Jeff Briwick, president of Irvine-based Ricoh Electronics Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Ricoh Co., recently teamed up with his teenage son and 500 other volunteers from 16 Orange County companies to help revitalize the largely low-income Oak View neighborhood in Huntington Beach.
“It was a truly amazing experience,” said Briwick, who spent the day planting trees with his 13-year-old son and several others. “It felt good to accomplish so much in a few hours.”
Volunteers from Allergan Inc., Edwards Lifesciences Corp. and other companies spent Feb. 23 cleaning, painting buildings, covering graffiti, planting trees and refurbishing playground equipment.
It was the Corporate Volunteer Council of Orange County’s first combined volunteer project.
The group began in January 2012 as part of OneOC, a nonprofit organization that helps other nonprofit groups reach their potential.
The volunteer council and OneOC worked with the Oak View Renewal Partnership to execute the project. The densely populated Oak View neighborhood has been plagued by gang incidents, criminal activity and growing blight, but residents have banded together to fight the problems, according to OneOC.
The project’s goal was to help rejuvenate the community and help residents gain a sense of pride in it.
Team Building
Some companies try team-building exercises that involve “trust falls” or walking across hot coals.
Santa Ana-based Ingram Micro Inc. takes a different approach. More than 500 employees ventured out Feb. 6 to five Boys & Girls Clubs in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley to paint walls, clean and make repairs.
Kirk Robinson, Ingram’s senior vice president of commercial markets and global accounts for North America, was among those who donned company T-shirts to chip in. He spent much of the day wielding a paintbrush to brighten windowsills and freshen boards and metal posts for a playground.
Robinson said Ingram Micro believes in making a tangible difference in local communities.
“It’s part of the corporate culture,” he said.
The company founded its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative three years ago, solidifying its commitment to being an “outstanding corporate citizen.”
It ranked No. 43 on Newsweek’s 2012 Green Rankings of the 500 largest companies in the U.S.
Ingram Micro’s North American offices donated more than $207,000 to the United Way in 2011, gave more than 6,000 pounds of food to help with crisis relief efforts, and supported 30 organizations through gift-matching programs, according to the company’s website.
They’ve also packed care boxes for soldiers and built bicycles for children’s groups.
Robinson and others who helped out that day benefited from bonding with co-workers outside of the office environment, he said.
“It was a truly team-building experience. While we were painting and cleaning, we really got to know each other.”
Beckman-Argyros Award
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation announced the creation of the
Beckman-Argyros Award in Vision Research.
The announcement took place during the Beckman Initiative for Macular Research conference at a private reception honoring George L. Argyros, a former U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra.
The annual $500,000 award is the largest of its kind in the vision research industry, according to the foundation.
“The Beckman-Argyros Award was created to motivate, stimulate and inspire brilliant innovators from all scientific disciplines by recognizing and rewarding extraordinary scientific advances in vision research,” said Dr. Stephen J. Ryan, chairman of the foundation.
The award was named in honor of Argyros and Dr. Arnold O. Beckman. The two were close friends until Beckman’s passing in 2004 at the age of 104.
The annual Beckman-Argyros award
will be given for the first time early next year.
Philanthropy Day Nominations
The OC chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals is accepting nominations of businesses, corporations and individuals for the 2013 National Philanthropy Day Orange County Awards.
The submission deadline is May 24, and the group is expected to announce the honorees in July.
Award categories include outstanding large corporation or business and outstanding lifetime achievement, as well as outstanding philanthropist.
The luncheon, themed Giving is Always in Season in the OC, will take place Nov. 21.
