Newport Beach senior, former police volunteer ‘cards’ officers ahead of long Fourth of July holiday

Newport Beach resident Dotty McDonald is a wanted woman — that is, there isn’t a police officer within a 100-mile radius who wouldn’t want her living in the immediate vicinity.

A volunteer with the Newport Beach Police Department from 2015 to 2019, McDonald officially logged more than 2,000 hours of service, conducting home security checks for residents on vacation, filing records or scanning pawn shop inventory lists for items that might be connected to a local burglary.

“It was so exciting,” she recalled of her service. “I loved it, and I loved them. They’re awesome.”

McDonald was always game for a late-night ride-along, getting to know the officers on duty and doing whatever she could to support local men and women in blue. But a recent back surgery forced the 91-year-old to sideline her volunteer position.

Dotty McDonald, a longtime volunteer with the Newport Beach Police Department bestows $6,000 in gift cards Monday to Chief Jon Lewis for use by employees during the long Fourth of July weekend.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Now, she uses the Fourth of July weekend — a time when police departments traditionally ramp up staffing and enforcement to respond to enhanced activity — to show members of the Newport Beach Police Department how much they are appreciated in the community.

“My fun now is collecting money so I can feed our cops,” she said. “I just want to do something for them, and there are so many people in this town who support our police.”

On Monday, McDonald delivered heaping helpings of gratitude directly to Chief Jon Lewis, in the form of $25 gift cards for employees to use at local businesses to get a meal or a cup of coffee.

The gesture may be modest, but the totality of the funds raised by the Newport Beach senior is nothing to sniff at. This year’s collection plate amassed nearly $11,000, enough to provide 240 gift cards to local eatery Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store and 150 cards for Coffee Nature.

“You can’t go wrong with pizza,” McDonald surmised.

Aside from the police station, the nonagenarian is equally well-known at the Newport Beach Yacht Club, where she is a member. That’s where local residents Andrew and Karen Littlefair heard about her annual fundraising effort and decided to put a little wind in her sails this Fourth of July.

Giving her some seed money in the form of a sponsorship, courtesy of Newport Beach business Clean Energy, where Andrew Littlefair is a chief executive, they circulated letters throughout their social network.

“We were impressed with what she was doing,” Karen Littlefair said Monday. “We typed up a letter she’d written and put a little envelope with a stamp in there and, sure enough, she raised $6,000.”

Newport Police Officer Sabrina Fabbri, president of the Newport Beach Police Assn., said McDonald and her philanthropic efforts are well-known throughout the department.

“She’s one of our biggest cheerleaders and a champion of our cause,” said Fabbri, who also mentored the senior during her volunteer stint. “She has long ties to this department.”

The officer said Monday’s special delivery will go a long way as the Fourth of July holiday, and the extra enforcement it requires, stretches across several days.

“This year, everyone’s been cooped up and everybody’s ready to get out and celebrate,” Fabbri said. “We definitely will be tired by the end of the weekend. But I think these gift cards will be a nice pick-me-up.”

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