Compiled by Roberta Boginis
Rancho Cucamonga-based Vineyard National Bancorp, recently named the nation’s fourth fastest-growing company on the 2005 Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list, hosted 100 military personnel and their families for a weekend at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. The campaign was part of a sponsorship with Marine Corps Community Services at Camp Pendleton. Vineyard provided Marines, sailors and their families with hotel rooms, passes to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure and Disney Dollars. Vineyard employees donated gifts to the families.
Buchanan Street Partners’ fifth annual Challenge for Children held at the Newport Dunes Resort raised $300,000 for United Way’s Success by Six early childhood development program and $20,000 for the Miocean Foundation, which teaches children to preserve and protect coastlines and oceans. More than 300 professionals took part in athletic events and entertainment, including sponsors JPMorgan Chase & Co., Arden Realty Inc., Makar Properties LLC, GE Commercial Capital, LNR Property Corp., Buchanan Street, Orange County Business Journal and Real Estate Southern California.
The 2005 Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure received $20,000 from Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth’s participants’ and friends’ donations and $10,000 in sponsorship from the Newport Beach-based law firm, which placed second among all companies in OC in the fund raising.
Children’s Hospital of Orange County and CHOC at Mission received more than $120,000 from the sixth annual Motorcycle Ride of the CHOC Padrinos. The group also made a $250,000 donation to the CHOC Heart Institute.
The Rocky Start Foundation donated $115,000 to the neonatal intensive care unit at UCI Medical Center’s University Children’s Hospital. The funds were raised at the fourth annual Rocky Start Foundation charity golf tournament. Moore Electric and Rohm Insurance were sponsors. Other participants were: SunCal Cos.; Electro Dynamic Services; Tiempo Escrow II; ABD Insurance; Saf-T-Co; Walter’s Wholesale; Vineyard Bank; Lluella Morey Murphey Foundation; Crest Steel; Wayco Insurance; UCI; Wiegel, Szekel and Walker; Arch Insurance; Pediatrix Medical Group; Pechanga Resort and Casino; RMD Rebar; Pindroh and Frame.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Pacific South Coast Chapter, raised more than $2 million at its 23rd annual Bay to Bay Bike Tour, which went from Huntington Beach to San Diego. The fourth annual Southern California MS Challenge, from Carlsbad to San Diego, held by the Orange County and San Diego County chapters, raised more than $1.2 million. San Juan Capistrano’s Kristi Bisch was the top individual fund-raiser at $16,000.
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. awarded the Irvine-based Orange County Burn Association $11,240 for educational materials and tools for fire prevention
Mission San Juan Capistrano received $133,000 for the preservation of its historic chapel from the “Romance of the Serra Chapel Gala” held by the Mission Preservation Foundation. Honorary chair Richard O’Neill pledged an additional $250,000. Flexrake, a maker of gardening equipment, donated $3,000 worth of tools to the Mission. Sierra Soil donated $700 worth of soil. The historic site was built in 1776.
The 21st annual Food, Wine & Micro-Brew Fest, hosted by South Coast Plaza and sponsored by KTLA Charities, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, raised more than $70,000 for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.
The University of the Arts in Philadelphia received 600 copies of FlightCheck Studio and 500 copies of FlightCheck Professional from Santa Ana-based Markzware. The donations are valued at $400,000.
Frank and Marleen Darras donated $250,000 to Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, the oldest law school in OC. The university named the Frank and Marleen Darras Moot Court Room in honor of its benefactors. Frank Darras is a graduate and member of the school’s board.
Teachers and principals in 24 Capistrano district schools received $54,000 from the grant incentives for teachers program of the Capistrano Unified School District Foundation.
Beverly Hills-based City National Bank gave $30,000 in grants to education professionals in OC schools. City National, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in OC last year, has a regional center in Irvine and branches in Newport Beach, Anaheim and at the Irvine Spectrum.
ACE DuraFlo Pipe Restoration Inc. in Santa Ana gave $3,900 to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Fund, which helps families of soldiers who died while serving in the military. ACE pledged $100 per complete restoration work referral during the holidays.
Financial Executives International, Orange County chapter, awarded $3,000 to the winners of the 2005 Vern West Scholarship Fund. The students, who each received $500, were: Carolyn Kilpatrick and Alberto Escalera, undergraduates at the George Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University; Feili Duosi and Gary Lu, graduates at the Merage School of Business, UCI; and Eun Ju Chung and Michelle Ucuzogla, undergraduates at the College of Business and Economics, California State University, Fullerton. Each university was awarded $1,000 in recognition of their dedication to academic excellence.
The College of Engineering and Computer Science Professor for a Day event at Cal State Fullerton sponsored by Parasoft Corp. hosted several executives as guest professors, including: Laura Cheung and Laurie Haack, alumni, and principal systems engineers at Raytheon Co.; Christi Christich, chief executive at Christek Interconnects; Safwat Farag, vice president of research and development at Ericsson Inc., Adam Kolawa, chief executive at Parasoft; David T. Lowerre, alumnus, and owner of Map Genius; Hanry Martinez, alumnus, and chief operating officer of power systems at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; and Hai Phan, alumnus, and chief executive at Dexteus Inc.
Boeing Co. and University of California, Irvine Extension joined forces to work on the quality of science education in California. Gary Toyama, vice president of the Southern California region for Boeing, presented a $75,000 check to Gary Matkin, dean of continuing education at UC Irvine Extension, and Chancellor Michael Drake.
