Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County raised $522,000 at its 47th Annual Gourmet Dinner.
About 360 people attended the black-tie gala and auction, held recently at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach. Keith Rhodes, chief executive of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, presented Tim Ryan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Anaheim Ducks and chief executive of Anaheim Arena Management LLC, with the Joel K. Rubenstein Award for more than 11 years of service to Orange County children.
Some of the auctioned items included an Acura TL and an Anaheim Ducks Suite and signed jerseys.
Sponsors of the event included Honda Motor Co.; the Anaheim Ducks; Honda Center; Irvine-based auction.com; the Al-bert J. Crosson Family; Long Beach-based Farm-ers & Merchants Bank; and the Newport Beach-based Share Our Wine Foundation.
Irvine-based Human Options Inc. netted $220,000 at its annual fall fundraising luncheon at the Balboa Bay Club.
Human Options helps abused women and their families through early intervention and prevention programs. It also provides emergency shelter and transitional housing.
The fundraiser’s keynote speaker was actor Victor Rivas Rivers, author of A Private Family Matter, and spokesperson for the Verizon Wireless Community Champion’s National Network to End Domestic Violence.
Rivers was introduced by Steve Churm, chief executive of Newport Beach-based Churm Media Inc. and chair of Human Options’ Men’s Task Force. The event was co-chaired by Jennifer and Louis Bojorquez and Julie Demlow Sofferman and Jeff Sofferman.
Attendees donated used cell phones, which were collected for Verizon’s recycling program that serves victims of domestic violence.
Santa Ana-based Boys & Girls Club of Orange County raised $195,000 at its biggest fundraiser of the year, held recently at Disney’s Grand Californian hotel.
The money raised at the 18th annual gala will fund programs at the main club and five satellite sites.
Board President Wayne Pinnell, managing partner of Haskell & White LLP in Irvine, chaired the gala. Anne MacPherson West and Shannon Tucker were co-chairs.
The event honored philanthropists Mike and Charlene Immell.
Guests were greeted by teen volunteers from the Boys & Girls Club. Guitar students from Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana entertained about 250 guests.
Live auction items included trips to Maui, Caribbean and Mexico.
Sponsors included Haskell & White; Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp.; Santa Ana-based First American Financial Corp.; Costa Mesa-based Rutan & Tucker LLP; Santa Ana-based Fairhaven Memorial Park Inc.; Santa Ana-based CH2M Hill Cos.; Irvine-based Newport Diversified Inc.; Children’s Hospital of Orange County; Rancho Santiago Community College District in Santa Ana; Santa Ana Unified School District; the Immells; Shannon and Frank Tucker; Anne MacPherson West and Peter West.
Sapphire Laguna chef and owner Azmin Ghahreman donated Thanksgiving meals to the emergency room staffs at Mission Hospital locations in Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach.
The Thanksgiving meal came with all of the trimmings, including turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetable dishes and salads. The meals served about 100 employees.
Anaheim-based Paul Kott Realtors Inc. is sponsoring the 2011 Bag of Hope Project, which helps needy families during Christmas, many of whom live in motels in Anaheim. Bag of Hope Project donors receive a canvas bag and are tasked with filling the bag with items such as books, clothing, toiletries, small toys and crayons. The project is a program of Hope Community Church of Anaheim.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris presented Julie Hudash, founder and chief executive of Irvine-based Team Kids Inc., with a citizen appreciation award “for outstanding and meritorious service to the community in support of law enforcement and crime prevention.”
Team Kids helps school kids become more civic-minded through community service programs that involve police officers, firefighters and other mentors. Irvine Police Chief David Maggard nominated Hudash for the award.
“This prestigious award is a testament to Julie’s vision and helps highlight the important work Team Kids does in our community by inspiring our kids to be servant leaders,” Maggard said.
Irvine-based Girl Scouts of Orange County named Julie Weeks, former vice president of communications for Costa Mesa-based El Pollo Loco Inc., to a newly created position of vice president of membership and communications.
“Julie is a talented and passionate communications professional, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have her on our team,” said Nancy Nygren, chief executive of Girl Scouts of Orange County.
Santa Ana-based Habitat for Humanity of Orange County has three new board members: Charles Antis, president of Antis Roofing & Waterproofing Inc. in Irvine; Robert Barker, president of Parker Aerospace and executive vice president and operating manager of Parker Hannifin Corp. in Irvine; and Ken Lickel, retired vice president and general manager of Texas-based Alcon Laboratories Inc. and board member of United Way of Orange County in Irvine.
