Winter 2013 Community Impact Newsletter

communityIMPACT WINTER 2013

Orange County United Way’s Quarterly Newsletter

message FROM max Happy New Year, Community Champions.

Since I came on board as president and CEO 18 months ago, I’ve had the pleasure of being part of a renewed and reinvigorated countywide energy for strengthening our community. So many people—from community and business leaders to elected officials and donors— are excited about doing more, thinking bigger, and being bolder about how we can all work together to transform the lives of our neighbors, coworkers, and friends in need.

In 2012, many inspiring and hopeful activities took place to support this mindset. Last spring, we opened SparkPoint OC, our first financial empowerment center, in Westminster. SparkPoint is an encouraging place where our neighbors can reinvest and recommit to their future by getting budgeting and credit improvement support, job training, and so much more. In addition, with more than 2,700 people joining us at Angel Stadium, our fourth annual WALK UNITED event was the most successful since it began. And the generosity of our community continued to be a source of true inspiration, as we closed out the fundraising year with $19.1 million in donations from our corporate partners and their employees, philanthropists, loyal contributors, and of course, people like you, concerned citizens who care about seeing OUR neighbors succeed and get on the pathway to self-sufficiency.

ORANGE COUNTY

READY TO SPARK MORE HOPE n February 5, Orange County United Way’s second financial empowerment center, SparkPoint OC, will open its doors in Santa Ana. One year after the first SparkPoint ignited hope at our partner agency, Abrazar, in Westminster, the Delhi Center’s SparkPoint OC will be offering OC families leading, comprehensive multi-partner income services.

The SparkPoint model—originally adopted from United Way of the Bay Area—has successfully helped families in OUR community increase assets, reduce debt, and achieve long-term financial stability. To learn more about SparkPointOC, visit:

unitedwayoc.org/sparkpoint-oc

As I mentioned in January’s “Minute with Max,” with a new year comes new hope and new opportunities: a chance to set and reach new goals, change old habits, discover new ways to improve more lives, and continue strengthening our community.

2013 is going to be a transformative year for Orange County. At United Way, we are preparing to announce the outcomes of our Strategic Planning and Engagement Process, an effort initiated by us but passionately powered by the community and their desire to discover untapped ways to advance the common good. This year, by putting Collective Impact into practice, realizing that no one person or organization can solve our community’s complex social issues alone, we will continue moving the needle of change in Orange County. We will connect and collaborate, mobilize and improve, and invest our time, energy, and resources to ensure everyone in our community thrives. Most importantly, we will move strategically toward achieving our bold goals to advance Education, Income, and Health in Orange County.

I invite you to continue to stay connected and involved with us during this exciting time in our history. Thanks for LIVING UNITED. With gratitude,

Max L. Gardner

ISSUE NO. 1, VOLUME NO. 3 WINTER 2013

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION SPECIAL STARTS IN FEBRUARY www.walkunited.com

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

GIVE, LIVE UNITED, AND BE MERRY

OCUW CELEBRATES THE SEASON OF GIVING

or the third year in a row, we have helped place families in secure housing with a grant to support the OC Homeless Families Winter Transitional Shelter Program.

Operated in partnership with two of our partner agencies, Illumination Foundation and Mercy House, the program moves families from the Winter Armory and places them in safe housing, with the goal of transitioning them to permanent shelter. This year, through your generosity we were able to support the program with a $25,000 grant. The program has helped hundreds of families since it began in 2010.

corporate CORNER THANKS A MILLION, WESTERN DIGITAL!

n just one month—from October to November—Golden Key partner WD, a Western Digital company, gave more than a million dollars to help our neighbors in need through their Orange County United Way LIVE UNITED workplace campaign—making them the first corporate partner to reach the million-dollar mark in 14 years! Over the last five years, WD has grown in giving exponentially, with their tremendous contributions providing support for struggling OC residents to gain access to food, critical health care, and safe, secure shelter.

LEADING UNITED for this year’s workplace giving campaigns, OCUW is extremely grateful for WD’s generosity, which will advance the Building Blocks for a good quality life in the areas of Education, Income, and Health—leading to a thriving, stronger community for us all.

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 connecting with us on the following sites: ission Tinsel Tree was a success for our neighbors in need, with OCUW staff volunteering to pick up the pop-up trees from our corporate partner, Target, and brighten Orange County homes this holiday season, delivering 75 colorful trees and three pre-lit trees to our partner agency, the Community Action Partnership, for redistribution. Families in OUR community were able to celebrate the spirit of the season—while OCUW celebrated the reason for the season: giving.

2 | WINTER 2013

/UnitedWayOC /UnitedWayOC blog.unitedwayoc.org /OCUnitedWay linkd.in/unitedwayoc

WAYS TO LIVE & GIVE UNITED:

13 WAYS TO GIVE, ADVOCATE, AND VOLUNTEER IN 2013

OUR MISSION:

TO IMPROVE LIVES BY MOBILIZING THE CARING POWER OF ORANGE COUNTY TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY

Consider giving an additional $13 to our Community Impact Fund. Every dollar makes a difference.

