No Limits on Giving
United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County raised $450,000 at the annual Life Without Limits fundraising gala on April 22 at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach.
More than 300 guests attended the black-tie event, helping raise funds for local children and families affected by cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and developmental delays.
Event sponsors included loanDepot, the Horowitz Group, the David E.I. Pyott Foundation and the Argyros Family Foundation.
Guests were greeted by the organization’s child ambassadors and families as they arrived at the circus-themed event. A silent auction and cocktail party were followed by dinner, a live auction and an awards program. The event also honored Dr. Jennifer Simpson, who received the Individual Impact award, and Hoag Memorial Hospital, which received the Community Impact award.
All is Well
More than 700 runners, supporters and volunteers attended Wells of Life’s second annual Run4Water fundraiser on April 23 at Laguna Niguel Regional Park. Run4Water featured 38 teams with 600 race participants in 5K and 1K runs/walks, as well as food booths, children’s activities, live music and more. Wells of Life aims to fund the drilling of 1,000 water wells over a 10-year period ending next year to serve 1 million villagers in Uganda, Africa. Run4Water raised $160,000 this year that will fund 30 wells.
Pedego Electric Bike and Custom Comfort Mattress were among the sponsors. In addition to providing financial support for the event, Custom Comfort Mattress is donating $100 per sale of mattresses priced $1,000 or more to Wells of Life through the end of May.
Keeping Dreams Alive
On May 1, Northgate Gonzalez Market donated $100,000 to support organizations helping immigrants known as Dreamers. The term derives from the DREAM Act, or Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, a U.S. bill that would have granted permanent residency to certain undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and went to school here.
The contribution reflects the company’s immigrant roots and the concern the Gonzalez family has for the Dreamers, who are “trying, as our family did, to live the American Dream,” according to Co-President Oscar Gonzalez.
The donation will be divided equally among TELACU Educational Fund, the Hispanic Educational Endowment, the San Diego Dream Team and the University of California Undocumented Students Legal Services Center.
“Our stores serve communities where immigration issues are very real,” Gonzalez said. “We have prospered, thanks to the loyalty of these customers, and we feel a special obligation to find ways to assist individuals who are potentially impacted by changes in immigration policy and how it is applied.”
Napa in Newport
More than 400 people gathered at the Ritz-Carlton on March 4 to enjoy wines from top Napa Valley wineries and help find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The third annual Napa in Newport wine auction raised $1 million to support CureDuchenne’s mission to extend and improve the lives of those affected by Duchenne.
The fatal genetic disease causes muscle degeneration in children, typically boys. Those with Duchenne often lose their ability to walk by their mid-teens, and the disease claims their lives by their mid-20s. There is no cure for it.
Participating wineries included Bure Family Wines, Continuum Estate, Crocker & Starr, Darioush Winery, David Arthur Vineyards, Davis Estates, Fairchild Napa Valley, Fait-Main Wines, Gandona Estate, Gemstone Vineyard, Handwritten Wines, Hill Family Estate, Hundred Acre, Italics Winegrowers, St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery, Trujillo Wines and Vineyard 29.
Sponsors of Napa in Newport included Karma Automotive, 55 Degrees, Broadway by Amar Santana, Fullmer Construction, Golden West Food Group, Integrated Oncology Network, Kenny the Printer, Marathon Pharmaceuticals, Small Luxury Hotels, UnionBanc Investment Services, Vaca, Wells Fargo, WHGC and ZD Wines.
Bits & Pieces
Free Wheelchair Mission has partnered with the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and RPM & Associates Inc. to build a wheelchair test lab at its headquarters in Irvine, complete with obstacles designed to simulate those wheelchair users encounter in developing world conditions. … Science@OC received a $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to support its efforts to improve science education for students to better prepare them for potential careers in high-tech STEM-related jobs. … Huntington Beach-based Nuvision Credit Union donated $30,500 in scholarships and awards to 11 Orange County and Los Angeles schools as part of its Think.Tank.Challenge essay contest, an initiative that aims to provide youth with the basics of financial literacy.
