Golden Gift
On March 14, Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) kicked off its golden jubilee year with the return of its annual Donald Bren Honors Concert after a two-year hiatus. The event took place at the Henry and Renee Segerstrom Concert Hall, with Terry Walker, superintendent, IUSD, accepting a $2 million contribution from Irvine Co. The gift is part of a 20-year, $45 million commitment to support arts, music and science education in the district.
“Education has always been at the core of our planning efforts in Irvine, and today’s contribution continues our company’s decades-long partnership with IUSD, students and families to support enrichment programs in science, art and music,” said Jeff Davis, vice president, Irvine Co.
The Excellence in Education Enrichment Fund, established by Irvine Co.’s funding commitment, helps provide art, music and science teachers to every fourth through sixth grader in the district. Instruction includes two one-hour science lessons per week, two 40-minute music lessons per week, and six one-hour art lessons per year, all taught by highly specialized instructors.
“Many school districts have drastically cut arts education over the last two decades, but Irvine’s program has flourished, thanks to community support like that of Irvine Co.and its Chairman Donald Bren,” Walker said. “Tonight’s concert is a demonstration of this commitment, a commitment that has resulted in IUSD being named one of the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation for nine consecutive years.”
A Celebration 10 Years in the Making
On March 9, Orangewood Foundation announced the culmination of a 10-year, multi-phase capital campaign to fulfill the nonprofit’s long-term vision for the Samueli Academy.
After raising a total of $72 million through four innovative campaigns, the school celebrated the completion of construction on its 7.1-acre campus in Santa Ana that includes new academic buildings and on-campus housing for youth in foster care.
The first phase of the capital campaign kicked off in 2011 to purchase the land, perform demolition and site work and install modular classrooms. Samueli Academy opened on Aug. 25, 2013. Orangewood Foundation broke ground on its first permanent structures one year later, with subsequent campaigns raising funds for five campus buildings, state of-the-art technology, and a residence for foster youth students attending the school.
Since opening, Samueli Academy has earned a ranking among the top 6% of high schools for both California and the United States from the U.S. News & World Report. A full 100% of Samueli Academy’s foster youth students have graduated, compared to approximately half of students in the state’s foster care system. About 98% of its students graduate, and 96% enroll at two- or four-year colleges.
In partnership with Orangewood Foundation’s Youth Connected Program, the school offers students in foster care the ability to live in an on-campus dorm Sunday night through Friday afternoon, and then spend weekends with their foster family. The on-campus housing program fulfills the original vision of Susan Samueli, Ph.D., trustee, board co-chair and vice president, The Samueli Foundation, and Sandi Jackson, philanthropist and board chair, Samueli Academy, who brought the idea for Samueli Academy to fellow Orangewood Foundation board members in 2001.
Their objective was to establish a residential high school that offered students in foster care stability in both their academic experience and living situation.
“The school has exceeded all of my expectations,” Samueli said. “We are seeing students who had no vision of going on to post-secondary education when they first came to Samueli Academy go on to outstanding colleges and universities (including) the Naval Academy, Carnegie Mellon, Worchester Polytechnic Institute, University of Southern California; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Berkeley, and so many more prestigious universities all over the country.”
Super Bowl for Super Soldiers
Julie and Gary Crisp, owners of Crisp Imaging, threw their 11th annual Super Bowl party for 500 members of the military and other guests at Legion Hall Post 291 in Newport Beach.
In addition to 300 active-duty Marines bused from Camp Pendleton, the Crisps hosted dozens of veterans of conflicts dating to WWII.
“We wanted to give our men and women in uniform a joyous day they would never forget,” said Gary Crisp, CEO, Crisp Imaging. “It gives Julie and me so much happiness to see everyone laughing, talking, eating, playing games, and enjoying the day. It is our humble honor to throw them this event to recognize their service and sacrifice.”
Event sponsors included the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation, R.D. Olson, Architects Orange, Burnham USA, Coca-Cola, Monster Energy Cares, Godes & Preis LLP, Tangram, Kent Valley, 2003 Eagle Foundation, Newport Harbor Post 291, Santa Margarita High School, Honeybaked Ham Co., Lear Boats, Balboa Bay Club, Salt, Schwab Charitable, Bowermaster, Bank of the West, Hathaway Dinwiddie, Advanced Office, MK Electric, VCA Code Group, Daum Commercial Real Estate Group, Challenge Sales, DeLillo Chevrolet, Mardek Enterprises, Tracey and Brian Crisp and CBE Solutions.
Guests enjoyed a variety of food options, as well as activities such as arm-wrestling, video gaming, ping pong and Las Vegas-style games of chance. Therapeutic massages, chiropractic adjustments, and haircuts were also available. The entertainment included the USC Marching Band, dancing Raiderettes, gospel, blues, jazz, and reggae music, a lucha libre Mexican wrestling show, a magician, and Polynesian fire dancers twirling flaming batons. Â
This event benefited the Dana Point 5th Marine Regiment Support Group, whose mission is to provide support and outreach to the 5th MAR Marines and Sailors deployed from and stationed at Camp Pendleton, and to their families.
Bits & Pieces
Families Forward received three grants totaling approximately $200,000, provided by the Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and the Ueberroth Family Foundation, which will help Families Forward provide a variety of wraparound programs to clients including housing, food, counseling, education and more. … Darren Aitken, managing partner, Aitken Aitken Cohn, was recently named to the board of directors of the Mission Preservation Foundation, lending his expertise to support the Foundation’s commitment to providing leadership and raising funds for the care and preservation of Mission San Juan Capistrano. … From March 23 through March 30, Meathead Movers held a donation drive across all its Central and Southern California locations, collecting essential
over-the-counter medical supplies that were donated to Operation USA, an international disaster relief organization supporting Ukrainian refugees.