Donate some professional attire to help job seekers in OUR community look their best for job interviews.

Donate your status on Facebook to share insights and information on Orange County United Way with your friends.

Volunteer to read to students at a local library.

n November, Forbes announced United Way as its Top-Five “All-Star” Charity. Forbes also declared United Way the largest U.S. charity for 2012, with an inspiring $3.9 billion in private donations raised to help advance the Building Blocks for a good quality life: Education, Income, and Health—and strengthen local communities everywhere. Thanks to all who GIVE and LIVE UNITED; you made this honor possible.

SUCCESS STORIES ecause of you, last year, more than 160,000 of our neighbors got back on the pathway to self-sufficiency in the areas of Education, Income, and Health. Because of you, they have stories of success to share and access to a better and brighter future.

Donate gently used household items like blankets and clothes to a homeless or transitional housing shelter.

Engage your corporate colleagues in a group volunteer project. Contact Orange County United Way to get started.

“My experience in Destination Graduation has been priceless. Nothing better prepared me for college than Destination Graduation.”

—Matthew

Turn a house into a home.

Volunteer to paint, repair, and install some hope for families in need.

Be an online advocate! #LIVEUNITED by following @UnitedWayOC on Twitter to find out what’s happening with our President & CEO, Max Gardner.

Pass out FamilyWize cards at a senior community near you.

Share your time and talent and GET CONNECTED. Go to getconnected.unitedwayoc.org/ to get ideas for giving back.

“I could lay my head down at night knowing that I have a place to call home. I have someone who will listen to me. I have somebody who cares.”

—Christine “They (SparkPoint OC) give me a hand on each situation—a goal to fix my credit … and they tell me what I have to do step by step, working together. But I have to do my part, too.”

—Antonio

Advocate for our community.

Share information about our work with your friends, family, and coworkers.

Volunteer at a local food bank to sort food for our community's hungry families.

Read our Top 10 Reasons to LIVE UNITED and spread the word about our work among your network: unitedwayoc.org/whyunited-way-0

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 MATTHEW'S, CHRISTINE'S, AND ANTONIO'S. TO READ THEIR FULL STORIES AND OTHERS FROM 2012, VISIT BLOG.UNITEDWAYOC.ORG

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

WINTER 2013 | 3

communityIMPACT recent EVENTS

[1] EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES HOSTS WOMEN’S LUNCHEON FOR OC STUDENTS n December 3, Orange County United Way Golden Key Partner Edwards Lifesciences hosted a women’s luncheon and panel discussion with five women from different business functions at their Irvine campus to talk about their careers and the importance of education for young women in OUR community. Approximately 40 students sat in on the discussion, including participants from OCUW’s Education initiative, Destination Graduation—which helps ensure at-risk students in the high-need communities of Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and Santa Ana graduate from high school college and career ready.

[3] HOPE AND CHANGE HAVE ARRIVED n November 5, in the spirit of Election Day, Orange County United Way staff kicked off the “Campaign for Self-Sufficiency,” our 2012-13 LIVE UNITED fundraising campaign. President and CEO Max Gardner, the candidate for “HOPE,” and OCUW Board Chair Robert Palmer, the candidate for “CHANGE,” took to the debate floor (presidential style) to lobby for how their ticket would strengthen OUR community—and each came to the same conclusion: Hope and Change must come together in order to ensure the Building Blocks—Education, Income, and Health—for a good-quality life to work. That’s why 100% of the OCUW staff cast their vote (a.k.a. made their pledge to advance the common good). Following the debate, “voters,” a.k.a. OCUW staffers, hosted a BBQ with our partner agency Illumination Foundation at their transitional housing location in Anaheim.

Our team grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, created crafts with the kids, and played a few rounds of basketball to round out the day's activities.

949.660.7600 | www.unitedwayoc.org

[2] SERVING HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS range County United Way’s Tocqueville Society spent the month of November giving back to our neighbors in need for the holiday season. The Tocqueville members came together to help serve a Thanksgiving meal and distribute take-home meals for families at the Illumination Foundation Multi-Service Center in Stanton. In addition, the group assembled baskets full of Thanksgiving fixings for the residents of Families Forward in Irvine. More than 800 families received holiday cheer, food, and hope thanks to the generosity of our TS members. Illumination Foundation and Families Forward are both OCUW partner agencies.

[4] BANK OF AMERICA GIVES BACK uring the holidays, our corporate partner Bank of America engaged their employees with three volunteer projects to benefit OUR community. On October 26, BofA volunteers collected more than six barrels of food that were then sorted, organized, and packed into backpacks by the Bank of America Executive Leadership Team for the Giving Children Hope’s “We’ve Got Your Back” program. Continuing the cause, on November 5, Bank of America helped Thomas House in Garden Grove paint and clean units to prepare for the holiday season. And finally, on November 16, the Bank of America group teamed up with The Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley for a Nutrition & Financial Literacy Youth Day, where they assisted with the nutritional snack program and taught a Financial Literacy & Life Skills Class to the program’s teens. Thanks to Bank of America for your dedication to strengthening our community!

ISSUE NO. 1, VOLUME NO. 3 WINTER 2013