “It’s just such a great opportunity for people to get together and actually do something good for their city.”

After a morning of hard work, it was time to let loose and have fun at the annual Fun Run organized by the Youth Centers of Orange! Kids and families from the Orange community came to participate in the Fun Run, which spanned the grounds of Palmyra Elementary School, located a few blocks away from Orange High School.

The Youth Centers of Orange is a local organization that believes in creating a better tomorrow for the youth of today through providing youth mentorship programs, community engagement opportunities, and after-school care programs.

I had the opportunity to speak with event coordinator Arianna Rios (pictured above - left) and volunteer Ebony Hernandez (pictured above - right). 

Rios described, “This is (the Youth Centers of Orange’s) third annual Fun Run. This is my first year as an event coordinator, so I got the opportunity to plan and coordinate this event, and it was a really good turnout.” 

Hernandez said, “My favorite part of this event is watching all the kids run, have fun and go through the tunnel that we just did!” 

The annual Fun Run event would not be possible without people like Rios and Hernandez! They had such radiant and positive energy that shined through the event and unto the community of Orange.

After my first time experiencing the annual Love Orange City-Wide Volunteer Day, it is safe to say that it will not be my last. 

How uplifting is it to see that there is good within the community? Over 300 people showed up to actively display love in action. I left feeling encouraged, hopeful and excited to be a part of this community that is Orange! 

If you are interested and want to learn more about getting involved, check out the Love Orange Instagram page @iloveorangeca or check out their website loveorange.org. 

Will I be seeing you next year at the Love Orange City-Wide Volunteer Day 2024?