Give Back

By Sara Hall

GUIDE TO GIVING BACK

As the holiday season approaches, the spirit of charitable giving and volunteering grows.

But in this unprecedented time, how to give back has changed. Many nonprofit organizations have had to rework their volunteer and fundraising programs due to COVID-19. Events and opportunities for people to help out have been canceled or rescheduled, in some cases indefinitely. For the limited volunteer opportunities that have reemerged since the pandemic began, requirements and responsibilities have shifted in order to ensure a COVIDsafe environment.

The good news is that there are plenty of groups still in need of help in this new philanthropic world, and on the next several pages is a roundup of different ways you can jump into the spirit of giving this season.

Alzheimer’s Orange County provides support to Orange County families and individuals through brain health and dementia education, care consultations, community resource connections, Adult Day Health Services, residential, memory care services, and more.

Ways to help:

Walk4ALZ + Run4ALZ: Join AlzOC as they take strides against Alzheimer’s, virtually, through their Walk and 5k. Sign up today at alzoc.org/walkrun to participate on Nov. 14.

Support AlzOC: Please consider a recurring donation, or a one-time donation. To donate and learn more, visit alzoc.org or call (949) 955-9000. Shop with Amazon Smile: Remember to choose Alzheimer’s Orange County (AlzOC) as your charity of choice when shopping for holiday gifts on Amazon Smile. A percentage of your shopping will go towards AlzOC to support the families they serve throughout Orange County.

Girls Inc. of Orange County aims to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold by providing holistic, compensatory, and intentional programming focusing on STEM, financial literacy, sound body image, healthy relationships, and college and career readiness.

Ways to help: Girls Inc. of OC’s Women for Girls group is hosting a service project in the form of a food and supply drive. Items being collected include: Food, self-care items, and gift cards. The drives will take place in October and November, with a final collection date on Nov. 12. Baskets will be distributed to the most vulnerable families in Orange County. Some of the specific items on the wish list include: Broth, canned or dried fruit, canned vegetables, corn bread mix, pastas, rice, beans, cereal, granola bars, chapstick, lotion, hand sanitizer, masks, and grocery store, Walmart and Target gift cards. For more information, visit girlsinc-oc.org.

LGBTQ Center Orange County aims to empower the LGBTQ community in OC through a variety of programs and events. The organization’s mission is to advocate on behalf of the Orange County lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning communities and provide services that ensure well-being and positive identity.

Ways to help: Bring Pride Home: In this fundraising effort, the Center will be providing Progress flags for any occasion and invite OC to literally “bring Pride home.” From stickers to lapel pins, desk flags to large flags. All donations go towards supporting trans services and programming. To purchase items or make a donation, visit app.mobilecause.com/vf/INCLUSIVEOC.

GivingTuesday: In preparation for #GivingTuesday on December 1, the team will be hosting a virtual event the night prior (November 30) to encourage the LGBTQ community in OC to learn how to “Get Involved” if their unable to give at this time. The Center will invite professionals who are seeking to give back and get more involved with their OC LGBTQ community. The event will include a panel of successful LGBTQ professionals and the LGBTQ Center OC will share about upcoming opportunities for the community.

COVID-19 Support: The Center is also supporting low-income LGBTQ youth with Amazon gift cards to help them bridge technology gaps with remote schooling, as well as other needs due to COVIDrelated loss of family income. The team is giving youth clients who are at risk of food insecurity Amazon and/ or cash gift cards. Gift cards can be mailed to the LGBTQ Center OC.

For more information, visit lgbtqcenteroc.org or contact Jackie Garcia at Jackie.Garcia@lgbtqcenteroc.org

Miracles for Kids helps families with critically-ill children fight bankruptcy, homelessness, hunger, and depression — so they can fight for their kids’ lives. The group helps provide monthly financial aid, subsidized housing, food and clothing, and counseling to families in need throughout Southern California.

Ways to help: Holiday Basket of Miracles: The 2020 Holiday Basket of Miracles Program delivers food, seasonal gifts, and household necessities to families struggling to survive as a result of caring for their critically-ill child. For more information, visit miraclesforkids.org/ events/2020-holiday-basket-of-miracles.

