OneOC Will Showcase Volunteers at 41st Annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards Presented by Mazda
Hundreds of volunteers to be honored at annual event on Monday, April 24, 2017 at Disneyland Hotel
Anaheim, Calif. – On April 24, 2017, more than 1,000 people are anticipated to join together at OneOC’s 41st annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards luncheon to celebrate hundreds of volunteers nominated by 163 nonprofits and 43 companies for the work they generously contribute to building a stronger, more vibrant Orange County community.
The Spirit of Volunteerism Awards Luncheon is Orange County’s largest and longest-running volunteer recognition event. With tickets selling out a month in advance, this year’s event is anticipated to be the largest to date.
“We are delighted to celebrate the 41st edition of the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards,” said OneOC’s President and CEO Daniel McQuaid. “What started as a small nonprofit awards program has turned into a community-wide celebration with participation across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Although the event has grown five-fold over the past four decades, the essence and intent have remained the same – to honor the service of the individuals, teams and businesses that make our community a stronger and more vibrant place in which to live, work and play.”
The prestigious Giving is Living Award, which recognizes an outstanding nonprofit/company partnership in the community, will be presented at OneOC’s Spirit of Volunteerism event. Out of the 29 submitted nonprofit/company partnership nominations, OneOC will present the 2017 award to AccessOC, a program of the Illumination Foundation and Mission Hospital, a member of the St. Joseph Hoag Health alliance, who have collaborated for three years through Super Surgery Saturdays.
“Mission Hospital’s partnership with AccessOC provides us an unique opportunity to reach the most vulnerable as part of living out our mission to continually improve the health and quality of life of the people in the communities we serve,” said Tarek Salaway, chief executive at Mission Hospital. “In the past three years, we have not only helped almost 80 patients, but these surgery days are also very gratifying to our employees as it allows them to give back to the community in such an impactful way,” added Salaway.
"We are honored to be recognized with Mission Hospital for our collaborative work in Orange County. Our aligned mission, to serve the most vulnerable in our community with compassion and dignity, makes us great partners. We look forward to our continued collaboration to serve," said Paul Leon, executive director of AccessOC.
Event co-chairs, Jennifer Walker of Taco Bell and Lacey Gaitan of Cox Communications, will lead more than 20 corporate and community leaders in spearheading the coordination and planning of the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards Luncheon.
“Taco Bell is excited to be a part of such a time-honored community tradition as the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards,” says Walker. “Volunteers are at the heart of our community, and the great service being done by the hundreds of volunteers being honored this year is a great inspiration to future generations.”
“Cox Communications has a deep history in the community, fueled by passionate employees and a genuine desire to make the communities where we operate stronger,” says Gaitan. “We are proud to recognize and honor our Team Cox volunteers and all of the Orange County volunteers who give of their time to serve the Orange County community.”
More than 60 companies, foundations and individuals sponsor the 2017 Spirit of Volunteerism Awards. Mazda will present this OneOC event, followed by significant contributors such as Cox, Disneyland Resort, Experian, Fluidmaster, Pacific Life Foundation, PIMCO Foundation, Taco Bell, Union Bank, Wells Fargo and Western Digital, among others.
Last year, thanks to the generous supporters of the 2016 Spirit of Volunteerism Awards, OneOC was able to:
- Mobilize more than 47,865 volunteers, delivering over one million hours to Orange County nonprofits valued at $28.7 million to our community;
- Improve the skills of 1,525 nonprofit professionals through 190 sector-specific trainings; and
- Provide back-office business support to 42 community initiatives.
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