CAUSES & ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE SUPPORT:
We are passionate about the causes and organizations that we support. OCCares has hosted awareness and fundraising events for the following non-profit organizations. Please email us at info@occares.org if you would like to find out more about how you can join us in continuing to support these wonderful organizations and other outstanding organizations in our community.
Christalis:
CHILDREN'S HEALTH:
Serving kids hope
(formerly known as Dr Riba's HeAlth club
Christalis, founded by Shalini David, endeavors to provide love and care to children who are victims of various injustices such as poverty, neglect, abandonment, starvation, abuse, and exploitation.
They provide services and care through Christalis Home and our Child & Family Development Program. These projects are located near Kasese, in the western region of Uganda.
The name Christalis comes from the word chrysalis, the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. The variant "Christalis" includes the name of Christ. We hope that every child we serve feels the love of Christ through us as we transform their circumstances into a new life.
For more information, please visit: www.christalis.org
Serving Kids Hope, formerly known as Dr. Riba's Health Club was founded by Dr. Patricia Riba who is a published author, educator/speaker and a caring mother and physician.
Serving Kids Hope is focused on services for prevention and treatment of nutrition-related problems in children and their families. Through its fiscal agent OneOC, Serving Kids Hope provided help and care to over 5,000 underserved families in 2015. Targeting those most in need in Orange County, Serving Kids Hope provides treatment from a multi-disciplinary team to low-income families where obesity and diabetes are serious concerns.
SKHope encourages teaching obesity prevention and health. Promoting concepts at an early age through specially designed classes on health and nutrition for parents of young children, with classes offered at preschools and other sites. Through a partnership with the Pretend City Children’s Museum, SKHope has designed field trips for young children to learn about health and nutrition in a fun learning environment.
Inspired by Dr. Patricia’s work serving the poor of Orange County, Serving Kids Hope supports programs that comprise an innovative approach to weight management and diabetes prevention in the community clinic setting because we emphasize the psychology of feeding children and feeding dynamic issues. What began as a grassroots organization has grown into a program that reaches thousands of families each year.
For more information , please visit: www.servingkidshope.org
CHILREN'S WELLBEING:
Giving children hope
Giving Children Hope is a community driven nonprofit that equips front line partners with resources to serve vulnerable children and families. As a faith-based partner we provide sustainable hope through wellness programs and disaster response in collaboration with local and global communities; we do this through the gathering and giving of Medical Resources, Nutritional Foods, and Basic Needs. Giving Children Hope is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible in full or in part.
Programs
We’ve Got Your Back, Giving for Living, Global Operations, and Disaster Relief
Vision
Wellness for Vulnerable Children and Families. Learn more about Giving Children Hope’s Core Values.
Mission
Giving Children Hope is a faith-based partner providing sustainable hope through wellness programs and disaster response in collaboration with local and global communities. We do this through the gathering and giving of: Basic Needs, Nutritional Foods and Medical Resources.
Our Founding Story
Giving Children Hope was founded in 1993 by John Ditty and Juliana Reasor, who committed their lives to helping the world’s most disadvantaged children after being exposed to extreme poverty while adopting their son in Russia. At that time Russia was experiencing a devastating famine and many people were struggling to survive. In addition to the famine, these people were lacking basic medical necessities to treat minor injuries or illnesses that might only need a simple medicine to cure. John and Juliana were touched by the great needs of these children and began helping by delivering donated medicines, medical supplies and equipment to some of the most economically impacted parts of the world. Today, 22 years later, thanks to our family of donors, Giving Children Hope is still sending supplies to some of the worlds most poverty-stricken nations and will continue to do so.
However, with a closer look at children living in low-income communities in the United States, it became obvious that serving families was a necessary part of serving children. Giving Children Hope’s vision grew to include local families and now provides them with immediate assistance in basic needs and health care.
For more information , please visit: www.givingchildrenhope.org
CHILREN'S SAFETY (PREVENTION OF CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN):
The Joyful Child Foundation
The Joyful Child Foundation—In Memory of Samantha Runnion is a 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization founded in 2002 after the abduction, molestation and murder of five-year old Samantha Runnion. In order to prevent child sexual abuse and abduction The Joyful Child Foundation will:
Be the resource for concerned parents to engage in the movement to stop predatory crimes against children.
Provide proactive education and empowerment tools to children and parents.
Facilitate collaboration among individuals, non- profit organizations, schools, businesses, and government to create sustainable community initiatives to ensure that safety education for child protection continue in perpetuity.
