The American Heart Association took another step in its efforts to beat the country’s No. 1 killer when it raised a record $1.6 million last month in the 2013 American Heart Association Orange County Heart Walk.
Among the event’s top money-raisers were McCarthy Building Cos., which took in $74,560; Union Bank, which brought in $71,965.63; SASCO, which contributed $62,711, Standard Drywell Inc., which gave $55,385; and MemorialCare Health System, which raised $50,526.
McCarthy’s chief executive, Mike Bolen, served as the event’s committee chairman for the fourth time.
Heart disease is the top killer in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Collins Honored
The Orange County Community Foundation recognized Dr. Victoria Collins with its 2013 Power-Packed Philanthropist Award on Jan. 31.
Human Options, an Irvine-based nonprofit that aims to stop the cycle of domestic violence, nominated her for the honor.
The foundation said Collins’ efforts to better the lives of Orange County children and families and her support of visual and performing arts made her stand out.
Collins said she wants to help others succeed on their own.
She was one of the five founders of the Women’s International Loan Fund and supports micro-enterprise for women in developing countries.
“For the price of a dinner in Newport Beach, you can change someone’s whole future,” she said.
Collins currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine, and holds leadership positions in several nonprofit organizations. She also chairs the board of the Center Club in Costa Mesa.
Charity Doles Out Grants
It started with a coincidence: Two people read the same newspaper article about a struggling food bank with near-empty shelves. Later that day, those same two people—Harold Herrmann, president of Yard House restaurant, and Jennifer Weerheim, vice president of marketing for Yardhouse, discussed what they’d read. The company could have easily written a donation check, but Herrmann and Weerheim agreed they wanted to make a lasting impact.
Their idea: When customers paid their bills, they could opt to round up their credit cards to the nearest dollar—be it 50 cents or 10 cents—to donate to charity.
The first store to implement the program was the Irvine Spectrum Yard House, in July 2009. The program stuck and grew into what is now known as Round It Up America, which held its third annual granting ceremony on Feb. 21.
Among the recipients were OC charities Families Forward and Mercy House, which each got $10,000, and the California Restaurant Association, which received $25,000.
Opportunities to Give
• iHOPEoc Inc. will host its inaugural iHOPE Golf Classic on April 1 at the private Bella Collina Towne & Golf Club in San Clemente. Proceeds will provide services to the working poor, at-risk and homeless populations. Fees are $175 for an individual golfer, $600 for foursomes.
• The 13th annual A Gathering of Friends Dancing Through the Decades gala, benefiting Alzheimer’s Family Services Center, will take place May 11 at the Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach. Individual tickets are $150.
• The 18th annual Gift of Hope Gala benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Orange County will be June 8 at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. Philanthropist Charlene Prager, as well as 3 Thirty 3 and DivBar owner Jeff Reuter, will be honored for their efforts to fight muscular dystrophy. Tickets are $350 each.
