A Million Ways to Open Doors for Veterans
Goodwill of Orange County opened its Thomas T. and Elizabeth C. Tierney Center for Veteran Services building in Tustin, an all-in-one resource for military veterans living in Orange County and their families. Services available at the center include employment and career counseling, education services, housing assistance, healthcare and benefits, and female veterans services.Â
More than 200 veterans leaders, business executives, community organizations, and elected officials gathered May 26 as the center was dedicated in honor of the Tierneys, local philanthropists whose $1 million gift made it possible. Tom Tierney is founder and senior adviser of Vit-Best Nutrition Inc., also known as Vita-Tech International Inc.
“Elizabeth and I saw an opportunity through Goodwill of Orange County to help our veterans heal,” he said. “It’s an exciting day as we aim to pay forward the gift of freedom that so many of our neighbors provided us through their service.”
Win for Research
The 2016 Man & Woman of the Year Gala raised $775,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Orange County Inland Empire Chapter.
It drew more than 500 people to the Fairmont Newport Beach on June 4. The Man & Woman of the Year Gala is the final phase of an annual fundraiser in which 12 people from Orange County and the Inland Empire competed for 10 weeks to raise the most money for the organization to help advance research for new blood cancer treatments.
Each candidate implemented various fundraising activities and events, ranging from celebrity casino nights and a Crush Cancer Calcutta tennis tournament to a charity benefit concert and an End-of-Treatment Celebration. Every dollar raised equaled one vote, and the winners were announced at the gala.
Man of the Year Chris Lee, senior vice president, private client services, at City National Bank, is a triathlete with Team In Training, president of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society chapter’s board of trustees, and a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor.
Woman of the Year Holly Morales became involved with the organization last year. She competed for Woman of the Year in honor of a classmate of her son’s who’s battling neuroblastoma.
The gala was underwritten in part by Fairmont Newport Beach, Pasha, American Fast Freight, Northwest Builders Finance, City National Bank and Matson Foundation. Other sponsors included Kia of Cerritos, FST Sand & Gravel, West Coast Plumbing, Western Overseas, Larry H. Miller Toyota in Corona and Honda Cars of Corona.
Service to the Greater Good
Concordia University Irvine’s 2016 Gala of Stars was held May 14 at the Concordia Arena on the school’s campus, drawing 360 guests and raising $525,000, which will be used to help fund the university’s scholarship program.
The evening’s highlight was the presentation of the Servant Leadership Award, which honors those whose contributions through volunteering and donations improve others’ lives. This year’s recipients were Yogurtland founders Phillip and Michelle Chang. They’ve supported hundreds of charities over the past decade and recently announced plans to donate part of the company’s revenue to organizations that help victims of human trafficking.
Futures are Brighter
The Child Abuse Prevention Center hosted its 18th Annual Bright Futures Celebration Gala on April 9 at the St. Regis Resort in Dana Point.
The event united 300 Orange County business and community leaders for an evening of entertainment and giving, raising more than $150,000 to prevent child abuse in at-risk families living in Orange County.
The evening’s sponsors included the Capital Group, Wells Fargo Private Bank, US Bank, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Crescent Capital Group, Brandywine Global and First American Title Company.
Bits & Pieces
OneWest Bank, a division of CIT Bank, provided a $100,000 grant to the COR Community Development, the nonprofit organization of Christ Our Redeemer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Irvine. … First Bank raised $123,000 during the Eighth Annual Leaders Build Day, at which Orange County executives and business leaders work together to build affordable homes for limited-income families. … American Family Housing on June 24 broke ground on its newest project in Midway City: Potter’s Lane, an eco-friendly housing project that provides permanent housing for chronically homeless veterans.
