OneOC Luncheon Adds Spice to Nonprofit Menu

Last week’s annual OneOC Spirit of Volunteerism Awards luncheon at the Disneyland Hotel added humor, insight and style to the standard heartwarming fare of the nonprofit circuit, giving the crowd of more than 1,000 a mix that felt fresh as it highlighted the extraordinary levels of support the community of business provides nonprofit organizations that serve Orange County … The humor came courtesy of Ron Hasse, president of the Southern California News Group of Digital First Media, new owner of the Orange County Register, a presenting sponsor of the event. Hasse has added the title of publisher of the Register to his calling card—he holds the same post at 10 other dailies from L.A. to Redlands—and he told the crowd that he almost stood up when OneOC Chairman Rob Reindl called on all the nonprofits in the crowd to rise and be recognized. He showed good comedic timing, too, allowing just a moment for his cheekiness to prompt a laugh from a crowd that was likely familiar with the Register’s recent travails. Hasse went on to lay out a list of reasons DFM found Orange County to be an attractive market, and then touched on a vision of a news operation that will combine a firm local focus with the new owner’s ability to provide regional context to coverage … Hasse couldn’t have heard it through the din of the ballroom, but he’s probably faced some version of the skepticism expressed by a wag at one table who said the remarks “sounded like déjà vu”—an apparent reference to the pie-in-the-sky plans prior Register owners Aaron Kushner and Eric Spitz touted for the daily, which slouched toward an eventual bankruptcy on their watch … Credit Hasse for a crisp appearance and polished pitch that stuck to themes of general principles and potential while staying away from the sort of promises that sound too good to be true … Credit Robert Davis, SVP for the U.S. operations of Irvine-based Mazda North American—which joined the Register as a presenting sponsor of the luncheon—with insight into the softer side of corporate decision making. Davis told the crowd of do-gooders and their supporters that the sense of community such collaborations create are one reason Mazda recently decided to relocate its North American HQ just a few blocks to the Irvine Company’s new office tower at 200 Spectrum “rather than move out of state.” Bet you didn’t even know Mazda had thought about following the lead of Nissan or Toyota, both of which have moved U.S. headquarters out of L.A. County … Now for style—a good bit of which came in the forms of Pacific Life Foundation President Tennyson Oyler and Sarah Middleton, executive director of the PIMCO Foundation. The pair took a turn at the podium to call out one of several groups of honorees, showing off a chemistry worthy of a morning talk show … Kudos to the day’s top honorees—nonprofit High School Inc. and Tom’s Truck Center/Carmenita Truck Center/Kia Depot in Santa Ana. A well-earned honor for a combination that gives kids a chance to check out the potential of careers ranging from the shop floor to the front office … Kudos also to the Orange County Community Foundation’s Giving Day, a separate, 30-hour blitz that ended just about the time of the OneOC luncheon. The campaign—dubbed iheartOC—nearly doubled last year’s total with about $3.2 million in donations.