More than a Meal
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County hosted its annual “No Lunch” Lunch event on Nov. 21 at the Food Bank’s Distribution Center. This pre-Thanksgiving tradition recognized the collective effort of the Food Bank and its partners, volunteers and donors who work together to provide nutritious food to those in need. The event raised $226,688 to bolster food and nutritional security for the approximately 442,000 children, families and seniors Second Harvest currently serves across Orange County.
As the more than 300 guests entered Second Harvest’s Distribution Center, they were welcomed with live music performed by students from the Arts & Learning Conservatory. Bob DeCastro, KTTV reporter and anchor at Good Day LA, served as master of ceremonies. Attendees enjoyed salads prepared by Bracken’s Kitchen and soup and focaccia bread made and served by chef Antonio Cagnolo of Antonello Ristorante, event meal sponsor.
Additional sponsors included F&M Bank, JPMorganChase, Great Park Neighborhoods, Disneyland Resorts, Shelli Herman and Associates and Sunterra/Project Food Box, Superior Grocers, Crowe, Whittier Trust, Golden State Foods Foundation and Mediation Solutions.
Cherished Tradition
Friends of CASA hosted its annual Holiday Luncheon on Dec. 13 at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. This year’s event netted more than $630,000 to help fund CASA’s mission to support children who have experienced abuse, neglect and abandonment.
The event welcomed 452 guests who enjoyed a champagne reception, which included a silent auction and fashion presentation from Bally South Coast Plaza’s Fall/Winter 2024 Collection. A highlight of the reception was the Starfish Wish Trees sponsored by Barclay Butera Interiors. Guests could grant the holiday wish of a child in foster care by purchasing ornaments that represented the children’s wishes, which included gifts like horseback riding lessons, private guitar classes and Disneyland tickets. The luncheon featured keynote speaker Mark Daley, author of “Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family” and founder of One Iowa.
Lugano, Wells Fargo, BDO, Wines of Kings | bhn, Commercial Bank of California, Amazon and OCVibe were among the event sponsors.
The Holiday Luncheon, which began as a Holiday Tea almost 30 years ago, has raised more than $7.2 million since 1995.
Seeing the Light
Illumination Foundation raised more than $263,000 in vital funds at its 4th Annual Women’s Philanthropy Luncheon. The event, held at the Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton Hotel, in Huntington Beach on Oct. 25, was sponsored by West Coast University and The Haynes Fund, the Bickerstaff Foundation, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Sea View Pediatrics, CHOC, Jacqueline DuPont-Carlson and Marc Carlson and The Helpful Fish Foundation, among many others. Additional underwriting sponsors included Hollencrest Capital Management, Alliantgroup, Gorjana, Allskin Naturals, The Ferragamo Family, Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation, Illumination Foundation Gleam Team, Trestle Companies and Sojourn Cellars.
The funds raised will provide integrated housing and healthcare services to women in Illumination Foundation’s programs. Illumination Foundation served 6,947 clients last year and almost half of them were women.
“We are dedicated to offering women and families the supportive services they need to recover from their hardships,” said Dr. Pooja Bhalla, CEO, Illumination Foundation. “By doing so, we create a stable community for them, providing essential support when they need it most. Our mission is to equip them with the tools and resources that will empower them on their path to self-sufficiency.”
During the luncheon, Dr. Geeta Grover, FAAP, professor, pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, board-certified developmental and behavioral pediatrician, UCI Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders and member, board, Illumination Foundation, and Dr. Kelly Bruno-Nelson, executive director, Medi-Cal/CalAIM, CalOptima Health, were both recognized as Illumination Foundation’s Community Heroes for their ongoing efforts to further Illumination Foundation’s mission.
“Illumination Foundation creates opportunities for individuals—children and adults—to thrive,” said Grover. “I receive this award with humility and gratitude. I feel fortunate to do this work alongside fellow Board members and the staff of Illumination Foundation.”
“Illumination Foundation makes it easy to do good works because we have such a good partnership,” said Bruno-Nelson. “There is a strong trust and shared goal, which is vital to the impactful work we do and the numerous lives we touch.”
Bits & Pieces
Trusted Tech Team raised $5,000 for its nonprofit beneficiary RiseHyre at the OneOC Community Cup, an annual November event where more than 30 companies and 500 participants come together for a day of friendly competition and community service … On Nov. 22, the TGR Foundation and Providence partnered to address the workforce development gap in health care by welcoming more than 200 Anaheim Union High School District students to the TGR Learning Lab campus in Anaheim, a career readiness workshop that connects teens—many from under-resourced communities—with leading medical professionals in fields such as emergency medicine, anesthesiology, nursing and respiratory care … Representative Lou Correa (CA-46), joined by Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken and Anaheim City Manager James Vanderpool presented $500,000 in federal funds to Store One, a public-private partnership, to support food business startups and build the local food business workforce.
