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ConnectOC Blog
The dream of a more vibrant, prosperous Orange County is within our reach. To achieve it, we must understand and confront difficult realities faced by too many of our neighbors. And we must coordinate our response so that every effort counts.
The ConnectOC enewsletter and blog bring fresh examples of innovation and impact as we share stories of the donors, dreamers and doers who partner with OCCF, as well as insights into how we are working to help make Orange County a stronger, healthier more vibrant community for all. With an easy-to-read format and expanded content, we aim to inspire, inform and help you connect with our community and the causes you care about most.
Orange County’s issues are connected—and so are you. We invite you to get in touch with critical information, promising approaches and a growing community of partners who share your passion for our county. Already, we are making strides toward the dream we share for Orange County.
Breathing Life into Research for a Rare Fatal Disease
In business, entrepreneurs and executives often wrangle with a make-or-buy decision, or the act of choosing between creating a product privately or sourcing it from another supplier. Health care entrepreneur Dave Steffy is intimately familiar with this decision-making process. He’s elevated it to a science by evaluating hundreds of companies and opportunities. His decision-making acumen is also serving Steffy well as an Orange County philanthropist. When it came time to translate his decades-long business success ...
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Find Your Perfect Match
Did you know that nearly one-third of annual giving to U.S. nonprofits occurs in December? For so many philanthropists, the year-year giving season reveals their passions - from the arts to wellness, youth development to veteran services, and everything in between. This holiday season, you can choose to boost the Orange County nonprofit community by supporting the causes you care about most. Just head over to OC Nonprofit Central to search a database of more ...
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In Celebration of the Season of Giving
nd doers. All year long, we have the unique privilege of working with the best hearts and minds in Orange County. At our Annual Meeting last month, many of you shared why you work so passionately for the good of our community by adding handwritten messages to our "What's Your Why" art installation. If you didn't get a chance to attend the Annual Meeting, you still can contribute your message by tweeting @OCCommunityFdn. We'll add ...
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From the Heart: Recapping the 2016 Annual Meeting
Nearly 700 philanthropists, business and community leaders convened at our 2016 Annual Meeting, held on November 9, 2016 at Hotel Irvine. The theme of the Annual Meeting was “What’s Your Why”, illuminating what motivates local philanthropists to support our community with such energy and passion. This theme is continued in our Annual Report, which we invite you to explore here. We announced during the Annual Meeting that OCCF awarded $60 million in grants and scholarships ...
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A Guide to Getting the Most Out of the New OCCF Website
It’s more than simply a new look. The revamped OCCF website represents a bold departure from the past, designed to enhance how we communicate both with donors and with our community partners. WATCH the story of why we love what we do at OCCF. JUMP right in to learn ways to give, how to change your community or partner with us. STAY INFORMED by visiting our blog often, where you’ll find the latest news about ...
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Shop for a Cause This Holiday Season
If you’re searching for the perfect gift, you’ll love the OCCF Holiday Gift Guide. Each organization represented uses a portion of its proceeds to support a charitable mission. Give while giving back this holiday season! ...
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Dr. James Doti Eyes Next Chapter of Leadership – His Own and the Country’s
Dr. James Doti dreams to live in a community where everyone has an equal opportunity – where we inspire the next generation to reach for the stars. Fortunately for us, Doti has done more than simply wish for a better future for Orange County; he’s helped shaped it. Doti, president emeritus of Chapman University, led the Orange campus for more than 25 years before stepping down this year to return to his first love: teaching ...
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CHOC Children’s Breaks Ground on Pediatric Mental Health
One out of five children suffers from a mental health condition. But despite this prevalence, the more than 150,000 children in Orange County who are affected often are stigmatized or shamed – and the lack of behavioral health options prevents them from accessing critical treatment. How could their lives be improved if their families could seek timely, appropriate help? CHOC Children’s is finding out by building Orange County’s first inpatient mental health program to accommodate ...
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Helping Kids Not Only Survive but Thrive after Pediatric Cancer
In 2009, Susan and Steve Giusto entered a world no parent ever expects when their daughter Cathryn was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, the second most-common form of solid tumor in childhood. Of the nearly 16,000 children diagnosed annually with pediatric cancers, 2,000 will not survive, and three of five survivors will develop health complications—some fatal-- as a result of the cancer treatment they are undergoing to save their lives. Through The Friends of Cathryn Fund, the ...
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Ueberroth Family Foundation Sees Health and Education Converge at SOS-El Sol Wellness Center
When is trust a prescription for good health? When it comes to serving the families of El Sol Science and Arts Academy in Santa Ana, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in May. Not only is the award-winning charter school’s English and Spanish dual-immersion model credited with enabling its nearly 1,000 preschool-through-eighth-grade students achieve high levels of academic success, the new SOS-El Sol Wellness Center also is providing El Sol families a wide range of on-site ...
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Emily Carpenter-Pulskamp Marketing & Communications(949) 553-4202 ext. 247
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