Eighteen-year-old Ethan Yochum is a recent graduate of El Dorado High School in Placentia. He is attending the University of Los Angeles (UCLA) as a freshman this fall. He says his philanthropic work began in 2021 with his work with Boxes of Love and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Among his many awards are The California State Seal of Civic Engagement, El Dorado High School Spirit of Commitment Award, El Dorado High School’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, El Dorado High School’s Terry Conley Athlete of Character Award. “Giving to me can be carried out in many forms, yet I [...]

Thomas House Family Shelter was founded in 1986 by Garden Grove residents Mary and Bernie Selz, who wanted to help the growing number of unhoused families with children in the community by providing them a safe place to live and build self-sufficiency. With initial support from friends at St. Barbaras Catholic Church, when needs increased, the City of Garden Grove and the County of Orange made it possible for Thomas Shelter to become the owner of two apartment buildings with16 units, along with a meeting/classroom area, career development center, food pantry, private counseling room and youth development center. The Selz’ [...]

Established in 1972, Ware Malcomb is a contemporary and expanding full-service design firm providing professional architecture, planning, interior design, civil engineering, branding and building measurement services to corporate, commercial/residential developer and public/institutional clients throughout the world. With offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Brazil, Ware Malcomb is ranked among the top 30 architecture/engineering firms in Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 design firms and the top 30 interior design firms in Interior Design Magazines’s Top 100 Giants. To celebrate Ware Malcomb’s culture of giving, the company is involved with many charitable organizations. For the past 24 years, Ware Malcomb has supported [...]

Talonvest Capital has provided advisory/mortgage brokerage services to commercial and self-storage real estate owners across the country since 2010. With a vision statement that includes “positively influencing the communities where we work” and corporate values that include stewardship, expertise, collaboration, passion, and charity, upon its founding Talonvest committed a percentage of top-line revenue to philanthropic endeavors. The Orange County Ronald McDonald House, UCI Center for Real Estate and Success School for Girls are a few of the organizations where the company does work and provides ongoing financial support. The firm believes companies have a responsibility to support and engage in [...]

Gena Reed’s philanthropic journey began in high school, where she led a team supporting a young African girl, Emma, needing financial aid for school and food. Many car washes and brownie and cupcake sales were involved. Thus, Emma was the genesis of Gena supporting others less fortunate. After university, her career at a major pharmaceutical company was very successful, having been put on a “fast track.” However, in 1990, she and her husband launched a contract research company and grew the business into an international enterprise, having offices in the U.S., U.K., Poland, and India. She continued to support philanthropic [...]

The Orange County Association of Health Underwriters is the local Chapter of the National Association of Health Underwriters. It is comprised of agents, brokers, carrier reps and other health insurance professionals. Many individuals and employers have trusted the guidance of one of their members to help them with their health insurance needs. Their members can also be found volunteering at senior centers and community health centers to promote health care for all. Their vision statement is “Changing People’s Lives One Member at a Time.” For the past 10 years they have won the prestigious National Association’s William F. Flood Award [...]

Seventeen-year-old Saachi Pavani is a senior at Irvine’s Portola High School, where she is the three-year captain of the girls varsity tennis team and played a key role in securing Portola’s first CIF championship title. Her work with nonprofits began in 2016, when she partnered with Days for Girls International to create sustainable hygiene kits for girls in developing countries. Laura’s House inspired her to create Portola’s Domestic Violence Prevention club, and the Southern California Hospice Foundation during the pandemic saw her campaign procure 30,000 masks, 7,000+ units of food and more than $3,500 for hospice patients. She also coordinated [...]

Rossina Gallegos joined Union Bank in 1981, and during her tenure, has served in various positions in small business lending, Special Assets management and Multicultural Markets. Prior to 2020, she managed charitable contributions and community outreach in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire, making her familiar with the issues affecting most markets in Southern California. Rossina facilitates and manages the charitable contributions and foundation grant making for Orange County. She also implements strategies, tactics and programs to maximize the talent and availability of Union Bank employees with the needs of low-and moderate-income communities. She is [...]

Jacqueline Dupont-Carlson is a Gerontologist, having multiple degrees from prestigious universities. As founder and CEO of many residential care facilities, she brings more than 30 years of professional experience working with older adults and the Alzheimer’s community. Awards abound from UCI MIND, Alzheimer’s Orange County, Senior Serv and the Aging community, Orange Catholic Foundation, and JSerra Catholic High School. She serves on many boards - Illumination Foundation (Board Chair), Wells of Life, St. Anne School, USC School of Gerontology, Notre Dame and University of San Diego, where she also lectures on aging issues. Jacqueline co-chairs JSerra’a Peru Club’s humanitarian-missionary trips, [...]