Summer 2012 Community Impact Newsletter

communityimpact

SUMMER 2012

Orange County United Way’s Quarterly Newsletter

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t’s been one year since I officially joined Orange County United Way as President and CEO. Let me take this opportunity to thank each and every member of the LIVE UNITED movement, including my staff, our donors, corporate partners, and agencies, for warmly welcoming me into the Orange County nonprofit community. It’s been a busy year. I’ve toured many of the 90 agencies we support and have met the clients they serve to see, firsthand, the complex social issues that Orange County residents are facing and how Orange County United Way can do the best job possible to alleviate them. It is both my professional and personal goal to continue to build upon Orange County United Way’s nearly 90 years of service in our community and determine more collaborative ways in which we can help provide our neighbors in need with the tools needed to succeed and thrive.

We are on the road to progress, preparation, and planning for the future at Orange County United Way. Here are some highlights from this year: In March, we launched our first financial empowerment center, SparkPoint OC, to help our residents attain financial stability and independence. We added staff in Community Impact, Advocacy, and Volunteer Engagement, and last month, we closed our 2011-12 campaign with good results: Nearly $19.1 million raised for our neighbors in need. Finally, our fourth annual WALK UNITED event was the best yet, with more than 2,700 people joining us at Angel Stadium to overcome poverty in Orange County.

Although there is so much progress taking place in our community, there is still so much more to do, and Orange County United Way is committed to carrying its fair share of the “community-change” load. Earlier this year, we began a strategic planning and community engagement process to examine the issues facing Orange County residents, with emphasis on the Building Blocks to a good quality life: Education, Income, Health, as well as Housing. We’ve held Community Stakeholder Forums to engage our corporate partners and community leaders and cultivate the spirit of Collective Impact—the idea that we can achieve more together than we would individually. At the end of this process, we will create aspirational goals for our community in these four areas and define the role Orange County United Way will play to implement them.

If you would like to weigh in and be part of the conversation, visit www.unitedwayoc.org/ activities/weigh-be-part-change and take our online survey.

I look forward to sharing the outcomes of our strategic planning and community engagement process and other plans we have in store to continue to advance the common good in Orange County.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and thanks for LIVING UNITED. With gratitude,

WALK UNITED 2012: YOU CARED. YOU CAME. YOU WALKED UNITED.

This year’s WALK was the best yet. More than 2,700 “troops for change” laced up their shoes and joined us at Angel Stadium June 9 for our fourth annual WALK UNITED fund-raiser to overcome poverty in Orange County. It was a great day filled with fun, food, and, of course, philanthropy. For the second year in a row, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait took home the Mayors Challenge Award. Throughout the event, walkers enjoyed live music from five rocking OC bands, boarded the game party truck, and climbed the coconut tree (two activities included in the Wells Fargo-sponsored Kid-At-Heart Zone). Treats were served in the “food truck court” along with LemonAID™ from Team Kids, which teaches young people to develop a passion for community service. And bringing some star power to the event was former Angel All-Star second baseman Bobby Grich, who signed autographs for fans.

Our corporate partner, Western Digital (WD), took home the Top Fund-raising Team and Rookie of the Year honors. WD’s 108-member team raised more than $20,000. And hitting a home run and taking home the Corporate Challenge Award again this year for recruiting the most walkers was UPS, which delivered 500 participants.

Thanks to the caring power of OUR community, WALK UNITED 2012 raised more than $165,000 for our neighbors in need!

Max L. Gardner

Issue No. 3, Volume No. 2 SUMMER 2012

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

corporate corner CORPORATE PARTNER EVENT SPOTLIGHT

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, DAY OF ACTION

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n June 21, 2012, individuals and families across the country participated in the United Way Day of Action. To celebrate, we hosted a Book Doctor Project in our offices; a team of volunteers spent hours sorting, cleaning, and preparing piles of books for children in our community. Thanks to our Women’s Leadership Council’s efforts to launch the book drive, plus donations from companies and organizations across Orange County, including Burns & McDonnell, California Association of Community Managers, Inc., Ernst & Young, Global, 1st Flagship Company, Orange County Transportation Authority, Wells Fargo Advisors, and the Molina Foundation, we collected more than 11,000 books. The books were donated to the Early Literacy Program at our partner agency, THINK Together. This year’s Day of Action also marked the 125th anniversary of United Way Worldwide changing lives in communities across the county and the world.

vent season at Orange County United Way was, as usual, very busy. We appreciate all of our corporate partners for supporting our spring/summer events: Real Estate & Building Industry Mixer, Women’s Philanthropy Fund Breakfast, and WALK UNITED. The following corporate sponsors allowed us to maximize our efforts to strengthen our community by restoring hope with their actions through generous sponsorships.

REBI MIXER EMERALD SPONSORS

WPF BREAKFAST PRESENTING SPONSOR

EMERALD SPONSORS

THE TIMPE GROUP AT

WALK UNITED THIRD BASE SPONSORS

KID-AT-HEART ZONE

Socialize with US Join our social media movement Stay up-to-date with what’s happening at Orange County United Way, our partner agencies, corporate partners, donors, and OUR community by socializing with us on the following sites:

www.twitter.com/#!/UNITEDWAYOC www.facebook.com/UnitedWayOC http://blog.unitedwayoc.org/ www.youtube.com/user/OCUNITEDWAY www.linkedin.com/company/orange-county-united-way

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The “Tale of Two Counties” Tour offers participants a glimpse behind the velvet curtain of the Orange County depicted on TV—the beautiful beaches, the wonderment of Disneyland and pristine communities, to a part of the county where parents must choose between paying bills and putting food on the table, seniors who cannot afford critical medication, and jobless workers struggling to get back on their feet. By offering participants this glimpse, Orange County United Way is hoping to inspire people to restore hope with their actions and assist us with our mission of improving lives and strengthening OUR community. To reserve your spot, please RSVP by Monday, September 17 to lesleyk@unitedwayoc.org.

