J.F. Shea Gala Raises $200,000
The J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center’s annual gala raised more than $200,000 to benefit the San Juan Capistrano center, which aims to improve the lives of people with disabilities through therapeutic horse-related programs. The funds were raised through auction items, which included a walk-on role for the TV show “Scrubs” that went for $10,000 and a male Wheaton Terrier puppy that fetched $4,000.
Attendees included event sponsors and founders of the “Michael Lewis, Friends of the Disabled Award,” Nancy, Derek and John Lewis, along with Michael Lewis. Michael has cerebral palsy and was Shea Center’s first rider at age 10. At 38, he still rides at the center.
Orange-based Ameriquest Mortgage Co. awarded more than $500,000 to 36 after-school programs in California, Connecticut and Texas through its Create Your Legacy program, which encourages youth community service and teamwork. One of the $15,000 grants was awarded to Santa Ana’s Think Together, which provides after school programs and academic support to improve student achievement. Think Together is set to use the funds to upgrade its computer and technology lab and renovate four soccer fields at local elementary schools.
Goodwill of Orange County raised more than $425,000 in cash and pledges at its inaugural Working for Independence Fund Raising luncheon. Nearly 200 people attended. Goodwill aims to help people with disabilities and other barriers to achieve personal and economic independence through competitive employment.
HomeAid Orange County’s eighth annual Rainbow of Hope Ball raised more than $211,000. The money is slated to benefit the group’s shelter program. HomeAid builds and renovates shelters for OC homeless men, women and children. The shelter program now is in its 17th year as the Building Industry Association of Southern California’s charitable outreach.
Orange County United Way’s Success By 6 initiative received a grant of $52,132 from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Foundation to support OC United Way’s Raising A Reader Project. The reader project is an early literacy program that provides childcare centers with bags of children’s books and other reading materials to push the importance of reading to young kids. Five centers currently partner with OC United Way on the project. The grant will allow the project to expand into four more centers. Success By 6 promotes the healthy development of children by partnering with various community groups.
The Small Grants Program of the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, which aims to acquire and restore rivers, streams and wetlands in coastal Southern California, awarded a total of $29,500 to Orange County wetland and watershed restoration projects. The Bolsa Chica Land Trust received $10,800 of the total for its Bolsa Chica Pocket Wetlands Restoration Project, with $18,700 going to Orange County Conservation Corp for the Restoration of South Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. The Earth Island Institute, an international environmental group, funds the Small Grants Program.
Irvine-based Option One Mortgage Corp. is partnering with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute,a Hispanic educational and youth leadership development group,to provide mortgage banking scholarships. The scholarships, which are valued at $20,000, will help send three Home Ownership, a Growing American Reality (or, HOGAR, the Spanish word for ‘home’) fellows to the Mortgage Banker’s Association’s School of Mortgage Banking. The three employees will receive training that will help them better serve and help increase the number of minority homebuyers.
Irvine-based Toyota Material Handling USA Inc. donated a lift truck to the automotive technology department of Kirtland Community College in Roscommon, Mich. The truck will allow students in the automotive technology program to study another engineering path than traditional automotive studies.
In support of International Surfing Day, Toyota Motor Sales USA donated a 2006 Highlander Hybrid for auction on eBay, with proceeds from the auction benefiting the Surfrider Foundation. The auction vehicle features a JBL premium sound system, 17-inch alloy wheels, driver and front passenger airbags, power moonroof, roof rack and fog lamps. The vehicle also has items from Irvine-based Billabong USA including a wetsuit and clothing package. The foundation, which has several chapters in OC, is a nonprofit that works to preserve the world’s oceans and beaches.
