Giving Their All
More than 50 employees and real estate brokers with HOM Sotheby’s International Realty in Newport Beach gathered for a Day of Giving on Dec. 4 to make 125 plush toys for children, 32 dog toys and 50 pet blankets from prefabricated kits. The toys were donated to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Orange County, and the pet toys and blankets were donated to the Orange County Animal Care and Shamrock Rescue Foundation.
Mike Shapiro, chairman of HOM, has rescued a number of dogs over the years and was recently named to the board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Orange County and the Inland Empire.
All Wrapped Up
Orange County-based environmental consulting firm Chambers Group said it has a long history of instilling the company spirit with philanthropic support, especially during the holiday season.
“It is important to remember the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women; that’s why Chambers Group makes an effort to show our appreciation of their service for our country,” said Chambers Group President and Chief Executive Sherman Smith.
Smith was a combat medic with the 4th Infantry Division in the Vietnam War.
This past year, Chambers Group directed its holiday giving to Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans, deployed personnel and their families. Through the Soldiers’ Angels Holiday Adopt-a-Family program, the company adopted two military families from the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps and provided them with things they needed to celebrate the holidays, from decorations for their home to gifts and toys for each member of the family, and gift cards to purchase all the trimmings for a holiday meal.
Wishes Do Come True
Employees of Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Orange County and Inland Empire worked together to grant the wish of 5-year-old AJ Iqueda. AJ, who is legally blind and deaf, has had three open-heart surgeries to address his aortic and mitral heart valves. He wished for a playground in his backyard since he must avoid exposure to germs found at public parks. Edwards Lifesciences employees made his wish come true by raising the money needed to build the one-of-a-kind playground, complete with a slide, swings, sandbox and bars for climbing. But they weren’t done: At the company’s holiday party on Dec. 14, Chairman and Chief Executive Mike Mussallem shared AJ’s story with the 2,000 employees and guests. By the end of the evening, little AJ was granted another wish—season passes to Disneyland for his entire family.
Celebrating a Year of Giving
Associates from Santa Ana-based Ingram Micro looked back on their efforts to support Orange County charities in 2013 with a sense of pride—together, more than 1,000 raised $200,000 in contributions for charity. The money was distributed to local Orange County charities, including the American Heart Association, Down Syndrome Society, Sergeants Major Association of California, Together We Rise and Women Helping Women.
“Ingram Micro is committed to the communities in which it works and lives,” said Danny Chung, the company’s senior manager, external communications. “Orange County is no exception.”
Joy Through Toys
Beckman Coulter Inc. associates donated toys and books this holiday season, giving nearly 300 unwrapped items to the patients who called Children’s Hospital of Orange County home during the holidays.
It was the second consecutive year that company employees participated in the annual toy and book drive. The event ran throughout December, when associates placed new and unwrapped toys and books into collection boxes placed across the Brea campus.
Beckman Coulter sites in Carlsbad and Chaska, Minn., participated in similar efforts through partnerships with the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego and the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota.
