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Where to begin the story of Michelle Wulfestieg? With her stroke at age 11? The one that paralyzed her right arm and leg. Or with her stroke at age 25? The one that took her whole body to the brink of death. Or perhaps the story should begin the moment she says the voice of God told her: Go back!

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she says, tearing up at the thought of that day 10 years ago.

But go back she did. And when she woke up in the hospital — as her family planned her funeral and her friend wrote her eulogy — she vowed to dedicate the rest of her life to bringing comfort to the dying.

Honorees already were known, so surprises weren’t expected at Orange County’s 33rd annual National Philanthropy Day luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Grove.

Then Charles and Ling Zhang, who were selected as the county’s Outstanding Philanthropists, started singing. The crowd of more than 900 took a moment to realize what was happening, then stood and joined the former Pick Up Stix owners and longtime arts supporters in a rendition of “God Bless America.”

Local philanthropic groups and individuals will be recognized at a special luncheon Nov. 15 in honor of National Philanthropy Day, celebrating their generosity with an array of different awards. Four honorees hail from Newport Beach, including the recipient of the prestigious Legacy Award; the Ueberroth Family Foundation. Based in Corona Del Mar, the foundation is known for donating to organizations that give back to the community, including Crystal Cove Conservancy, Sage Hill School, Hoag Hospital Foundation and Girls Inc.

Michelle Wulfestieg had her first stroke when she was 11. She was diagnosed with a rare vascular brain lesion, known as an Arteriovenous Malformation. At the time it was inoperable, so she endured radiation treatment, which paralyzed her right side.

“I was suddenly handicapped,” recalled Wulfestieg. “I had to write with my left hand, learn how to tie my shoes with one hand-everything you take for granted.”

Orange County’s top philanthropists, business leaders and individuals will be honored at the 33rd annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the City National Grove of Anaheim.

Produced by the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, National Philanthropy Day has become the most prominent philanthropic recognition event in Orange County, with more than 1,000 honorees since its inception in 1986.

This year, five of the nine honorees are from Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.

Orange County’s top philanthropists, business leaders and individuals will be honored at the 33rd annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the City National Grove of Anaheim.

Produced by the Orange County Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, National Philanthropy Day has become the most prominent philanthropic recognition event in Orange County, with more than 1,000 honorees since its inception in 1986.

This year, five of the nine honorees are from Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.

ANAHEIM — A tear-jerking moment never fails to take place during the annual National Philanthropy Day gathering to honor those who have given their time, money and passion in support of local causes that reverberate around Orange County and beyond.

This year, in front of a lunchtime audience of 800 people at City National Grove of Anaheim on Thursday, Nov. 16, Illumination Foundation co-founder Paul Leon couldn’t help but choke up several times as he spoke of the work his organization does on behalf of homeless people.

The day happened to mark the 10th anniversary of Illumination Foundation, which provides recuperative health care and other services. Leon, a public health nurse who once worked for the county, and Paul Cho, who achieved financial success as an investment banker, were honored with the National Philanthropy Day award for Outstanding Founders.

They call themselves the Two Pauls. The Ultimate Odd Couple. The Illumination Foundation’s own Dynamic Duo.

If they hadn’t enrolled in the UCI Health Care Executive MBA program in the fall of 2007 and sat next to each other at orientation, Paul Cho and Paul Leon most likely wouldn’t have known each other from Adam, let alone launch a nonprofit that is a safety net for the most vulnerable homeless people in Orange County — struggling families and individuals suffering mental and physical health issues.

Now, set to mark the 10th anniversary of Illumination Foundation, Cho and Leon can look back on guiding an organization that so far has provided housing and health care services to more than 28,000 individuals.

At the beginning, they contracted with hospitals to offer recuperative health care out of a few rented motel rooms and wondered how long they could sustain the effort.

Today, headquartered at a multi-service center in Stanton, Illumination Foundation provides children’s services, workforce development and health care outreach along with emergency, bridge and permanent housing in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

The nonprofit continues to leverage motels, but also has leased space for shelters, renovated large single-family homes and sought millions of dollars in federal funds for permanent supportive housing to provide what its founders believe is the beginning and end of care for the homeless: a safe place to stay.
But so much more is needed, Cho and Leon say.

That’s why the two Pauls are planning a modular-based micro housing community with a company called LifeArk that they say can be built at one-third of the time and cost for more conventional structures. It also would be cheaper than such alternatives as the shipping containers used to create the Potter’s Lane homeless village next door to Illumination Foundation’s emergency shelter in Midway City, they say.

In recognition of the leadership role Illumination Foundation has taken in serving a street population whose numbers have grown into the thousands, Cho and Leon were named Outstanding Founders for the 2017 National Philanthropy Day Orange County awards.

“Hopefully the community will see that if you build this whole collaborative system, it actually will work,” Cho said.

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