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Making A Positive Impact This Holiday Season

12.06.21

Looking to give back this holiday season? Here are some local nonprofits that are offering opportunities to get involved and make a positive impact this holiday season

BUILD A FUTURE

Beyond Blindness (formerly Blind Children's Learning Center) empowers children with visual impairments and other disabilities to achieve their fullest potential. The organization helps prepare kids for a life of independence through early intervention, education and family support.

Donations can support life-changing essential services and specialized education to children with visual impairments and other disabilities. It allows them to reach new milestones, from typing their first Braille word to navigating the playground independently for the first time. Holiday contributions provide the tools and skills needed to maximize their full potential.

$75 covers an individual Braille lesson with a credentialed teacher of the visually impaired
$222 covers a full month of education and enrichment services for a student (Braille, low vision modalities, cane training, etc.)
$3,600 covers a full year of weekly education services for students by credentialed specialists
$7,500 covers the full support of a child and their family through the first year of early intervention

NO HUNGER FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Help Bracken’s Kitchen to provide 400,000 meals to those in need this Holiday season. Bracken's Kitchen believes that no one should go hungry during the holidays and they invite you to come alongside us in doing so.

Bracken’s Kitchen, TOGETHER WE CAN FEED THE NEED

You can help Bracken’s Kitchen this holiday season by hosting your very own Food Drive! Does your church, work, family, or group of friends want a special way to help give back this holiday?

Hosting a food drive is a perfect way to help Bracken’s Kitchen provide 400,000 meals to those in need. There is no shortage of need for basic staples, spices, and various ingredients. Help them to give above and beyond to the families in our community.

Donations listed above would be greatly appreciated! As they have a large-scale production - they kindly ask that you purchase bulk/commercial size products to be of help (think Costco or Smart and Final or Amazon). Once you are done with your Food Drive we ask that you deliver the items to their kitchen at 13941 Nautilus Drive, Garden Grove!

To sign up and learn more about Hosting a Bracken’s Kitchen Food Drive, please visit brackenskitchen.org/food-drive

VOLUNTEER

Consider volunteering with Bracken’s Kitchen this holiday season!

They are always thrilled to have you join in on the fun of serving the community! They invite you to help prepare meals, distribute meals and hang out with families at their Food Truck Events! You can make a lasting impact this Holiday Season.

To learn more about volunteering and our opportunities, visit https://www.brackenskitchen.org/volunteer

Bracken’s Kitchen wants this Holiday to be special and memorable for those in the community. You can help this Holiday Season by donating some great goods or by hosting your very own Goods Drive.

Does your church, work, family, or group of friends want a special way to help give back this holiday? They aim to give above and beyond this Holiday Season. On top of some delicious meals, they plan to give away various items such as books, blankets, family board games, and much more!

Donations of the following items would be greatly appreciated! Once you are ready to drop off your donations, they ask that you deliver the items to their kitchen at 13941 Nautilus Drive, Garden Grove!

Some of the items they need to give out as gifts are above. If you’d like to sign up for a goods drive, visit brackenskitchen.org/goods-drive

EMPOWER A YOUNG GIRL

Girls Inc. of OC aims to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold by providing holistic, compensatory, and intentional programming focusing on STEM, financial literacy, sound body image, healthy relationships, and college and career readiness.

Contributors are ensuring that today’s girls will continue to have access to the organization’s research-tested and successful programs that keep participants safe, learning, and moving forward. Donations help set this in motion, instilling hope and providing the tools and guidance girls need to succeed.

