Neighboring

Get Involved in Love Costa Mesa Day 2024


Join us for the 7th annual Love Costa Mesa Volunteer Day. We are so excited to see projects happen all over the city to show how much we love this community. You can be a part by hosting a volunteer project, volunteering or sponsoring. For more information about the volunteer day email neighbors@lovecostamesa.org

Creating pathways for individuals to experience impactful relationships.


The Neighboring Initiative exists to bring collaboration in the City of Costa Mesa to create pathways for individuals to experience impactful relationships with their neighbors, for every neighborhood to have an “Intentional Neighboring Network”, and for local organizations to work better together.

The heart behind this initiative is for individuals to begin experiencing more meaningful relationships with their neighbors and the fruit that comes from a more connected neighboring network. Our hope is every neighborhood in Costa Mesa would have a thriving network where individuals feel a sense of ownership and fulfillment knowing you are making a difference in your community.

The City of Costa Mesa has wonderful city initiatives, caring churches, engaging non-profits, and a thriving small business community. Under this initiative, we work with these organizations through Love Costa Mesa Serve Day and year-round serving opportunities for residents to give of their time, talent, and treasures.




Ways to
get involved

Have questions about getting involved? Contact Reina today.

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Labors of Love

As a way to increase the value of neighboring in Costa Mesa, we seek to identify and serve a neighbor in need (widow, single parent, elderly, etc.) by supporting with a manual labor project such as painting, repairs, maintenance, etc. These projects happen every month on the first Saturday. We are currently looking for a passionate team of individuals who are willing to seek out neighboring needs, manage supplies & materials and possess maintenance/repair tools.


Volunteer

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Advisory team
Labors of Love Costa Mesa

Initiative Leader

Roy Rodas

Roy Rodas is a third-generation Latino pastor and church planter. Born to a Guatemalan father and Salvadoran mother, he was raised in a traditional, Pentecostal Latino church where his parents and grandparents instilled in him a profound love for the Lord characterized by classic Latino fervor.

He began his service to the church at the age of fifteen, and at eighteen, discerned a calling to pastoral ministry. Roy earned an associate's degree from Latin American Bible Institute (now LABI College) and a bachelor's degree in religion from Vanguard University. Subsequently, he completed a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies from Vanguard.

In 2021, Roy and his family relocated to Costa Mesa to establish a bilingual church, with the aim of engaging the Latino community and developing future generations of bilingual Latino leaders committed to serving the city for the next 40 years. Following the closure of their church in 2024, Roy and his family elected to remain in Costa Mesa, believing that further opportunities for service were divinely ordained. He continued his involvement with the neighboring initiative and, in March 2025, formally accepted the position of Director of Intentional Neighboring at Love Costa Mesa.

Roy and his wife, Susie, have resided in Costa Mesa since 2021 with their daughter, Julia. They are anticipating the arrival of their second daughter in July 2025.


Program Coordinator

Birdi Kumar

Birdi leads a team of dedicated volunteers to identify Costa Mesa residents who struggle with the upkeep of their homes. She believes that we all have gifts to share and we all experience times of need; whether it’s tangible or intangible, each of us has something to contribute to make Costa Mesa a stronger community.

For 28 years now, she has continued her ministry with them, teaching and learning from their model - the value of an empowered community. She started serving in Costa Mesa a few years after moving here to attend Vanguard University when she worked as the Teen Center Director for Shalimar Learning Center. She then completed her degree with a semester in Costa Rica and was eager to translate what she learned into a relevant form for Westside Costa Mesa’s youth. Shalimar further convinced her that investing in our most vulnerable populations elevates the whole community. By releasing the talents and gifts of our young people from the limitations of poverty and lack of access to crucial resources, we ensure a beautiful, diverse, and loving future for our city. Labors of Love does this same work in seeing our neighbors’ needs as part of our own thriving.

Birdi grew up in a small town, loves trees and physical activity, and has been a follower of Jesus since age four. A full-time mother for the past 23 years, Birdi and her husband, a local high school teacher of 25 years, raised their two children in Costa Mesa. Birdi is an active part of her local church communities, volunteering and serving in roles ranging from Sunday School teacher and youth pastor to leading women’s groups and serving as the church secretary.

Love Costa Mesa Neighboring Allies

  • Asriel Jaksa, Chaos & Function
  • Avila’s El Ranchito
  • Basketcase Gallery
  • Canopy Church
  • Chick-Fil-A
  • Christ Lutheran Church
  • City of Costa Mesa
  • Costa Mesa Code Enforcement
  • Costa Mesa Foundation
  • Costa Mesa Sanitation District
  • Costa Mesa Senior Center
  • Descanso Restaurant
  • Fryer Basketball Academy
  • Genesis Collective
  • Great Mex
  • Harbor Trinity
  • Hoag Faith Community Nursing
  • Holy Smokers
  • Hoover Printing
  • Lighthouse Community Church
  • Mesa Water
  • Newport Rib Company
  • Palm Harvest
  • Redemption OC
  • Rockharbor Church
  • Rose Equities
  • Senator Dave Min
  • Shields Cattau Financial Group – Thrivent
  • St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
  • Stephens Friedland LLP
  • The Camp Transformation
  • The Crossing Church
  • The Lost Bean
  • Times Real Estate
  • Trenta Pizza
  • Vanguard University

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