St. Isidore Historical Plaza is launching its first community-wide fundraising and membership drive.
The mission: Preservation of California’s heritage and serving local communities. The goal is to purchase the Plaza from the Diocese of Orange and to refurbish the facilities used by different community services, including We Care, Heart of the City and Bound for Success, a free after-school tutorial program.
Business owners and managers are invited to join the Plaza as a Friend for a donation of $50, a Patron for a donation of $100, a Benefactor for $250.
The new 2010 Partners, Patrons and Benefactors will be honored by the Plaza’s Comité del Amor this spring at the grand May Fiesta.
The help of business and professional leaders is essential. Community ownership and support for St. Isidore Historical Plaza ensures not only that the services will continue but also that a beautiful part of our history will be secured for future generations. As the oldest structure in this part of Orange County, the Plaza will be both the historical and cultural center of the area.
The 2008-2009 Benefactors contributed vital assistance and expertise to planning and generous material and financial support to the services and facilities.
The Comité Del Amor members said they are thankful for the help.
St. Isidore Plaza is located in Los Alamitos. It is a former little Catholic Church and adjacent hall with an inviting courtyard.
It was built by the parishioners, Hispanic sugar cane field hands and Belgian dairy farmers, in 1922 and has served as a refuge to Mexican priests escaping persecution in their own country during the 1920s, withstood the great earthquake of the 1930s, provided momentary respite for thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen going off to war in the 1940s.
It was to become another victim of progress where the land was supposedly worth more than the purpose of the structure.
Upon opening, the facility will be named St. Isidore Plaza and the church will be a nondenominational chapel open to all who seek spiritual solace or to find a quiet moment with their God.
The Sunday morning Rosary being presently conducted in the church hall will be held in the chapel itself. The chapel, with its beautiful stained glass windows, will also be made available to family and friends of patients at the Los Alamitos Medical Center with jitney transportation provided by the hospital. Coincidentally, the hospital and several local physicians have already offered to provide free medical attention to the poor, especially to the elderly and to the children.
The patio will be restructured to provide shade trees, tables and some greenery to welcome local workers and visitors with a quiet location to enjoy their lunches and to rest their souls.
The Comité Del Amor (Committee of Love) is a group of determined individuals, parishioners and sympathetic neighbors whose goal it is to renovate the plaza for use by the community.
The office at St. Isidore Historical Plaza is open on Tuesday and Wednesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon and Thursday afternoon from 1-3 p.m.
Phone: (562) 596-9918.
E-mail: stisidoreplaza@verizon.org.
