Leaps and Bounds
More than $450,000 was raised at the 2025 College Bound Luncheon, benefitting Girls Inc. of Orange County, with proceeds supporting the organization’s College Bound initiative, a program designed to help girls prepare for higher education and future careers. The event, held at the Marriott Irvine Spectrum in November, drew approximately 350 attendees from across the Orange County business, education and philanthropic communities.
“The College Bound Luncheon highlights the collective impact our community can have when we rally around girls’ education,” said Lucy Santana, CEO, Girls Inc.
“Girls Inc.’s College Bound program is about more than getting girls to college; it’s about helping them see themselves as capable, deserving, and prepared for the future they imagine. We are deeply grateful to our partners who believe in the potential of every girl we serve and help ensure girls across Orange County have the resources and encouragement to succeed.”
Funds raised will help expand College Bound services, including year-round mentorship, college preparation workshops, workforce readiness training and the removal of financial barriers that can stand in the way of higher education. Support will also help cover costs such as college application fees.
Sponsors included Disneyland Resort, Edwards Lifesciences, Pacific Life, Sabra Health Care REIT, Chapman University, Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation, UCI/Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, SageMint Wealth/Anh Tran and BJ’s Restaurant Foundation.
Credit Union Cares
Hoag’s 59th Annual Christmas Carol Ball was held Dec. 13 at the VEA Newport Beach, raising more than $1.4 million in support of Hoag’s mission to deliver and advance world-class care.
The black-tie celebration gathered Hoag supporters and business and community leaders to enjoy an elegant evening that featured a multi-course dinner, a lively silent auction, a raffle and dancing, creating a celebratory atmosphere that blended philanthropy with holiday spirit.
The ball’s success was made possible by the support of sponsors, including presenting sponsors SL Huang, president, Huang Family Foundation; Betty Huang, secretary, Huang Family Foundation; Marta Bhathal, co-founder, Raj Manufacturing Inc.; Raj Bhathal, co-founder and former CEO, Raj Manufacturing Inc.; The McCardle Family Trust; Sandi and Ron Simon, founders, RSI Home, RSI Communities and RSI Dream Communities; and Winslow Maxwell Charitable Trust. Additional sponsors included Lisa Argyros/Argyros Family Foundation, The J Grace Foundation, Emergency Physicians of Orange County, the Frome Family Foundation, Progressive Management Services, Resource Essentials and the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation.
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union contributed more than $3.3 million in 2025 to support Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) hospitals across California, with a significant portion benefiting pediatric care in Orange County.
The largest gift, $3 million, was directed to Rady Children’s Health’s new nine-story ambulatory care building in Orange, which expands access to outpatient services for local families. In recognition of the gift, the building’s lobby has been named for SchoolsFirst FCU.
“At SchoolsFirst FCU, supporting children’s hospitals isn’t just a tradition. It’s part of who we are,” said Bill Cheney, chief executive officer, SchoolsFirst FCU. “Our members and team members consistently step up for the communities where they live and work.”
In Orange County, the credit union sponsored CHOC Walk in the Park, the 2025 CHOC Gala and delivered holiday gift bags to children and families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Mental Health Inpatient Center. Additional support was extended to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles through a Giving Tuesday radiothon and in-branch fundraising campaigns.
Having a Ball
Hoag’s 59th Annual Christmas Carol Ball was held Dec. 13 at the VEA Newport Beach, raising more than $1.4 million in support of Hoag’s mission to deliver and advance world-class care. The black-tie celebration gathered Hoag supporters and business and community leaders to enjoy an elegant evening that featured a multi-course dinner, a lively silent auction, a raffle and dancing, creating a celebratory atmosphere that blended philanthropy with holiday spirit.
The ball’s success was made possible by the support of sponsors, including presenting sponsors SL Huang, president, Huang Family Foundation; Betty Huang, secretary, Huang Family Foundation; Marta Bhathal, co-founder, Raj Manufacturing Inc.; Raj Bhathal, co-founder and former CEO, Raj Manufacturing Inc.; The McCardle Family Trust; Sandi and Ron Simon, founders, RSI Home, RSI Communities and RSI Dream Communities; and Winslow Maxwell Charitable Trust. Additional sponsors included Lisa Argyros/Argyros Family Foundation, The J Grace Foundation, Emergency Physicians of Orange County, the Frome Family Foundation, Progressive Management Services, Resource Essentials and the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation.
Bits & Pieces
On Feb. 7, the TGR Foundation marked a major milestone: 20 years of impact at the TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim, the flagship campus launched from Tiger Woods’ vision to help students learn, grow and pursue their dreams with a free, family-friendly celebration that brought together alumni, community leaders and education changemakers to reflect on two decades of outcomes that have reached more than 200,000 young people through STEAM education, college access and career readiness programs … The American Heart Association and Edwards Lifesciences debuted a new interactive Hands-Only CPR training kiosk at Discovery Cube Orange County on Feb. 6, offering visitors a free, five-minute, hands-on CPR education experience designed to increase bystander confidence and improve survival rates from the more than 350,000 cardiac arrests that occur outside hospitals each year … Art Groeneveld, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley (BGCHV) and Jeff Hyder, immediate past board president, BGCHV, and chief operating officer, Simple Green, were recognized at the Boys & Girls Club Orange County Area Council’s Eddy Awards on Jan. 30 with the CEO of the Year Award and the Board Member Excellence Award, respectively.