Host a Gift Drive: Collect unwrapped gifts for criticallyill kids and their families in need. Collection boxes will be provided. Drives must be completed and delivered to the Miracles for Kids office by December 3.

Volunteer to Deliver: Volunteer space is limited and fills up quickly! To volunteer, please visit the Volunteer Hub on the Miracles for Kids website or contact Terri Benedict, Volunteer Engagement & Operations Manager, at (714) 705-4536 or email tbenedict@miraclesforkids.org.

Frosted Faces Foundation (FFF) rescues senior animals from shelters, many whose fate would otherwise be euthanasia, and re-homes them. They offer financial assistance, board senior dogs at an inexpensive rate, and help provide proper veterinary care. There are no adoption fees and FFF is completely funded by donations, grants and fundraisers.

Adopt a Family in Need: Help make the holidays special for an entire family by providing new gifts for each child, gift cards or gifts for each parent, wrapping paper, ribbon and gift tags (optional). You’ll receive a complete family profile, with their interests and likes, to help you shop for their gifts (average gift is between $25-$75 per person, average family is five people; or $125-$375 per family).

Ways to help: Become a “Family” to a Senior Animal: FFF offers a variety of foster “Family” programs that allow Frosted Faces to live in your home, with time commitments that range from two weeks to a year.

Become a “Fan”: Those who make a recurring donation of $25/month are called Fans of Frosted Faces. Fans sponsor an FFF animal and are notified when the pet finds a home, has a Frostiversary (birthday), and when he/she passes away.

Business Partnerships: FFF hopes for the relationship to be mutually beneficial where the organization proudly supports and markets businesses that make a generous contribution or significantly impacts our mission through advertising. To donate and learn more, visit frostedfacesfoundation. org or email info@frostedfacesfoundation.org

Orangewood Foundation provides services to current and former foster and community youth in Orange County to help prepare them for independent adulthood. Their staff works with participating youth in four critical areas: Health & wellness, housing, life skills & employment, and education. The organization helps meet a broad array of needs: groceries, transitional housing, life skills workshops and employment leads, schooling, and scholarships for college and graduate school.

Ways to help: Become an Ambassador: Orangewood Foundation Ambassadors are philanthropic partners whose annual gifts of $1,000 or more support the Foundation’s efforts. Donors who give $1,000 or more each year receive special recognition and an invitation to Orangewood Foundation’s annual Ambassador Luncheon held in the fall. You can learn more or make your ambassador gift online at orangewoodfoundation.org/donate-ambassador.

Gift/Giving Drive: Orangewood Foundation has many other ways for you to give, including seasonal and year-round collection drives for gifts and other much-needed items. For more information, visit orangewoodfoundation.org/ways-to-give

Samueli Academy is a free, public 7th - 12th grade charter school for foster and community youth, and is just one of the many innovative programs offered through Orangewood Foundation.

Ways to help: Support-A-Student: A $1,500 donation allows a student to experience/receive: Small class sizes (21:1 student-to-teacher ratio), athletics and afterschool activities and tutoring, four years of college preparedness, a laptop, work-based learning support, a student success coordinator, and four years of alumni support.

General Giving: Any and all donations will go towards Samueli Academy’s “greatest needs,” which can vary from time to time, yet will always ultimately support their students and/or programs, helping to ensure that youth have the resources they need to thrive. How donations can help: $10 buys a bus pass for one youth $100 pays for a high school graduation expense $500 pays for a college student’s textbooks for a semester $1,000 pays for a youth’s 1-on-1 weekly therapy sessions for three months (donors become

Orangewood Ambassadors).

For more information and to donate, visit samueliacademy.org/support or contact Anthony Saba, Samueli Academy’s Executive Director, at (714) 619-0215 or ASaba@samueliacademy.org

Share Our Selves (SOS) is a nationally recognized Health Center providing high quality, safety net services to the Orange County community. SOS has been designated as a Healthcare for the Homeless provider. SOS is patient-centered and values the concept of the right person, the right treatment at the right time.

Ways to help: Family Service Night: Historically a night for families of elementary school-aged children to gather at SOS’ main facility and engage in service projects that benefit SOS social services department. This year, the program will be hosted virtually. Visit the Share Our Selves website to sign up at www.shareourselves.org.

