Transformative Partnership
The Pacific Life Foundation has awarded $1.5 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast in support of the Club’s College Bound program to prepare youth in Orange County for success after high school graduation. The grant will give more students access to the year-round program that provides daily academic support, sponsors numerous college pathway activities and explores career options.
This partnership with Pacific Life represents the first lead gift toward the Boys & Girls Club’s five-year plan to expand services to more students in the cities they serve and overall investment of approximately $7 million into College Bound and teen service.
This investment is part of the Pacific Life Foundation’s five-year partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast and will be used to scale the College Bound program enrollment from 2,500 students to 4,450 students in Newport Mesa Unified School District, Orange Unified School District and Santa Ana Unified School District, ensuring more teens graduate high school on time and with a financially sustainable plan for higher education.
As part of the funding, $1 million will go toward growing and sustaining the program and $500,000 to support the College Bound Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to program students as they move on to post-secondary education.
Pacific Life employees will have the opportunity to volunteer to further support the Club’s and program’s efforts, including reviewing students’ scholarship applications, participating in college and career panels, workforce development, mentor days and other community engagement opportunities.
“The Pacific Life Foundation’s investment will help expand the program, providing equitable access to resources for students as they complete high school and move on to college,” said Tennyson Oyler, president, Pacific Life Foundation. “We’re proud to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast to help make an impact in these students’ lives, and for Pacific Life employees to have the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way through volunteer and mentorship opportunities.”
Creating a New Path Forward
On Oct. 29, supporters of Orangewood Foundation gathered with 227 of the organization’s most impactful donors to celebrate the 24th Annual Ambassador Luncheon, raising more than $300,000. The event, which was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Newport Beach, serves to recognize Orangewood’s individual and collective accomplishments from the past year while honoring the foundation’s “Ambassadors”—philanthropic partners whose annual gifts of $1,000 or more support the foundation’s efforts—and raise funds for youth in the community who are currently in foster care.
The luncheon was made possible by several sponsors, including Horowitz Group, Angels Baseball Foundation, Anaheim Ducks Foundation, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Kaiser Permanente, Samueli Foundation, and SRG Partners.
The event’s programming included a special message from Oprah Winfrey, who told Orangewood’s guests about childhood trauma and how the community can join to put the lives of foster youth on a new, more beneficial trajectory as they prepare for adulthood.
Poker for Pretend
Poker tables were packed with more than 120 players during the 12th annual Pretend City Children’s Museum’s Poker Fundraising Night on Oct. 21, held at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach. Play and developmental screenings at Pretend City are critical to ensure every child in Orange County is healthy and school ready. This year’s tournament supporters raised more than $200,000.
The event was co-chaired by Hirad Emadi, president, Innovative Construction Service, and Trevor Tait, managing director, Tait & Associates.
“Our poker event underscores the incredible support shown all year round for Pretend City Children’s Museum’s educational mission. An investment in early childhood is the best investment we can make in Orange County; it develops a higher return for every dollar spent than investments at any other age,” Emadi said.
The event was made possible by key sponsors: MSI, Lyon Living, Gibson Dunn, Branded Group, Lyon Air Museum, CorporateTech, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, Synoptek, Innovative Construction Solutions and London Consulting Group.
Looking for a Kure
Nearly 150 guests gathered Nov. 5 at the Newport Coast home of Steve Craig, founder and CEO of outlet mall owner Craig Realty Group, for Kure It Cancer Research’s “Let’s Save Lives” gala, themed “Legends & Legacy.” Those being honored were Kure It founder and USC supporter, the late Barry Hoeven, founder, Westport Properties, and UCLA’s football coach, the late Terry Donahue, who was an integral part of launching Kure Its Rivals United campaign. The event raised more than $165,000 in net proceeds. Kure It funds grants in the $50,000 to $250,000 range to start seed money that will help get an innovative idea off the ground in hopes that larger funding can be secured to take the research to the next level.
As guests arrived, they were treated to a silent auction full of a selection of wines and spirits, as well as art and vacations. Following a sit-down dinner on the lawn, Todd Perry, CFO, Briggs Electric Inc. and Kure It Board Chair, welcomed everyone, acknowledging the board of directors, staff, women’s guild, and the sponsors, in particular US Storage Centers, Westport Properties, The Nahin Group, Thorofare Capital, Bank of the West, and City National Bank. Other sponsors included Kiwi II Construction, Briggs Electric, NPV Advisors, Wells Fargo, and CommerceWest Bank.
Bits & Pieces
Dr. Willie Banks, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at University of California, Irvine, has joined the Project Hope Alliance board of directors, highlighting his commitment to students’ wellness and success in all of its forms. … Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has established the General William Lyon Leadership Center on its Newport Beach campus, after receiving a transformative gift from the family of the late real estate exec William Lyon, which will provide state-of-the-art space for collaboration among clinical and hospital leaders. … For the first time, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County will accept donations in cryptocurrency, a new way to donate that will be a boost to the food bank as it expects more people to seek help due to inflation.