$150 funds essential items for 15 College Shower baskets, preparing girls to become college-ready when they head off to their fall or spring semester
$250 helps fund one-on-one mentoring with a trusted Girls Inc. educator to keep them on track, focused on school and avoid the pitfalls that many young girls face
$500 funds books for 62 elementary school students through the Literacy Lab, a fun, interactive, hands-on program that supports girls to reach grade-level reading standards by fourth grade
$1,000 funds 22 kindergarten through third-graders with STEM-in-a-bag program supplies, including at-home STEM kits, robotics circuitry, and STEM-related program incentives to reward participation
$2,500 funds 12 college application fees for College Bound girls, who often limit the number of colleges that they apply to due to the associated costs
$5,000 will fund online college essay writing classes and coaching to 45 girls so they can submit competitive college applications.
$10,000 will fund 34 participants in Girls Meet the Workforce, setting them up for future success with comprehensive career and workforce readiness training
$25,000 will fund a full year of SMART (Science, Math and Relevant Technology) Girls programs for 50 participants, giving them the opportunity to explore content and careers in the areas of engineering, circuitry, biological and life sciences, robotics and cyber security

MAKE MIRACLES HAPPEN

Miracles for Kids helps families with critically ill children fight bankruptcy, homelessness, hunger and depression through monthly financial aid, subsidized housing, food and clothing, and counseling. The organization helps families with these needs so they can focus on the best possible care for their child.

By making a gift, supporters are sending a message of hope to families who are emotionally devastated by diseases that don’t discriminate based on age. A donation will help a family immediately. When a family is brought down by the devastation of a critically ill child, contributors help ensure Miracles for Kids is there to pick them back up.

$10 provides one month of cleaning supplies or clean clothes for a family of four
$25 provides two pairs of shoes to a low-income family or a new backpack to a child getting ready for school
$50 provides reliable, monthly internet access, personal care products or new clothing for a family of four
$83.33 provides monthly public transportation for a family of two or monthly dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables
$100 can keep the lights on each month for one family, provide baby wipes for a year or provide running water for two families each month
$500 provides two families with diapers for one year or annual cleaning supplies for one family
$1,000 can provide five kids with school supplies for the year, pay monthly gas bills for 15 families, cover 10 counseling sessions to four families or feed kids lunch for an entire Surf & Paddle Summer Camp season

FOSTER A CHILD

Orangewood Foundation provides services to current and former foster youth in Orange County to help prepare them for independent adulthood. The staff works with participating youth in four critical areas: health and wellness, housing, life skills and employment, and education. The organization helps meet a broad array of needs, including groceries, transitional housing, life skills workshops, and employment leads, schooling, and scholarships for college and graduate school.

Becoming a resource parent through Orangewood’s Youth Connected Program (YCP) would be an incredible holiday gift and an opportunity to build a relationship with a student while guiding them through their formative years. As a licensed, private resource family agency, YCP works in partnership with Samueli Academy to provide an on-campus dorm and academic assistance to the youth Orangewood serves.

Meanwhile, monetary donations help prepare foster and community youth to reach their greatest potential. Every contribution, regardless of the gift level, is critically important to Orangewood’s work. By making a gift, supporters enable the foundation to serve even more youth and show the kids that there are generous individuals in the community who care about their success.

$10 buys a bus pass for one Orangewood youth
$100 pays for a high school graduation expense
$500 pays for a college student’s textbooks for a semester
$1,000 pays for a youth’s one-on-one weekly therapy sessions for three months

FEED A FAMILY

South County Outreach (SCO) aims to end hunger and homelessness in Orange County through services including a food market and a transitional housing program. Donations will instantly go to work, helping to keep Orange County families housed and fed. Gifts also fund programs that stop the cycle of homelessness and prepare clients for secure and stable futures through education, financial literacy, job training, and more.

As the holiday season kicks off, SCO asks a simple question: What would traditional holiday baking look like without the basic ingredients for cookies? Because milk, eggs, and butter expire quickly, they are not regularly stocked at the food pantry. No one should go hungry for the holidays — a donation this season can help SCO clients cook a delicious meal while celebrating togetherness with their loved ones. sco-oc.org/donate

$10 will help a child bake two dozen cookies
$25 will provide eight gallons of milk to families in need
$50 will provide a family of four with enough fresh food to make a delicious Thanksgiving feast
$100 will provide 25 seniors with enough milk, eggs, and butter for the holiday season
$500 will enable 60 individuals to have a delicious and complete holiday meal
$1,000 will provide 111 households with essential dairy items and eggs

GET INVOLVED!

