Fishing, Golf and Giving
The 20th annual Stars & Stripes Tournament, a four-day fishing, golf and music fundraiser, reeled in a record-shattering $3 million for youth organizations in Orange County and Mexico.
More than 650 philanthropically minded participants reeled, putted and rocked to support six youth organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, Miracles For Kids, Orangewood Foundation, HomeAid Orange County, Tilly’s Life Center and Building Baja’s Future.
The festival was held June 23 to 26 at the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort in Mexico. This year’s tournament pushed the figure of total funds raised since 1997 to nearly $30 million.
The event honored Laguna Beach residents Debbie and Dick Gebhard, chairman of Pinnacle Holdings Group. He founded Stars & Stripes in 1997.
This year’s sponsors included SASCO, Honda Center and the Anaheim Ducks.
An elected volunteer board of directors, The Knights, manages the event along with Gebhard. It includes members Tim Ryan, chief executive of the Honda Center and executive vice president of the Anaheim Ducks; Al Baldwin, chairman of Baldwin & Sons LLC; Jeff Cunningham, senior vice president of construction management services at Shea Properties; Larry Kirkenslager, senior vice president of pre-construction for Sasco Electric Inc.; Charles Ruck, partner at Latham & Watkins LLP; and Erik Anderson, president of Anderson Financial.
Honoring Commitment
Disneyland Resorts, PIMCO Foundation, National Association of Letter Carriers, South Coast Plaza and Wells Fargo were among the corporations and organizations honored at the Community Action Awards Gala hosted by the Community Action Partnership of OC and the OC Food Bank.
Individual honorees included Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait; A.G. Kawamura, owner of Orange County Produce; Cheryl Vargo, community benefit manager at Kaiser Permanente; and Sarah Middleton, executive director of the PIMCO Foundation.
The June 4 event surpassed its fundraising goal, bringing in more than $415,000 to support the partnership’s safety-net services for people at or below the federal poverty level, as well as its efforts to build stronger, healthier communities through education.
Record Giving for Abused Kids
On June 6, Tommy Bahama teamed up with Olive Crest for its 17th annual golf tournament, charity auction and celebration dinner. This year’s event was held at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, followed by dinner at Tommy Bahama’s Island Grille in Newport Beach, along with live and silent auctions.
The event broke all previous records with a field of 165 golfers, the largest-ever number of sponsors, and 240 guests. It raised more than $160,000 to support Olive Crest’s programs, including foster care and adoption programs, the Project Independent Program, and housing, “kinship” and Wrap-Around programs.
“Tommy Bahama is thrilled to have partnered with Olive Crest for the 17th consecutive year,” said Debbie MacDonald, West Coast Tommy Bahama regional manager. “It’s a great annual event that celebrates all those involved and honors the tremendous service Olive Crest provides to our community.”
Bold, Bright Future for Girls
On June 4, more than 230 local business leaders and philanthropists gathered at Kia Motors America’s corporate headquarters in Irvine to celebrate more than 5,000 girls who participated in Girls Inc. of Orange County programming this year. The event raised $250,000 through corporate and individual sponsorships, ticket purchases, a silent auction and a Sponsor-A-Girl initiative.
The funds will support Girls Inc. of Orange County’s mission to inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold by providing year-round holistic, compensatory and intentional programming focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
“I am particularly drawn to Girls Inc.,” said Kim Shepherd, chief executive of Decision Toolbox. “We have an incredible opportunity to help fashion the direction of young girls in our community.”
Bits & Pieces
DeVera Heard, a 30-plus-year educator with the Santa Ana Unified School District, joined Komen Orange County’s board of directors. … The California Scottish Rite Foundation, headquartered in Santa Ana, recently expanded its program to provide assistance to military veterans, thanks to a recent $50,000 donation from the Joan M. Wismer Foundation. … The Surdna Foundation provided The Wooden Floor in Santa Ana with a $240,000 grant.