Adopt A Family: This will be SOS’s 51st year hosting this program that connects willing donors with families in need in Orange County to provide presents and food for vulnerable children for the holidays. Online registration will open in November.

For more information or to donate, visit shareourselves.org/get-involved-covid-19. Play Well Africa collects unwanted LEGO brick toys in the developed world and donates them to schools, orphanages, and hospitals in Africa.

Children learn through play, and opportunities to develop creativity and ingenuity at an early age are crucial for intellectual development. Building toys like LEGO are a great way to foster the critical thinking skills that Africa’s next generation needs. Unfortunately, many African children don’t have any toys at all and lack the learning tools they need to reach their potential.

Due to travel restrictions, Play Well Africa had to temporarily pivot and is now donating LEGO to the Orange County Rescue Mission (note that donations still come through Play Well Africa first, not directly to OCRM).

Ways to help: Drop off LEGO to one of the following sites: Copy And Print Center at 240 Beach St., in Laguna Beach, or at Hodes Vision Optometry at 10511 W. Pico Blvd., in Los Angeles. LEGO can also be sent to Play Well Africa, 2500 Skyline Dr., Signal Hill, CA 90755.

For more information, visit playwellafrica.org/donate.

South County Outreach (SCO) is a nonprofit organization based in South Orange County with the mission to prevent hunger and homelessness by helping people help themselves. SCO envisions an Orange County community where no one goes to bed hungry or without a place to call home.

Ways to help: Donate stuffed 20” stockings: Help make the holidays a little brighter this year by donating stuffed 20-inch Holiday Stockings to the children of South County Outreach. The 20-inch stockings can be found at online at walmart.com (just search “20” stocking”) and some stocking stuffer ideas for all age groups can be found at sco-oc.org. Stockings can be dropped off at South County Outreach located at 7 Whatney Ste B Irvine, CA 92618 on Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm, from now through December 18. Please be sure to place a tag on each stocking that indicates its age group. For questions relating to the Holiday Program, please email the holiday team at holiday@sco-oc.org.

Donate $25 Walmart or Targe gift cards: Many SCO clients have experienced job losses due to COVID-19 and are struggling to pay bills, keep food on the table, and make rent payments. Finances are strained even more during the holidays when the pressure to provide holiday meals and gifts for family members. Help a family in need by donating a $25 Target or Walmart gift card to be used to purchase gift(s) for family members. Gift cards may be dropped off at South County Outreach located at 7 Whatney Ste B Irvine, CA 92618 on Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm, from now through December 18.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) in Laguna Beach rescues, rehabilitates, and releases marine mammals and inspires ocean stewardship through research, education, and collaboration.

Ways to help: PMMC Holiday Catalog: The PMMC team believes that supporters want to make a difference and protect the future of our planet. By shopping the holiday catalog, you give the gift that gives twice. Items in the PMMC store include shirts, hats, toys, books, and tote bags. All proceeds go back to the care of PMMC patients, including food, emergency supportive veterinary and medical care, collaboration and research initiatives to improve animal husbandry and understanding of ocean health, and help support a variety of educational programs that teach the importance of ocean and coastal health. The online catalog and store will be live November 1 at pacificmmc.org/online-store-main and available in print, by request.

For more information, visit pacificmmc.org, call (949) 494-3050, or email development@pacificmmc.org.

The Trevor Project provides a national, 24/7, toll-free confidential suicide prevention service for LGBTQ youth. Every day, LGBTQ youth in crisis reach out by calling, texting, and chatting with The Trevor Project to receive the support of a warm community. Since the onset of COVID-19, the volume of youth reaching out to Trevor Project crisis services for support has increased significantly — at times reaching double the pre-COVID volume of calls.

Ways to help:

Making a donation: Your life-saving gift this holiday season will help train a record number of crisis counselors, continue to provide all Trevor Project crisis services for free 24/7, and including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat, and expand the group’s advocacy, research, and education efforts. Donations are accepted at trvr.org/ donate or you can reach out to the fundraising team at development@thetrevorproject.org.

Applying to be a volunteer: Volunteers are vital to The Trevor Project’s work and are instrumental in providing a safe and secure connection for LGBTQ youth. The Trevor Project’s team welcomes individuals of all backgrounds into the volunteer family, and works to uplift, recognize, and support their growing volunteer network. Learn more at trvr.org/volunteer

Join The Trevor Project’s online community:

Support The Trevor Project by joining the email list or following on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

For more information, visit thetrevorproject.org/.