SCO’S NEW HOLIDAY PROGRAM

After years of delivering cheer and goodwill with stocking stuffers and gifts, there’s a brand-new holiday giving program to the South County Outreach family in 2021.

This year’s program brings to the forefront their vision of creating an Orange County where no one should go to bed hungry.

SCO brings their own backgrounds and life experiences — including unique cooking styles! Food is often a way for people to honor family traditions or celebrate their culture. It can evoke powerful memories and emotions, providing more than just sustenance. It nourishes our entire well-being.

With the important role food plays in day-to-day life, the focus at SCO is to ensure they do more than just provide pantry essentials to our clients. They are reshaping what it looks like for people experiencing food insecurity to receive the help they need. They are in control of the cart at our food market, choosing each nutritious item based on their own dietary restrictions, flavor palate preferences, and cooking abilities.

By offering a personalized shopping experience through a market model, they can deliver service that treats each client with our core values of dignity and respect. And they’ve found that the way you treat people truly changes an experience for the better.

You can visit sco-oc.org to learn more about donating food or hosting a drive that will make a difference for OC families all year long.

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American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

12.02.21

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is bringing back its popular holiday tradition - American Ballet Theatre’s captivating production of The Nutcracker. Co-presented by the Center and ABT with choreography by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, The Nutcracker is the beloved holiday story based on The Nutcracker and the King of Mice written by E.T.A. Hoffmann and set to a magical score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.

In its annual holiday engagement, American Ballet Theatre will give 12 performances between December 10 through December 19, in Segerstrom Hall. This year marks the 6^th time that The Center has presented ABT’s The Nutcracker, Southern California’s grandest production of this beloved holiday tradition. This Nutcracker features ABT’s international all-star cast.

American Ballet Theatre has a long, storied history of producing several critically acclaimed productions of this annual family-friendly classic tale of Clara and the Nutcracker over the years (previous versions were by Mikhail Baryshnikov and ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie). The Nutcracker, with its timeless music by Tchaikovsky and fairytale costumes and exotic dances, is the perfect way to introduce children to dance and even inspire them to study dance and become a little Clara or Nutcracker Prince.

The scenery and costumes for The Nutcracker are by Tony Award® winning designer Richard Hudson (Disney’s The Lion King). Lighting for the production is by Tony Award® winner Jennifer Tipton.

Single tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker start at $30 and are on sale online at SCFTA.org, at the Box office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket discounts for 10 or more, call the Group Services offices at (714)755-0236.

Casting

ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie has released principal casting which will include Hee Seo as Clara, the Princess, and Cory Stearns as The Nutcracker Prince on Opening Night, Friday, December 10. *Indicates the first time in the role.

Saturday, December 11 at 2 p.m. – Skylar Brandt*, Herman Cornejo
Saturday, December 11 at 7 p.m. – Christine Shevchenko, Thomas Forster
Sunday, December 12 at 12:30 p.m. – Devon Teuscher*, Joo Won Ahn
Sunday, December 12 at 5:30 p.m. -- Skylar Brandt*, Herman Cornejo

Wednesday, December 15 at 7 p.m.- Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside
Thursday, December 16 at 7 p.m. – Catherine Hurlin*, Aran Bell
Friday, December 17 at 7 p.m. -- Christine Shevchenko, Thomas Forster
Saturday, December 18 at 2 p.m. -- Hee Seo, Cory Stearns
Saturday, December 18 at 7 p.m. -- Devon Teuscher, Joo Won Ahn
Sunday, December 19 at 12:30 p.m. - Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside
Sunday, December 19 at 5:30 p.m. - Catherine Hurlin, Aran Bell

The Nutcracker is presented with special underwriting from Tiffany & Co. The Center's International Dance Series is made possible by the Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances. Segerstrom Center for the Arts also thanks to its Official Airline, United Airlines.

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Making A Positive Impact This Holiday Season

12.06.21

Blog

American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

12.02.21

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