Orange County United Way

As part of our #JourneyTo100 centennial celebration, Sue Parks, President and CEO of Orange County United Way, is gathering community members together to walk a collective 💯 miles across all 34 of Orange County’s cities! These leisurely, family-friendly strolls provide attendees with scenic routes, fun facts about our county, and inspiring stories of how United Way has made an impact #TheOCWay over the last century by addressing our community’s most pressing needs. Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the beautiful weather, great company, and get some exercise! Special shoutout to two notable guests: Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem Joe Stapleton, who joined us on our walk from beginning to end and shared many of the unique traits that make Newport Beach stand out; and Phil Anthony from 361° who shared about their award-winning 361-Centauri sneaker and how 20% of the proceeds for this special-edition shoe will go to support Orange County United Way. https://lnkd.in/gFvVqECk 👟 Join us on our next walk to learn all we can about our community so we can continue #DoingMore4OC! Please contact Doug McKay at DougM@UnitedWayOC.org to find out more.

Celebrating our #JourneyTo100 means we get to highlight 100 Moments of Impact by our generous partners, supporters, and volunteers! Mike Johnson, a 2-1-1 Orange County (211OC) Leadership Council Member and United Way Board Member, talks about the importance of 211OC’s work connecting vulnerable Orange County residents to the vital support they need. 📳 @211orangecounty is Orange County United Way’s key service, which provides residents with a free, 24-hour connection center staffed by caring, experienced, and trained specialists who connect callers to thousands of local health and human services resources. Do you have a Moment of Impact to share? We’d love to hear it! Please post in the comments that you’d like to send a video, and we’ll contact you!

Did you know Orange County has a free service that connects residents to thousands of local health and human services resources? By dialing 2-1-1, callers reach 2-1-1 Orange County (211OC), Orange County United Way’s key service, which provides a 24-hour connection center. From there, a caring, trained specialist will work to connect those in need to the necessary resources, including healthcare, housing, financial support, and more. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, you can reach #211OC in the following ways: Call 2-1-1 Text your zip code to 898211 Search our database at 211OC.org

Meet Veena Chandran, Senior Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services (AWS), who works with non-profits throughout the U.S. The partnership between AWS and Orange County United Way has offered Orange County community members services like the #WelcomeHomeOC property provider portal and the #GetHelpOC community information exchange solution, which both streamline the way we are able to support residents in need. Veena says, “I feel very blessed to get to work with something that I can actually believe in and be excited about.” To learn about Orange County United Way’s Standard of Excellence and to read more success stories, please visit our Annual Report here: https://lnkd.in/gEy4xrQ6 #TheOCWay #DoingMore4OC

The Men of the Breakfast (M.O.B.) took a field trip up to LA to spend the day at the Petersen Auto Museum! 🚗 It was a great day of networking and looking at a one-of-a-kind collection! The M.O.B., one of Orange County United Way’s affinity groups, provides members with special access to unique experiences and networking events geared toward #DoingMore4OC by supporting Orange County’s most vulnerable families. If you would like to join or learn more about this organization, please call Mike Olson at 949-263-6127. 📲 #TheOCWay

🎉 We loved hearing these positive takeaways from our Youth Career Connections Career & Life Prep Academy participants. 📚 Check out what students from schools such as Pacifica, Cypress, Bolsa Grande, and Fitz Intermediate had to say about their experiences! 🎥✨ https://lnkd.in/gfgyEDtm #YouthCareerConnections is Orange County United Way's work-based learning program, which supports #StudentSuccessOC by infusing classroom learning with real-world experiences. 🌟 Bringing experiential learning to students beyond the classroom helps put them on a path toward academic and economic success. 🚀📈 #TheOCWay #DoingMore4OC

With immense gratitude, we recognize the generous grant given by Honda to fund STEAM/Literacy kits and community engagement for Orange County Title 1 Elementary Schools! A resounding shout of thanks to Team Honda Cares for their amazing support! 🎉 #TheOCWay #DoingMore4OC

As we #JourneyTo100, celebrating our centennial, we’re sharing some community impact milestones from the past century! Did you know? In 2012, we launched our first #SparkPointOC program location in Westminster. This financial empowerment program helps hard-working, low-income residents to take control of their finances through free one-on-one coaching and other impactful resources. We’re now up to 8 SparkPoint OC sites across Orange County! Learn how you can get involved in our Journey To 100: https://lnkd.in/gYyqHXSz

🌟 Shout out to the Small Business Diversity Network (SBDN) and their incredible RECON Conference! Orange County United Way proudly sponsors the SBDN because we believe in the positive impact that small businesses can make for our communities. We love collaborating with local companies that are looking to do more for their community. As part of our commitment to elevating small businesses, we provide resources to make giving back EASY, IMPACTFUL, and FUN. Our team facilitates and implements volunteer and charitable activities that engage employees and empower companies of ALL sizes to make a meaningful difference. We’d love to work with you! Interested in learning more? Contact Livi Kerszenbaum, MBA, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, at LiviK@unitedwayoc.org. Together, we are creating a brighter future for Orange County! 🌟 #TheOCWay #DoingMore4OC

Now, that’s what we call a Year-End Celebration! Sarah and Randy Lake, members of Orange County United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society, hosted a wonderful event recognizing the wrap up of another successful fiscal year. 🎉 We are so grateful for their generous contributions and tireless efforts to improve lives in Orange County by supporting our work to help students succeed, ensure families gain financial security, our unhoused neighbors find a place to call home, and everyone gets connected to the assistance they need. Thank you, Alexis de Tocqueville Society, for #DoingMore4OC! Want to get involved? Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g4K6fEWx