GIVE BACK

LEARNING INDEPENDENCE IN A SIGHTED WORLD

By Sara Hall

Growing up and becoming an independent adult can be challenging for any young person, but for children with visual impairments it can be especially tough in the sighted world.

Luckily, Blind Children’s Learning Center based in Santa Ana is determined to help every step of the way. The nonprofit organization aims to prepare children with visual impairments for a life of independence through early intervention, education, and family support.

“We are all deeply committed to BCLC’s mission, and we work each day with a renewed devotion to serve our children and their families,” President and Executive Director Angie Rowe wrote in the Center’s spring newsletter.

For 55 years, children ages birth to 22 years who are blind, deaf-blind, and visually impaired have received specialized training at Blind Children’s Learning Center to maximize their full potential and meet meaningful goals and objectives. Parents and family receive support and encouragement during each step of their child’s journey toward independence.

Comprehensive BCLC programs designed to help the kids thrive in a sighted world include: Infant Development, essential early intervention and family support birth through age 3; Bright Visions, which focuses on healthy development and school readiness ages 6 months through 8 years; Youth Outreach, which supports educational needs of K-12 students; Therapy Services, comprehensive therapies minimize delays and optimize development

for an independent future; and Supporting Services, covering mobility training, counseling, and a low vision clinic further independence and provide additional support.

Success stories include 18-month-old Sabrina, who joined BCLC in February.

When she was 4 months old, Sabrina’s family noticed her eyes jittering. She was diagnosed with congenital nystagmus, a condition in which the eyes make involuntary, repetitive movements. Over the next two months, nurses noticed she was floppier than most babies and an MRI showed thinning of the corpus callosum in her brain. This led to a diagnosis of a neurological condition called Cortical Visual Impairment and cerebral palsy.

It was devastating to learn about Sabrina’s diagnosis, her mom, Claudia, said in a recent interview. There are already so many hurdles raising a “normal” child, she questioned if she was able to take on the extra challenges. Sabrina’s dad, Chris, added that it felt unfair. Seeing neighbors’ kids develop faster in certain ways was difficult.

Her family started early intervention to help stimulate visual development and when she was about 8 months old, Sabrina was referred to her first physical therapist. Soon after, they started at BCLC.

They quickly learned they were not in it alone, with a village of people helping out, including specialists who can help extraordinary kids like Sabrina. Just knowing that these types of services are available was a big eye-opener. They hit the jackpot with Blind Children’s Learning Center and their schooling program. Being a part of BCLC has not only allowed Sabrina to learn, grow, and interact with other kids, it’s also been a great support system for Chris and Claudia.

They shared that from the moment they stepped foot onto the Center’s campus, every staff member and teacher has been amazing. Between staff and fellow parents at BCLC, Chris and Claudia have learned things they never would have thought of otherwise and reminds them they aren’t alone in the world.

BCLC also helps them feel hopeful and confident as parents that Sabrina will be able to reach her milestones.

Her progress has been wonderful since starting at BCLC. Sabrina can now roll left and right, reaches out correctly and grasps objects, pushes herself upright after leaning forward, and lift her arms up higher. She can also see from about 10 feet away and will look for her parents or find a person in the room after they walk by.

Sabrina is a very happy baby, her parents tell us. “She loves playing in the water, making cupcakes, and playing with her friends.”

Claudia added that they are now focused on moving forward and are excited for all that Sabrina will do, no matter how long it takes.

They cannot wait to see everything Sabrina is capable of.

Sabrina started with BCLC right before the pandemic and has adjusted amazingly to the changes the Center had to implement. She went from receiving inhome services to immediately receiving all services virtually, to half and half, and is now back to school.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Center evolved the way they provided their programming and transitioned to a tele-health model for therapy and classroom sessions. Since April 1, BCLC has provided more than 828 hours of tele-health services to more than 240 children and their families.

“Acting quickly was critical to make sure families continue to have opportunities to reach key milestones,” officials wrote in the Center’s spring newsletter.

For more information, visit www.blindkids.org.