MISSION
The Joyful Child Foundation’s goal is to ensure that every child is exposed to personal safety education and opportunities to practice in order to cultivate each child’s instinctual response to recognize, avoid, and if necessary, physically resist and escape inappropriate behaviors or violence. To meet this challenge, we have developed programs for parents and children to effectively reach every community.
The Joyful Child trains teachers, non-profit partners, and law enforcement agencies to deliver our programs to children and parents. Contributions support our programs and sponsor trainings for those who cannot afford them.
ABOUT SAMANTHA
The Joyful Child Foundation was established in loving memory of Samantha Runnion. Samantha was a bright, creative, and loving little girl. She encouraged her friends and siblings to try their best and “Be Brave.” Samantha’s greatest gift was finding and sharing the joy in all that she did.
FOUNDER, ERIN RUNNION
Erin Runnion is the mother of Samantha Runnion and the Founding Director of The Joyful Child Foundation. Erin is dedicated to ensuring that Samantha’s tragic death will continue to be a catalyst to engage adults in our collective responsibility to protect our nation’s children. Honors include A Certificate of Valor from The Department of Justice, People Magazine’s 2004 Heroes Among Us Award, and commendations from the California State Assembly.
For more information, please visit: www.thejoyfulchild.org
EMOTIONAL HEALING & EMPOWERMENT (ABUSE RECOVERY, TEEN ANTI-BULLYING, RESPONSIBLE DRINKING & DATING):
The W.I.N Foundation
The W.I.N. Foundation® is a 501-C3 non-profit (#33-0676865) specializing in programs of healing and empowerment. Founded by Dr. Tracy (Ph.D.) in 1996 our primary focus has been to offer programs of recovery, education and healing that create life change. Our goal through The W.I.N. Foundation® is to make life empowerment a fun, easy, accessible and most important S.E.X.Y.* journey.
The W.I.N. Foundation® initially began as a walk-in abuse recovery program in Newport Beach, California. The initial program, called Right Living, has been translated into 4 languages and has been taught to dozens of countries and cultures around the world.
Our 16 year journey has expanded us from our original empowerment program for women, to now college programs for responsible drinking and responsible dating; high school programs for anti-bullying; children's program for holiday joy; as well as an on-line services, national resources and most recently a Training and Certification program.
Our mission at The W.I.N. Foundation® is simple: To develop and deliver easy to access, life-changing and healing programs to empower and unclog lives... and we hope to always make sure the product we deliver is S.E.X.Y.
S.E.X.Y. is an acronym for the four life principles for emotional empowerment. It is the road map per say, that when we live with each principle, both love and life stop hurting and both begin working.
S (SELFISH)
Selfish is a love word. Centered in self-love, self-care and self-esteem, the truth in living an empowered life is that we cannot experience authentic love, or our personal passions without it. Selfish is not narcissism that screams 'I expect the world to be all about me!' Instead, Selfish says, "I love Me, and I commit to embracing and discovering what that looks, feels and sounds like."
E (EMPOWERED)
Empowerment means tools. In order to live an empowered life we must find the missing tools we never got, so we can build, repair and often times reinvent our life. Without tools life becomes clogged and blocked. WITH TOOLS however, love and life become our magical drawing board where we possess the power and skills to create our journey into anything we desire it to be.
X (EXACT)
Living Exact means having a clear understanding of who we are, and even more important, who we are not, or in other words clearly knowing what our mission and life plan is. MEMO FROM NORMAL LAND: It is not our job to make other people comfortable with us. It is not our job to default on our life or abandon our dreams because others don't approve or understand. Instead we are to discover our path, commit to our journey, live our journey (without apology or confusion) and trust that the people who REALLY love us will embrace our journey as much as we do.
Y (YES)
The hardest step of all is to learn to say "Yes" to your Rightful Good. That is because if you do not learn to say "Yes", there will be no empowerment. We are to enjoy this journey called Life, to fall in love with things and the people who make us feel Joy. Once we have the courage to say "Yes" to that, the rest of it magically falls into place.
And to think... to live a life of empowerment, the only thing we have to do is learn to live in S.E.X.Y. I like it when life is so simple.
For more information, please visit www.winfoundationinternational.org
HEALTH (HEART DISEASE PREVENTION):
GUARDAHEART FOUNDATION
GUARDaHEART is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit dedicated to fighting heart disease with the mission "LEARN. DETECT. PREVENT". GUARDaHEART collaborates with strategic partners, healthcare providers, other non-profits, Native American organizations, unions, and goverment organizations to promote awareness through education and risk detection tools, to ultimately empower preventative action and reduce the risk of heart disease worldwide.
