Spring 2012 Community Impact Newsletter

communityimpact

SPRING 2012

Orange County United Way’s Quarterly Newsletter

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OCUW EVENTS 05.03.12 13TH ANNUAL REAL ESTATE & BUILDING INDUSTRY MIXER Balboa Bay Club & Resort 1221 West Coast Highway Newport Beach www.realestate2012.kintera.org

05.08.12 NINTH ANNUAL WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY FUND BREAKFAST Hyatt Regency Irvine 17900 Jamboree Road Irvine www.wpfbreakfast.kintera.org

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hanks to your support year-round, Orange County United Way is able to help people in our community begin the path to self-sufficiency. During the spring and leading into summer, we host three events that support our efforts to make this help possible for our neighbors in need. On Thursday, May 3, philanthropists from the real estate and building industry will join us at the Balboa Bay Club for the 13th Annual Real Estate and Building Industry Mixer. Last year, the event raised more than $235,000.

The following week, on Tuesday, May 8, Orange County women business and community leaders will convene for the Ninth Annual Women’s Philanthropy Fund Breakfast. The event is at a new venue this year, the Hyatt Regency Irvine, but the goal remains the same—to help women and girls in our community thrive.

And last but not least, on Saturday, June 9, I hope you’ll join me and thousands of Orange County residents as we hit the ballpark at Angel Stadium of Anaheim for WALK UNITED. This is our fourth year walking for our neighbors in need, and we look forward to it being our best. We hope to have 5,000 walkers at the start gate to overcome poverty in our community.

On behalf of our neighbors, coworkers, and friends, thanks for supporting these important United Way events; your generosity, time, and talent are greatly appreciated. To learn more about the Real Estate & Building Industry Mixer, the Women’s Philanthropy Fund Breakfast, and WALK UNITED, visit unitedwayoc.org.

06.09.12

Thanks for continuing to LIVE UNITED.

WALK UNITED 2012 Angel Stadium 2200 Gene Autry Way Anaheim www.walkunited.com

With gratitude,

Max L. Gardner President and CEO Orange County United Way

OCUW ONLINE NEWS We are proud to announce that we have launched a new website aimed at improving your online experience with us. The new design includes more detailed information about what we do, how we help, and how YOU can get involved in our movement to strengthen our community. Log on to www.unitedwayoc.org today to check it out and let us know what you think.

ISSUE NO.2, VOLUME NO. 2 SPRING 2012

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

OC MAYORS STEP UP TO THE PLATE

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osted by Orange County United Way and the Angels Baseball Foundation, WALK UNITED is a family-friendly 5K walk to raise funds and awareness to overcome poverty in Orange County. For the second year in a row, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait has accepted our WALK UNITED Mayor’s Challenge. Last year Mayor Tait organized the Anaheim Cares team, which encouraged the residents of Anaheim to lace up their walking shoes and WALK UNITED to support a great cause in OUR community.

This year, Mayor Tait is upping the ante for our neighbors in need by challenging the county’s 33 other mayors to “step up to the plate” and accept the Mayor’s Challenge, establish teams, and mobilize their communities to join our efforts to provide hope, help, and access to a better future for the more than 300,000 people in Orange County living below the poverty threshold.

A record-breaking 2,400 residents hit the ballpark last year for a day of food, fun, and philanthropy that included live entertainment from six local bands, gourmet food trucks, and a Kid-at-Heart Zone. The event promises to deliver the same exciting atmosphere this year!

On Saturday, June 9, we hope to mobilize 5,000 walkers to join us at the stadium to help raise funds and awareness for the people in OUR community who need it most. We look forward to seeing all OC mayors and their communities at the stadium. Batter up, Orange County!

SOCIALIZE WITH US HAVE YOU JOINED OUR MOVEMENT–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

TALE OF TWO COUNTIES TOUR: TAKE TWO

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n April 18, our Tale of Two Counties tour will hit the streets for another look beyond and behind the glamorous Orange County depicted on TV to the reality of neighbors struggling to make ends meet. The tour will start at 7:30 a.m. at our offices and head to OCUW-funded partner agencies: Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove and Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County. The Tale of Two Counties tour provides an opportunity for our donors, including our Employee Campaign Managers, to see how their generous donations are making a difference in the lives of our neighbors, coworkers, and friends.

corporate corner ALLERGAN MEDICAL SPONSORS NINTH ANNUAL WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY FUND BREAKFAST Allergan Medical has been a generous supporter of Orange County United Way and a sponsor of the Women’s Philanthropy Fund Breakfast for many years.

This year, we are thrilled to announce Allergan Medical as the $50,000 Presenting Platinum Sponsor of the Ninth Annual Women’s Philanthropy Fund Breakfast to be held on Tuesday, May 8, at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, featuring keynote speaker Naomi Tutu, the daughter of South African activist and Archbishop, Desmond Tutu.

We salute Allergan Medical, one of Orange County United Way’s Golden Key partners, for its commitment to supporting our work to improve the lives of women and girls.

