Driven to Help the Community
C.W. Driver Cos.’s Reach program donated more than $350,000 in monetary and in-kind donations in 2023 to more than 40 charities throughout Orange, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties, and the Inland Empire.
Reach, which was founded in 2011, also provides C.W. Driver’s 350 employees with opportunities to enhance communities by performing community service and supporting charitable organizations.
Organizations that have received monetary, in-kind, and/or volunteer support from the group include CHOC Children’s Hospital, City of Hope, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Thomas House, Families Forward, Mary’s Kitchen, Human Options, Project Hope Alliance and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
The program “provides our employees the opportunity to plug into the communities we build in and enact real change,” said Karl Kreutziger, president, C.W. Driver.
“I am proud to say that every employee has a hand in [Reach], which shows that C.W. Driver Cos. cares deeply about enhancing not only the communities around us, but the lives of our employees themselves.”
Since 2019, C.W. Driver employees have volunteered more than 14,500 hours through the program. Volunteer activities include providing sustenance to families struggling with food insecurity, delivering essentials to individuals struggling with homelessness, supporting critically ill children and women transitioning out of domestic violence, and building a new home with Habitat for Humanity.
Read All About It
The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation and the City of Newport Beach broke ground on a $23 million lecture hall called Witte Hall. Witte Hall is named in recognition of a donation from William Witte, chairman and chief executive, Related California, president, Witte-Sakamoto Family Foundation, and his wife, Keiko Sakamoto, attorney, chief financial officer and secretary, Witte-Sakamoto Family Foundation.
Designed by architectural firm Robert R. Coffee Architect + Associates, the hall will run nearly 10,000 square feet, be technologically advanced, and count tiered seating for 299 guests, as well as be fully ADA compliant.
Originally proposed by the Newport Beach Public Library Board of Trustees in July 2019, the lecture hall is being financed through a cost-sharing agreement between the city and Newport Beach Public Library Foundation.
Jill Johnson-Tucker, philanthropist and member, Newport Beach Public Library Foundation Board of Directors, is chairing the capital campaign, Beyond Books, to fund 50% of the cost of the building.
The Witte Hall groundbreaking ushers in the second phase of the Beyond Books capital campaign for Witte Hall. Its goal for the second phase of the campaign is to raise an additional $4 million to complete its pledge to raise 50% of the total cost of the hall from the philanthropic community.
AMG & Associates Inc. of Santa Clarita will build the facility. Construction is expected to take about 21 months and be completed by early 2026.
Located next to the Central Library, Witte Hall will also include an expanded courtyard, now named the Stahr Courtyard, with a major gift from Elizabeth Stahr, Newport Beach philanthropist and the founder of the Library Foundation.
Providing Hope
Following a four-year hiatus, the Catholic Charities of Orange County’s (CCOC) 2024 Mardi Gras Gala took place on Feb. 10 at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach.
The sold-out event drew nearly 350 guests, who ensured the event surpassed its fundraising goals, officials said. The proceeds benefit the CCOC New Hope Counseling Center, which offers therapy for issues such as anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma and life transitions to those in need.
Gala sponsors included Michele and Vincent Cortes, Pam and Al Baldwin, 608 Dahlia, Kathy and Gary Manulkin/Manulkin, Tanner & Associates, Insperity, Diocese of Orange, Investing for Catholics and OLLV Foundation.
As guests arrived at the venue, which was outfitted in colorful Mardi Gras-themed décor, they were greeted by Mardi Gras stilt walkers and St. Anne Catholic School’s mariachi band. The Mater Dei High School jazz band played as guests entered the ballroom, where they were served a plated dinner and live music.
The evening honored Vincent and Michele Cortes, co-founders, Vincor Construction, for their impactful contributions to CCOC, and Alan Smith, founder, Aloha Urban Farming, and Joan Steen, former senior project manager, Pimco, for their contributions to CCOC’s Garden of Hope program, which educates community members about the importance of nutrition, how to grow organic vegetables, greens, and herbs, and how to cook healthy meals using garden-grown ingredients.
Other special guests included Most Rev. Kevin Vann, J.C.D., D.D., Bishop of Orange; Very Rev. Angelos Sebastian, vicar general; Father Mike Rizzo, chairman of the board, CCOC Board of Trustees; and Al Baldwin, chief executive, Baldwin & Sons.
Bits & Pieces
Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF) has awarded nearly $200,000 in grant funds to recipients of its 2024 Innovative Grants Program, including 11 projects that range from STEM equipment to digital systems fostering positive behavioral growth, an Esports Lab sparking competitive spirit, and communication devices promoting equity and inclusion throughout its schools.
In February, Umpqua Bank, based in Newport Beach, donated $5,000 to the J. F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano, which serves people with disabilities who can benefit from therapeutic rides and activities centered on horses.
Farmhouse Rescue, a working farm which provides therapeutic experiences for individuals to heal and find purpose and a connection to farm animals and the land, partnered with the Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies business unit of Edwards Lifesciences to pack 100 Smile Boxes, each containing a stuffed animal, a Farmhouse Rescue hat, letter writing sets, and other items, for children at CHOC who are starting their cancer treatments in the hospital.
