More than 300 business and community leaders attended the 15th annual Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America Men of Character Dinner on April 9 at the Irvine Marriott.
The event recognized six Orange County men for lifetime contributions to their community and for their support of establishing future men of character.
“Each honoree exemplifies the traits of the Scout Law and sets a noble example of leadership and volunteerism for young men to emulate,” said Jeff Herrmann, president and scout executive of the scouts group.
The six men honored this year were Rich Bridgford, founding partner of Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian; Jermaine Griggs, founder of Hear and Play Music; Dennis Hardin, owner and manager of Hardin Automotive Group; Nick Jordan, founder of Wells of Life; Jim Mazzo, operating partner of Versant Ventures; and John McManus, president and chief executive of Aeolus Pharmaceuticals.
CureDuchenne, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds research to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, held its annual Champions to CureDuchenne Newport Beach Gala on March 29 at the Balboa Bay Club.
More than 250 guests attended the celebration of CureDuchenne’s 10 years of advancing Duchenne research. The event raised more than $360,000 to fund research.
Duchenne is a progressive muscle-wasting disease that impacts one in 3,500 boys. Boys with Duchenne are usually diagnosed by 5, in a wheelchair by 12, and die in their 20s.
CureDuchenne honored Doug Freeman, senior managing director at First Foundation Inc.
More than 400 wine lovers raised $75,000 at the “Love Grows by Giving” wine tasting fundraiser to benefit Community Service Programs’ Huntington Beach Youth Shelter, a haven for homeless, runaway, abused and at-risk youth.
The event took place Feb. 13 at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa in Huntington Beach.
Dennis Kuhl, chairman of Angels Baseball; Paul Devitt, general manager of Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa; Steve Friedlander, vice president of golf for Pelican Hill & Oak Creek Golf Clubs; and Joe Carchio, a city of Huntington Beach council member, were among notable attendees.
Sponsors included Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, Angels Baseball, IHP Capital Partners, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, and Honda World Westminster.
Accelerate Change Together for Anaheim will award $1.5 million in inaugural grants to 10 local nonprofit groups that serve disadvantaged youth in Anaheim. The grants range from $100,000 to $200,000.
The Orange County Community Foundation is the managing partner of the initiative.
The inaugural ACT grant winners were selected based on their ability to address needs outlined in the 2012 Anaheim Youth Services Assessment. Funded programs will work to enhance programming geared toward youth, primarily those from ages 13 to 18; increase access to youth programming; engage parents in meaningful ways to strengthen families; and increase the capacity of programs to meet the needs of Anaheim youth and families.
ACT Anaheim was launched by Angels Baseball, the Anaheim Ducks and Disneyland Resort, which together committed $3 million to benefit Anaheim youth over the next three years.
In February, high school students from across the country participated in the fifth annual Vans Custom Culture Competition to design blank Vans shoes. The public has the opportunity to vote for the finalists on the Vans Custom Culture website through May 12. The winner will receive a $50,000 donation for their school arts program, and one of their shoe designs will be put into production for sale in select Vans retail stores. … For the sixth consecutive year, Yamaha Cares participated in the Southern California Half Marathon and 5K races on Jan. 11 in Irvine to raise money for Children’s Hospital of Orange County’s TrialNet program for Type 1 juvenile diabetes research. Yamaha employees have raised more than $60,000 in the six-year period.
