Harvesting Hope
City National Bank was the Corporate Legacy Harvest sponsor of the Harvesters 26th Annual Fashion Show & Luncheon on Oct. 3. The sold-out event at Reneé and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall supports food-insecure families in Orange County.
South Coast Plaza produced and curated the runway show, which featured highlights from the fall/winter collections of iconic fashion houses.
More than 400 guests attended the show and luncheon, which netted over $1 million and will provide more than 3 million meals via Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Funds will go directly to feed hungry children, working families and seniors in the community.
Luncheon guests and Harvesters members sipped champagne at a reception before enjoying the show featuring some of South Coast Plaza’s European and American luxury and designer brands.
Building Better Lives
The Credit Union of Southern California recently donated $200,000 to 15 local charities to help build better lives for those in the communities it serves. Benefitting nonprofit organizations included CAPC Inc., Whittier Host Lions Club for its Sight for Kids Event, Soroptimist International of Whittier, Murphy Ranch Little League, the Women’s & Children’s Crisis Shelter in Whittier, and Boys & Girls Club Whittier. Individual donations ranged from $5,000 to $50,000.
Because six of the nonprofits are in Whittier, the credit union hosted a photo event with Mayor Joe Vinatieri at its Greenleaf branch on Oct. 9, when credit union Chief Executive Dave Gunderson presented a check representing the $90,000 in combined donations to the charitable organizations there.
“We made a decision to focus on the Whittier community, as that is where the credit union started in 1954 and where CU SoCal has a large percentage of members,” said Michelle Hunter, chief communications & experience officer.
“We are grateful to have been chosen to receive such a sizable donation to expand the services for our seniors with developmental disabilities,” said CAPC Chief Executive Carolyn Ann Reggio. “It is an honor to say I am a CU SoCal member who believes in its mission and commitment to improving the lives of others, one person at a time. Because of this incredible gift of money, CAPC will be able to pay it forward by enriching the lives of those we serve in our community.”
Showing Support
In August Pacific Premier Bank, which has a long-standing commitment to supporting nonprofit organizations devoted to cancer awareness and prevention, presented a $200,000 check to Susan G. Komen Orange County.
Pacific Premier Bank Chief Executive Steve Gardner presented the donation to Susan G. Komen Orange County Executive Director Lisa Wolter at Komen OC’s recent mobile mammography event outside the Mexican consulate in Santa Ana.
Also in attendance were YWCA Chief Executive Diane Masseth-Jones and consulate head counsel Mario Cuevas Zamora. More than 40 underinsured Orange County women took advantage of the free tests.
The bank’s support of Komen OC goes beyond financial contributions; it’s also an integral part of Komen’s biggest annual fundraiser, Race for the Cure, supporting the event, which took place on Sept. 23, as a diamond-level sponsor. Also, through October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, bank branch employees are wearing branded pink polo shirts emblazoned with the breast cancer awareness ribbon. Branches display educational information to help increase breast cancer awareness.
Looking Ahead
Vocational Visions held An Enchanted Evening at the Oscars benefit on Sept. 29 at the Irvine Marriott, where an estimated $105,000 was raised to continue providing programs, services and support to develop talents of adults with disabilities.
More than 250 guests attended the event, which also honored Orange County companies Electron Beam Engineering Inc., Buy Buy Baby Inc. and Enterprise Fleet Management for their continued support of the nonprofit group.
Bits & Pieces
Human Options received a $40,000 grant through America’s Tire Company-Central California Region’s Driven to Care Program to help renovate its emergency shelter for incoming individuals and families in domestic violence danger … More than 300 people attended the 12th annual Hops & Vines Charity Classic hosted by Center Club Orange County on Sept. 27, raising more than $41,000 to benefit Orange County School of the Arts … chief executive of MOMS Orange County, Pamela Pimentel, was honored by Orange County Grantmakers with the Sister Regina Legacy Leader Award at its annual summit on Oct. 5 at the Dehli Center in Santa Ana.
