Following a 35-year career as executive chef at five-star luxury hotels in Southern California, Bill Bracken found his true calling in 2013 when he launched Bracken’s Kitchen through his mobile food truck called Betsy. He developed partnerships with some of the country’s top food vendors and joined forces with food recovery organizations in the fight to redirect perfectly good food, before going to trash bins, to his commercial kitchen with hundreds of volunteers in Garden Grove. More than 30,000 nutritious, wholesome, hearty meals are served per month. He does so with partnerships with Chefs to End Hunger and Solutions for [...]

Founded in 1998, Apriem Advisors is an independent, registered investment advisor firm, which manages over $725 million for hundreds of families. Direct donations and tireless volunteering come from all levels of the firm, as Apriem serves as their partner in philanthropy. Through World Vision, founding partner Harmon Kong helps children, families and their communities overcome poverty and injustice in developing nations, while partner Rhonda Ducote, who founded Apriem’s Women of Wisdom initiative, conducts free monthly seminars to help educate and empower women in family finances. Apriem executives are active board participants: Ducote for Southern California Hospice Foundation and Ducote and [...]

Balboa Bay Resort is Newport Beach’s only Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond waterfront resort, and the Balboa Bay Club has been celebrated for more than 70 years as a landmark social haven. Resort and Club owners, the Pickup and Martin families, are enthusiastic and involved philanthropists who provide financial support to local nonprofits, create fundraising initiatives and inspire their employees to volunteer and help others. Benefiting are Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, both financially and through the leadership of Todd and Natalie Pickup, and Orange County School of the Arts. Kevin Martin and his family [...]

Clark Construction has been helping their clients build for over a century. Their 4,200 employees are spread across offices and job sites throughout the United States, and their values guide the way they do business. They proudly deliver projects that strengthen the fabric of our communities, including housing facilities for military families and hospitals for veterans. Giving back to the communities in which we live and work is also an integral part of Clark’s corporate culture. Their giving transcends simple checkbook philanthropy; they believe that the deed is just as important as the dollar, and through their volunteer work, fundraising, [...]

Seventeen-year-old Hannah Novakovich is a leader. At her school, Pacifica Christian High School in Newport Beach, she was elected National Honor Society VP by her peers to organize student volunteer activities, elected Admissions Prefect by her teachers to organize welcome events for new students, launched two bands to perform for the school’s Art Showcases, founded a Fashion Club, and was an accomplished volleyball (team captain) and soccer player (team reached CIF playoffs). Through Grace Fellowship Church in Costa Mesa, she plays guitar in the worship band and is part of the team leading worship. Her work with nonprofits include Families [...]

Retiring from a successful career as an entrepreneur and CEO in 2000 didn’t stop Keith Swayne from engaging in numerous advisory and board positions in a variety of business and nonprofit organizations. His current nonprofit affiliations include Orange County Human Relations Community Partners co-founder; UCI MIND Leadership Council, Family Foundation Alliance of Orange County co-founder, and Orange County Community Foundation Board of Governors and board chair. Keith and his late wife Judy co-founded the Keith and Judy Swayne Foundation in 2005. Previous affiliations include Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach board chair and capital campaign co-chair; Boys and Girls [...]

Sue and Ralph Stern’s legacy of giving is impressive, with Sue bringing her commitment to youth-in-need causes to the marriage. Launching, running and eventually selling three companies and acquiring another didn’t deter Ralph from partnering with Sue to support causes as diverse as cancer research (Sue and Ralph Stern Center for Clinical Trials and Research at UCI’s Chao Family Cancer Center and the endowed chair of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at UCI), integrative health (advisory boards of UCI Health and UCI’s Samueli College of Health Sciences), endowed Chair of Holocaust Education at Chapman University, funding a community center in Uganda, and [...]

Junior League of Orange County, CA (JLOCC) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of its trained volunteers. Members of JLOCC share a vision of a community in which the health, safety, and education of all individuals are promoted and supported. For over 60 years, JLOCC has provided its members with training, leadership skills, and opportunities to make a difference in the community. The organization’s areas of focus include improving lives of foster youth and victims of human trafficking through education, direct service, [...]

Adrienne Matros is a licensed clinical psychologist who lives in Orange County with her family. She serves on the board of directors for several nonprofits that include CHOC Children’s Foundation, Merage Jewish Community Center (JCC), Tilly’s Life Center, JCC Association of North America and Aleh-Negev Board of Governors (Israel). The various committees and organizations Adrienne volunteers with are primarily focused on children and youth. She tirelessly volunteers most days of the week and considers it a wonderful opportunity. Since moving to Orange County in 2001, she says she has had some incredible role models, who have encouraged her to get [...]