Allergan, Inc. is a multi-specialty health care company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing innovative pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices, and over-the-counter consumer products that enable people to live life to its greatest potential—to see more clearly, move more freely, express themselves more fully.

www.linkedin.com/company/orange-county-united-way

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949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

WAYS TO LIVE AND GIVE UNITED: STAMP OUT HUNGER IN ORANGE COUNTY

OUR MISSION: To improve lives by

mobilizing the caring power of Orange County to strengthen OUR community

On Saturday, May 12, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) annual food drive “Stamp Out Hunger,” is taking place. Residents in OUR community are encouraged to gather non-perishable food items and place them in a bag next to their mailbox. From there, letter carriers from across the county will deliver the food to local pantries to help ensure residents in our community don’t go hungry. If you would like to volunteer for this year’s food drive, visit http://www. unitedwayoc.org/volunteer

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL

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id you know children need at least 25 books in the home to greatly increase their chances of academic success? To get more books into the hands of children in OUR community, Orange County United Way’s Women’s Philanthropy Fund and our partner agency, THINK Together’s Early Literacy Program, have teamed up for a book drive to collect children’s books for low-income families in Orange County. Now through July 1 we are accepting new and gently used picture, infant, toddler, and preschool children’s books to maximize the reading power of kids in OUR community. To donate, please drop off books at our office located at 18012 Mitchell Avenue South in Irvine.

agency success story

NUTRITION AND NEW FRIENDS Lonely, living alone in Garden Grove, and recovering from knee replacement surgery, 71-year-old Carolyn was in desperate need of a friend, nutritious food, and hope to keep her spirits lifted.

She thought of the Meals on Wheels program that had helped her mom years ago and called Community SeniorServ, an Orange County United Way Partner Agency, to see if she qualified. After an assessment by a case manager, Carolyn was found to be at risk for malnutrition and was immediately added to the program.

Carolyn was matched with Yvonne, a college student who donates one of her most precious resources … time. Yvonne spends at least an hour a week with Carolyn, who had this to say about her new friend, “You sent me a saint! I was really down in the dumps, and Yvonne really lifted me up. Today, we played cards together. She is delightful … she is like my new granddaughter. Thank you so much for bringing her into my life!”

Thanks to Community SeniorServ, Carolyn’s health and attitude have improved, and she’s living a happy and healthy independent life.

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

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communityimpact recent events

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1. Spark of Hope Comes to OC Our ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new financial empowerment center, SparkPoint OC, took place on February 29 and was a major success.

Sparkpoint OC is a one-stop financial stability center located at our partner agency, Abrazar, Inc. in Westminster. It’s designed to spark new hope for people in OUR community by providing them with financial coaching and bundled services for two to three years to ensure they reach economic self-sufficiency. SparkPoint OC was made possible through the generous investments of some of our corporate partners, like Boeing, a SparkPoint OC Major Investor, as well as 10 financial institutions, including Bank of America, Citibank, Union Bank, and Wells Fargo. In its first year, SparkPoint OC aims to help 100 families get on the path to financial stability and independence.

2. Spring Cleaning On Saturday, March 10, Women Looking Forward members and their friends and families gathered at Human Options Emergency Shelter, an Orange County United Way partner agency, to provide some much-needed cleaning assistance and organization. During the event, members cleaned the agency’s main kitchens and laundry rooms from top to bottom and sterilized all toys in the children’s healing center. In addition, the volunteers donated kitchen items and gave Albertsons and Target gift cards to shelter residents. At the end of the day, the shelter was spotless. The Human Options Emergency Shelter’s mission is to help battered women, their families, and the community end the cycle of domestic violence.

3. Women’s Philanthropy Fund Founding Members Reunion The Women’s Philanthropy Fund (WPF) Founding Members Reunion took place on March 15 at the Savoy Restaurant at The Hotel Hanford. The evening brought new and former WPF members together to celebrate its 10-year anniversary and major milestone of raising $13.8 million for

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5. women and girls in Orange County. WPF Founding Chair Sue Parks kicked off the evening, thanking all founders for their leadership and vision, and current Co-Chairs Sherri Bovino and Karen Conlon shared 4. WPF is currently doing in the community, including the WPF Grant what Program and their efforts with early grade literacy.

4. New Community Leaders, Emerge!

The Emerging Tocqueville Leaders Rooftop Bash took place on Thursday, March 29, at the Hyundai Capital Building. Sponsored by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Call & Jensen, and KPMG, LLP, the event was an opportunity for the next generation of philanthropists in our community to connect and mingle with like-minded young professionals who share the same goal of improving lives and strengthening our community.

Members of this newly formed donor circle benefit from full access to United Way’s Tocqueville Society—including unique access to a network of agencies that impact the needs of our community in the areas of education, income, and health. Through special volunteer opportunities, lunch-and-learns, and networking opportunities, members connect with the social fabric of our community in a distinct way.

5. United Way Career Day On April 3, United Way Worldwide President and CEO Brian Gallagher visited a group of Destination Graduation students at Westminster High School. He shared his personal success story about his path from growing up in Gary, Indiana, to his current position. Gallagher, a 20-year veteran of United Way, fielded questions from the classroom full of inquisitive college-bound students about his background, life’s challenges, and advice on choosing a career. At the end of his visit, Gallagher and the students posed for pictures in their baseball-inspired Destination Graduation T-shirts. All in all, United Way “Career Day” was a home run.