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

Ways to Live and Give United: How to Make a Splash in OUR Community This Summer

OUR MISSION: To improve lives by

mobilizing the caring power of Orange County to strengthen OUR community

1. Be green: Donate produce to local food pantries, and volunteer outside by planting flowers and trees at local parks that are rebuilding and restoring.

2. Volunteer at a summer reading program at your local library.

3. Gather unwanted clothes and toys from your neighbors and donate them to local organizations to help those in need by providing them with basic essentials.

4. Plan an event like a local restaurant night and invite your friends and family, then donate the proceeds to your favorite charity.

5. Volunteer at a local hospital and help those in sickness regain their strength.

6. Organize a barbecue for low-income families.

7. Help cook and serve a meal at a homeless shelter.

8. Pick up groceries or medicine for an elderly person.

9. Organize a canned goods drive.

10. Hold a school supplies drive to give children in our community a head start in the classroom.

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Earn It. Keep It. Save It. Recap

his year, our Earn it. Keep It. Save It. Campaign closed with a 6% increase from the previous year, providing tax preparation help to more than 7,000 taxpayers and saving them more than $10 million in filing fees. And that’s not all. More than $3 million in Earned Income Tax Credits were returned back into the hands of hard-working low-and moderate-income families. Next year, the three-year-old program, run in partnership with the IRS and Legal Aid Society of Orange County, will again offer more than 100 filing days at dozens of nonprofit sites in North and South County. There are many people in OUR community struggling to maintain their jobs and provide for their families, and we are pleased that the EITC program allows accessible tax support to help them build a stable and financially self-sufficient future.

agency success story

Hard work, Homework, and Hoops Meet OUR neighbor, Nhi When Nhi first started going to The Power Hour*after-school homework assistance program run by the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove (BGCGG), she struggled. She was extremely shy, and her Vietnamese language barrier kept her from catching on to coursework quickly. But over the past year, thanks to the program’s dedicated staff of teachers and case managers, Nhi has blossomed into a confident student-athlete.

Through Power Hour, Nhi has improved her skills in both math and grammar. In addition to soaring in her schoolwork, Nhi has established a balance between working hard and having fun. She’s discovered a love for basketball. And even though she’s the only girl on the team, you wouldn’t know it. On the court she’s just Nhi, a standout player who uses her newfound confidence to build camaraderie and community with her teammates.

Nhi’s parents are supportive of her goals, both in and out of the classroom. After she told them about her dreams to become a basketball player, their advice was to “keep trying, and you will be whatever you want to be.” That’s exactly what Nhi plans to do. In addition to shooting hoops this summer, she will attend the BGCGG’s summer school program to continue working on her skills (on and off the court).

We are proud of the success stories we create TOGETHER. Help us create more by continuing to LIVE and GIVE UNITED. Your contribution to Orange County United Way’s Community Impact Fund helps improve lives—lives like Nhi’s. *The Power Hour is an Orange County United Way-funded program.

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

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1. 13th Annual REBI Mixer: Building Self-Sufficient Lives in OUR Community On Thursday, May 3, more than 350 CEOs, real estate and building industry professionals, and banking leaders gathered on the lawn of the Balboa Bay Club & Resort for the 13th Annual Real Estate & Building Industry Mixer to raise funds for Orange County United Way’s Community Impact Fund. Peter Ubberroth, managing partner of the Contrarian Group, former Major League Baseball Commissioner, and local philanthropist, was this year’s keynote speaker. The event raised more than $270,000 to help people in our community build selfsufficient lives.

2. Ninth Annual WPF Breakfast: What Gift Do You Bring?

On Tuesday, May 8, Orange County United Way’s Women’s Philanthropy Fund held its Ninth Annual breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Nearly 650 of the county’s most influential women philanthropists, business leaders, and community volunteers gathered to raise money to help women and girls in Orange County build selfsufficient lives. The theme of this year’s breakfast was “You Give. You Get. You Give.” Naomi Tutu, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, delivered the keynote speech, titled “What Gift Do You Bring?” She reminded the audience that we all can use our gifts to transform the world. The breakfast raised more than $280,000.

3. Tale of Two Counties Tour: Take Two On April 18, the Tale of Two Counties tour hit the streets for another look at the Orange County that is not depicted in the glamorous lifestyles we see on TV, but shows instead the reality of neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet. The tour took donors and employee campaign managers to two OCUW partner agencies—Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove and Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County— to see how they are changing lives, one enriching after-school activity and healthy smile at a time. Nathan, a longtime member of the BGCGG and recipient of its Youth of the Year Award for 2012, led the tour. He proudly showed participants the garden he’s been cultivating, as well as the club’s popular sports equipment room.

4. Stamping Out Hunger: OCUW Volunteers Join Annual Food Drive Effort The National Association of Letters Carriers (NALC) Annual Food Drive took place Saturday, May 12, this year. Volunteers from our corporate partners, California Bank & Trust and Automobile Club of Southern California, met up at the 1 League Post Office in Irvine to lend their time, talent for lifting and bending, and heart to help put food on the tables of our neighbors in need. By the end of the afternoon, volunteers collected 200,000 pounds of food for those in need in OUR community, with more than 7.4 pounds coming from the Irvine post office.