Engineering Connections
Orangewood Foundation joined with the University of California-Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering on Feb. 23 to celebrate National Engineers Week. Almost 100 professional engineers, student engineers from both UCI and Samueli Academy, business leaders and community members gathered to watch students in grades nine through 12 demonstrate their terraced, gravity-powered irrigation systems, patterned after the 2,000-year-old Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines.
The event culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Samueli Academy and UCI’s engineering school designed to encourage and promote academic cooperation and exchange between the organizations.
Samueli Academy is a free public charter high school opened by Orangewood in August 2013. The student body consists of more than 500 children in grades 9-12 from the foster care system and the general community, with priority enrollment given to foster teens. Its curriculum focuses on STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, math and the arts, combined with a project-based learning teaching approach. The first class will graduate in June.
Help for the Homeless
On March 12, 32 of the county’s top chefs came together at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa to participate at Illumination Foundation’s 2017 OC Chef’s Table. More than 300 business leaders, community members and food lovers attended the sold-out event, which raised over $680,000 for the construction of a new emergency house for homeless families with children.
This year’s table sponsors included Disneyland Resort, Coldwell Banker Commercial, Wells Fargo, Molina Healthcare, and Guaranty Chevrolet.
Antonello Ristorante, Nick’s Restaurant, Waterman’s Harbor and Anchor Hitch were among the restaurants that took part in the event.
Illumination Foundation is working to acquire land and garnering partnerships to build the emergency house in the coming year. The facility will house over 200 homeless families with children.
Men in Motion
Orange County businessmen are taking a public stand against domestic violence by partnering with Irvine-based nonprofit organization Human Options for the Men in Motion campaign. The campaign encourages men who are business and community leaders to lend their support and name to the fight against domestic violence.
Human Options recognized FivePoint Holdings Chief Communications Officer Steve Churm and leader of the Men in Motion campaign, alongside the other 30 men who participated in this year’s campaign, during a reception hosted by Human Options board member Mike Morris at the offices of Minyard Morris in Newport Beach on Feb. 28.
Men in Motion has helped raise more than $500,000. The funds support education and prevention programs for OC teens, empowering them to become role models on their campuses and changing the culture of dating violence.
Acts of Gratitude
KTGY Group celebrated its 25th anniversary in business by highlighting 25 Acts of Gratitude.
“We are grateful for the opportunities we have to work on outstanding developments,” said KTGY Group Chairperson Jill Williams. “At 25, we are really just getting started.”
Highlights from KTGY’s 25th Anniversary Acts of Gratitude include Habitat for Humanity build days where staff members from all seven offices spend a day building a home for a family in need. The firm’s Making a Difference program invites staff members to apply for funds to support organizations important to team members, such as feeding homeless people, building parks on vacant lots, and educating girls in need.
Bits & Pieces
City National Bank awarded 121 Reading is The Way Up literacy grants totaling more than $90,000 to support literacy-based projects and financial literacy to elementary, middle and high schools in California, Nevada, New York and Georgia. … Eleven Southern California high schools are participating in the 2017 NuVision Essay Challenge Scholarship Program, which matches applicants with business mentors from Orange County companies, such as Boeing and Northrup Grumman. … Orange County-based nonprofit THINK Together welcomed real estate developer Camino Enterprises owner Dan Young to its board of directors.
