The Youth Center in Los Alamitos and eight fellow nonprofits partnered with the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) to host the second annual Igniting Potential, a Giving Day to support the youth of Orange County on Sept. 18. The 24-hour online effort raised more than $127,000 with participation from 518 donors, and The Youth Center raised $5,037 in their first effort at the fundraising drive.
The nine participating organizations included KidWorks, Orange County Boy Scouts of America, The Youth Center, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Southern California, MOMS Orange County, Assistance League of Irvine, Parentis Foundation, Us Too Gymnastics and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.
“We are so very grateful for everyone’s support in this new endeavor to not only help The Youth Center but also to benefit other organizations who help kids throughout Orange County,” Youth Center Executive Director Lina Lumme said.
OCCF powered this campaign with seed funding for the marketing assets, campaign resources and collaborative partnerships. Igniting Potential is part of a series of collaborative Giving Days held throughout the year that are designed to boost the capacity of local nonprofits to meet Orange County’s needs.
“Our local nonprofit leaders and the generous community joined forces for a second year to make a difference in the lives of Orange County’s youth,” said Shelley Hoss, president, OCCF. “We are proud to continue helping nonprofits achieve greater collective impact.”
OCCF first challenged Orange County residents to “give where their heart lives” during the inaugural Giving Day in 2015, raising more than $1.8 million through gifts to 347 participating nonprofits in just 30 hours. OCCF nearly doubled those results in 2016 during the second annual i?oc Giving Day, receiving contributions totaling $3.2 million for 418 participating nonprofits. In 2017, OCCF re-envisioned i?oc as an expanded opportunity for nonprofits to connect with one another in support of their shared missions. The seven Giving Days held throughout 2018 raised a total of $1.4 million for local organizations.
For more information, please visit oc-cf.org/iheartoc. For more information about The Youth Center, please visit www.theyouthcenter.org.