Seeing Red
Antis Roofing & Waterproofing hit a philanthropic milestone on April 6, celebrating its 200th American Red Cross blood drive at its Orange County facility.
The company first opened its doors to blood drives in 2020, after Charles Antis, founder and CEO, Antis Roofing & Waterproofing, learned that thousands of blood drives had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Antis Roofing & Waterproofing began hosting two drives per month, partnering with California Love Drop, founded by Wing Lam, co-founder, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, to provide community members who donated blood with meals, beverages and treats. Antis Roofing & Water Proofing is a “Founding Dropper” of California Love Drop, along with Vans, The Heidi & Frank Show, 95.5 KLOS, Monster Beverage Corporation, Yogurtland and Ellis Entertainment.
Antis blood drives have generated more than 4,700 donations, providing critical support for trauma and accident victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients and those undergoing cancer treatment.
Healthy Giving
Kaiser Permanente Orange County is investing more than $3.5 million in community health grants to strengthen local organizations advancing well-being and health equity across the county.
The funding focuses on key factors that influence health outcomes, including access to care, mental health, housing stability, food and nutrition security, income and employment and thriving school environments. Together, these priority areas address the most significant drivers of health and are critical to improving long-term well-being.
“These grants reflect our commitment to partnering with trusted community organizations to improve the health of Orange County,” said Payman Roshan, senior vice president and area manager for the OC service area for Kaiser Permanente. “By working together, we can help strengthen the systems and services people rely on to stay healthy.”
This year’s grant recipients include Southland Integrated Services, Unidos South Orange County, Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers, Orangewood Foundation, Access California Services, Human Options, Project Kinship, Orange County United Way, Illumination Foundation, Public Law Center, Goodwill Industries of Orange County, Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation, Meals On Wheels Orange County, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and Community Action Partnership of Orange County.
Music to their Ears
At a packed house of more than 1,000 musicians and their families, Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) received a $2 million contribution from Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation during the annual Donald Bren Honors Concert at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall on April 7.
The gift is part of a 20-year, $50 million funding commitment supporting the Excellence in Education Enrichment program, which provides specialized arts, music and science instruction to every fourth through sixth-grade student in the district.
“Thanks to community support like that of Irvine Company and its Chairman Donald Bren, IUSD students continue to flourish, leading the state in the arts, math and sciences,” said Jeff Kim, IUSD board president and adjunct instructor at California State University, Fullerton and Vanguard University.
“This remarkable gift and our ongoing partnership will allow the district to further expand our enrichment programs and continue to deliver on our promise to provide the highest quality educational experience we can envision.”
Since its launch in 2006, the program has reached more than 200,000 elementary students and helped IUSD consistently outperform state peers on California’s standardized assessments. The district has also earned recognition as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation for 14 consecutive years and ranks among the state’s top performers on the California Science Test.
“Educational opportunity and excellence have always been at the heart of our planning efforts in Irvine,” said Jeff Davis, senior vice president, Irvine Company. “The funding commitment made through the Excellence in Education Enrichment program has deepened our decades-long partnership with IUSD, students and families to support enrichment programs in science, art and music.”
Bits & Pieces
USA 250 Orange County, The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum and the Richard Nixon Foundation presented the first of four events centered on the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, featuring George Washington, played by Dan Shippey, nationally renowned George Washington interpreter, and Benjamin Franklin, played by Mark Skousen, an eighth generation direct descendent of Benjamin Franklin, Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise, Chapman University, who performed in character, discussing the founding of the United States and the history of the U.S. Constitution, a show supported in part by Charlie Zhang, entrepreneur and philanthropist; the Orange County Register and C-SPAN …
Cox announced that its Orange County employees, through a volunteer council, selected three nonprofits, Homefront America, Project3R and a third organization to be announced, to receive a $50,000 grant as part of a landmark $150,000 commitment to support essential programs in the communities where Cox employees live and work …
The Friendly Center announced that in 2025 it distributed nearly 246,000 pounds of food to more than 3,000 individuals and 920 families through its Friendly Marts, which turns the center’s bi-weekly food distribution program into a weekly grocery shopping experience, empowering their clients to select their own food from a broad range of fresh and packaged items to meet their family’s needs …
CORRECTION: This article was updated April 27 to correct the total gift amount pledged by Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation to support the Excellence in Education Enrichment program. The Business Journal regrets the error.
