A Million Dreams
The JDRF Orange County chapter’s 2017 Dream Gala was held on March 18 at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, bringing together influential leaders, sponsors and organization supporters to help raise $1 million for diabetes research. The Fund a Cure portion alone raised $315,000, 100% of which will be invested in research programs.
Key event sponsors included Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Allergan Foundation, Toyota Motor North America, Medtronic, Northwestern Mutual, Lugano Diamonds, Applied Medical Resources and the PIMCO Foundation.
The gala kicked off with hosted cocktails and silent and wine auctions, the latter of which featured more than 325 specialty and varietal wines, such as a 3-liter bottle of Morlet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, a magnum of 2007 Sine Qua Non Next of Kyn, and vertical of Mouton Rothschild.
Gift for Girls
The Argyros family donated $2.5 million to Girl Scouts of Orange County for the 6,000-square-foot leadership center it’s building at Marina Park in Newport Beach. The facility will be named for philanthropist Julia Argyros.
The Girl Scouts plan to open the center this year to serve the county’s nearly 21,000 Girl Scouts and the 13,000 adults who support them.
The facility will be centered on the multimedia Inspire program, which will allow girls to virtually meet women in a multitude of careers and to learn the role science, technology, engineering and math education had in their work.
“We are profoundly grateful to Julia and George Argyros for this truly transformational gift,” said Girl Scouts of Orange County Chief Executive Nancy Nygren. “OC STEM jobs are growing, yet we face a dramatic shortfall of STEM-educated workers and timing is critical. Girls lose or gain interest in STEM by eighth grade.”
Fighting for Kids
Marconi Foundation for Kids hosted its 19th annual fundraiser event on March 10 at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin. The annual Fight Night charity event features California sanctioned title fights, unique silent and live auction items, and a four-course meal provided by White House Catering. The event drew more than 350 guests and raised $325,000.
This year, the foundation partnered with local at-risk children’s charity Seneca Orange County and its Guided Animal Intervention Therapy program. Funds raised will help 170 kids participate in GAIT’s 12-session therapy program.
Event sponsors included Haskell & White, Kenny the Printer, Legacy Farms, Signature Party Rentals, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Winston’s Crown Jewelers.
Generous View of the Future
The Samueli Foundation gave a $20 million gift to the University of California-Los Angeles Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science to support expanding the diversity of undergraduate students in engineering and computer science. The donation, which builds on Henry and Susan Samueli’s previous gifts, will fund a new program combining scholarships and internships for as many as 50 freshman students annually.
Henry Samueli co-founded Broadcom. He serves as Orange County chair of the UCLA Centennial Campaign, which seeks to raise $4.2 billion by 2019, with $1 billion earmarked for scholarships. The new gift pushed the campaign past the $3 billion mark and moved UCLA Engineering closer to its own campaign goal of $250 million.
“Susan and I hope this gift will spark the thrill of problem-solving in UCLA Engineering freshmen and ease financial burdens that would otherwise deter them from reaching their full potential,” Samueli said. “It is our sincere hope that this scholarship program will help support the professional growth of those students at UCLA.”
UCLA’s engineering school was named for Henry Samueli in 1999 in recognition of a $30 million gift from the Samueli Foundation. The engineering school at the University of California-Irvine was named for him after a separate $20 million gift from the foundation the same year.
Bits & Pieces
The Irvine Public Schools Foundation surprised teachers and students at five Irvine schools with $20,000 innovation grants totaling $100,000. … the Multifaith Alliance For Syrian Refugees held its first Orange County event at Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach on March 26, with participants donating diapers and other household goods to help refugee families settle into life in the United States.
