53 Orange County Service Organizations Awarded $450,000 by Disneyland Resort
53 Orange County Service Organizations Awarded $450,000 by Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort awarded $450,000 to 53 Orange County agencies today at the 43rd Annual Disneyland Community Service Awards held at Disneyland Park.
The Disneyland Community Service Awards grants included two $50,000 Outstanding Awards, one $30,000 Jack B. Lindquist Award, two $20,000 Special Judges Awards, eight $10,000 Leadership Awards, and 40 $5,000 Category Awards. The awards recipients represent organizations in the categories of Cultural Arts, Youth, Health, Educational, Civic Community Service, Service by or for Senior Citizens, Social Community Service and Environment and Conservation.
The ceremonies also honored Disneyland Hotel Cast Member, Manuel Borja, who was named Disneyland Resort VoluntEAR of the Year for being the founder of Club Chihuahua of Orange County which collects donations for the Tarahumara tribe of Chihuahua, Mexico. The Disneyland VoluntEAR program encourages Cast Members to donate their time and talent toward community enrichment and helping those in need.
The organizations receiving the $50,000 Outstanding Awards were Saint Joseph Ballet, Santa Ana, Calif., for its program to empower low-income youth from diverse backgrounds through dance, academic and family programs, and Taller San Jose, Santa Ana, which is a vocational center that offers hope to unskilled young adults who seek a self-reliant future.
The $30,000 Jack B. Lindquist Award went to ArtsBridge-UCI School of the Arts, Irvine, Calif., which works in partnership with Orange County public schools to provide high quality arts education to K-12 school children.
Special Judges Awards of $20,000 each were presented to Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Santa Ana, who provides high quality, cost-effective civil legal services to persons at or below 125% of the poverty level, and Orange County Human Relations Council, Santa Ana, a program to foster mutual understanding among residents in order to make Orange County a better place for all people to live and work.
In other categories, winners of the Community Service Awards in the Cultural Arts category were STOP-GAP, Santa Ana, $10,000; Anaheim Arts Council -- Children's Festival; Anaheim Ballet; Hi Hopes Identity Discovery Foundation Inc., Anaheim; Metropolitan Ballet Co., Los Alamitos, Calif.; and Very Special Arts of Orange County, Santa Ana, $5,000 each.
In the Youth category, the winners were Girls Incorporated of Orange County, Costa Mesa, Calif., $10,000; Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim; Career Beginnings of Orange County, Santa Ana; Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County, Irvine; Future Leaders of America, Orange County, Santa Ana; and Save Our Youth, Costa Mesa, $5,000 each.
In the Health category, the winners were Lestonnac Free Medical Clinic, Orange, Calif., $10,000; Iris Professional Auxiliary/Assistance League of Anaheim; Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, Irvine; CHOICES/Teen Awareness Inc., Fullerton, Calif.; The John Henry Foundation, Garden Grove, Calif.; and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County, Irvine, $5,000 each.
In the Educational category, the winners were Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana, $10,000; Ebell Club of Anaheim; Boys & Girls Club of Stanton, Calif.; Orange County Rescue Mission, Santa Ana; Pediatric Adolescent Diabetes Research & Education Foundation, Orange; and Volunteers in Parole, Orange County, Santa Ana, $5,000 each.
In the Civic Community Service category, the winners were American Red Cross, Orange County Chapter, Santa Ana, $10,000; Leadership Anaheim; KOCE-TV Foundation, Huntington Beach, Calif.; National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Tustin, Calif.; Orange County Pioneer Council, Santa Ana; and Volunteer Center Orange County, Santa Ana, $5,000 each.
In the Service by or for Senior Citizens category, the winners were Adult Day Services of Orange County, Huntington Beach, $10,000; Paint Your Heart Out Anaheim; Asian-American Senior Citizens Service Center, Santa Ana; Meals on Wheels -- Buena Park, Calif.; Saint Anselm's Cross-Cultural Community Center, Garden Grove; and Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc., Santa Ana, $5,000 each.
In the Social Community Service category, the winners were HomeAid Orange County, Irvine, $10,000; Anaheim Interfaith Shelter; Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Service Inc.; H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everyday), Cypress, Calif.; Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center, Santa Ana; and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Orange, $5,000 each.
In the Environment and Conservation category, winners were Animal Assistance League of Orange County, Midway City, Calif., $10,000; "Kids for Parks" Program, Anaheim; Bolsa Chica Conservancy, Huntington Beach; Friends of Santa Ana Zoo; Laguna Canyon Foundation, Laguna Beach, Calif.; and Orange County SPCA, Huntington Beach, $5,000 each.
The 2000 Community Service Awards winners were selected by a panel of distinguished community leaders who exhibit the spirit of giving of oneself. Each year six new judges review the applications; the Disneyland Resort does not select the award recipients. This year's panel included Al Mijares, Ph.D., superintendent, Santa Ana Unified School District; Marilyn Powell-Berns, Orange County community leader; Lydia Wang Himes, from Lydia Wang & Associates Inc.; Marisa Lengor, a student from Savanna High School, Anaheim; Andrea Manes, owner of The Fun Starts Here!; and Stan Oftelie, president & CEO of Orange County Business Council.
The Disneyland Community Service Awards were begun in 1957 by Walt Disney himself. He recognized the importance of valuing the selfless works and unparalleled dedication to making a difference in the quality of life in our community.
-- Posted September 15, 2000
Source: Company Press Release