The service organization 2-1-1 Orange County will honor five local residents Thursday for their outstanding contributions to improving the quality of life across Orange County.
The honors will be presented at the organization’s annual “Toast & Tribute” fundraising event at the Newport Beach Vineyards and Winery.
The five honorees, dubbed “Neighbors Who’ve Made a Difference,” are:
- Vivian Clecak, CEO of the non-profit Human Options that addresses domestic violence issues;
- Max Gardner, CEO of Orange County’s United Way;
- County Supervisor John Moorlach for his work on homelessness;
- Oladele Ogunseita, who is the founding chairman of the Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention at UC Irvine; and
- Norberto Santana Jr., Voice of OC editor-in-chief for his newsroom’s work on covering issues involving the health and human sector.
2-1-1 Orange County is a nonprofit devoted to “helping people find the help they need.”
The organization operates a call center that assists local residents with critical information and referrals to local agencies and philanthropies addressing a broad range of challenges.
Each year, 2-1-1 Orange County answers more than 100,000 calls from community members seeking assistance and provides more than 225,000 referrals to such “basic needs” services as food and rental assistance, job placement, health care and various other social services.
2-1-1 Orange County is supported by local foundations, United Way, county and city contracts and individual donations.