Many individuals do knot know they are at risk of a heart attack. A large number of heart attack deaths often occur in people who have had no prior symptoms. Those who experience non-fatal heart attacks are often left debilitated.
According to CDC, the financial burden of heart disease is $108.9 billion each year in the US alone.
To more effectively reduce the risk of a heart attack, it is critical to more accurately identify individuals who are at risk of experiencing a coronary event and for whom early intervention can help.
GUARDaHEART provides education to the community, corporations, Native American organizations, unions, and individuals to promote heart disease awareness, detection, and prevention.
For more information, please visit: www.guardaheart.org
ABOUT HEART DISEASE
Heart Disease is the leading cause of death and disability. It is the most widespread and costly health problem facing our nation today, yet it is the most preventable disease.
50% OF HEART ATTACK VICTIMS HAVE NORMAL CHOLESTEROL
80% OF HEART ATTACKS ARE PREVENTABLE
75% OF HEART ATTACKS ARE DUE TO UNSTABLE LESION RUPTURE
LEARN
Understanding heart disease will enable you to take control of a disease that might lead to a heart attack. Understanding formation and progression of heart disease will empower you to act and counquer heart disease. Fact, the most common cause of heart attack is due to unstable lesion rupture (75%) not narrowing of the artery (25%). Read more
DETECT
For many people, the first symptom of heart disease is a heart attack or sudden death, with no chest pain as a warning. Current diagnostic and clinical risk stratification tools that measure established risk factors such as cholesterol, do not fully estimate the incidence and prevalence of heart disease. In fact, 50% of people that have a heart attack have normal cholesterol.
PREVENT
Knowing your cardiac wellness profile will enable you to implement a plan to maintain quality of life or reduce your risk of heart disease. Ask your doctor about your Cardiac Wellness Profile. Eary detection and prevention of heart disease can save and maintain quality of life. Read More
HUNGER AND FOOD RECOVERY:
WASTE NOT OC
In Orange County, 12.7% of the population or 379,690 people are food in-secure and 1 in 5 children face food insecurity and it is estimated that $181 million dollars are needed to end food insecurity. In the US, 36.31 million tons of food was wasted in 2011. In an effort to address this problem, Waste Not OC (WNOC) was created. WNOC, founded by Dr. Eric Handler of Orange County Health Care Agency, is a public-private partnership of food banks, food distributors, OC health care agency employees and volunteers dedicated to the WNOC vision of reducing hunger in Orange County, California. Through a variety of programs, WNOC has projects designed to promote the donation of more wholesome foods by restaurants, markets and others to the several food banks serving the OC community.
Waste Not OC is a public/private partnership striving to meet the nutritional needs of our community by facilitating the donation and distribution of wholesome surplus food.
305 TONS (500,013 meals)
of newly recovered food
has been given to those in need!
For more information, please visit: www.wastenotoc.org
CHILREN'S health & QUALITY OF LIFE:
PROJECT VIETNAM FOUNDATION
Project Vietnam Foundation’s mission is to improve the health and healthcare of people living in underserved rural communities of Vietnam. We carry out this mission through providing free healthcare services throughout the country, medical training of local healthcare professionals, and advocacy to reform government healthcare policies. Project Vietnam’s volunteer workers, nurses, physicians, dentists, and surgeons work together to improve health services in Vietnam and help all underserved Vietnamese live healthier lives.
PROJECT VIETNAM'S 3 MAIN INITIATIVES ARE:
SURGERY
Since 1995, renowned surgeons have donated their skills every March and November on medical missions to help restore the smiles and change the lives of over 1,770 Vietnamese children with birth deformities, from cleft lips and palates to eye defects to reconstructive and plastic surgery. Along with the surgeries, Project Vietnam provides screening, pre-op, and post-op care for the patients and their families.
PRIMARY CARE / DENTAL
With two medical missions to needy rural areas each year, Project Vietnam has treated over 81,100 children and needy adults with the Primary Care and Dental Teams. The Primary Care Team provides medical examinations and treatments as well as vision care to villages and schools. The Dental Team administers emergency, diagnostic, preventive, and restorative treatments, as well as oral hygiene education to children.
TRAINING
Project Vietnam’s volunteer medical specialists provide national conferences and seminars, training courses, and hands-on clinical instruction for local healthcare personnel to promote sustainable changes in Vietnam. Training programs currently include the Newborn Care Initiative, Pediatric First Aid, Pediatric Emergency and Cardiac Care, and Bright Futures, developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
For more information, please visit: projectvietnam.org
Healthy Smiles
Walking Strong
South County Outreach
Illumination Foundation