Victims’ Rights Week, which began with rally in front of the Orange County Hall of Administration in Santa Ana on Monday, ends with a run/walk/safety fair in Irvine Saturday morning and a candlelight vigil in Brea Sunday evening.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas hosted the eighth annual Victims’ Rights Rally in remembrance of murdered victims, in celebration of surviving victims and in honor of victims’ rights. Hundreds watched as flowers were set at the foot of a memorial wreath and participated in a candlelight vigil to honor the lives of murdered and surviving victims.
The public is invited to attend the Southern California Survive and Thrive Run Walk Health & Safety Expo from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Mason Regional Park in Irvine. The nonprofit Crime Survivors, Inc. hosts the 12th annual event where hundreds of runners and walkers are expected, from survivors and supportive citizens to members of law enforcement and other civic agencies.
Day-of registration—which includes the 5k run/walk, t-shirt, medal, goody bag, entertainment and the Health & Safety Expo—is $30 and begins at 7 a.m.
But you don’t have to run or walk to participate as there will be dozens and dozens of event and vendor booths, entertainment, food and drinks, a free pancake breakfast and opportunities to learn and heal.
Among the notables expected are presenting sponsor and special guest Chris Kelly, event emcee Eileen Frere of ABC7, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, Supervisor Todd Spitzer and Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas, among many others.
Mason Regional Park is at 18712 University Dr., Irvine. Like the event, parking is free. For more information, call Crime Survivors, Inc. founder Patricia Wenskunas at 949.872.7895 or email pa****************@cr************.org.
The Greater Orange County chapter of Parents of Murdered Children presents its 24th annual Candlelight Vigil at 6 p.m. Sunday in Memory Garden Memorial Park, 455 W. Central, Brea.
Among the speakers is Paul Paulsen, whose sister Debbie was a victim of the mass killing at Cal State Fullerton in 1976. He’ll talk about marking the 40th year anniversary of that tragedy as well as the event the university has planned for the end of this month.
For more information, call chapter leader Marie Belmontez at 562.508.2397 or email go*****@ya***.com.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.