Annual shopping fundraiser at South Coast Plaza supports one-to-one youth mentoring
SANTA ANA, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2018) – Volunteer auxiliary group Angelitos de Oro recently announced its Angelitos Card Week fundraising total of approximately $350,000 to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire. The shopping fundraiser was presented in partnership with South Coast Plaza from Oct. 3-9, and helped support the nonprofit’s High School Bigs initiative, one of three mentoring programs offered to youth facing adversity.
We are so grateful for the advocacy, fundraising efforts and unwavering dedication of Angelitos de Oro,” says Sloane Keane, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters. “The momentum built through card week has propelled the growth of our agency, particularly through High School Bigs. Their focus on supporting peer-to-peer mentoring truly makes a double impact by giving elementary school students a positive role model while also instilling a philanthropic spirit in our teen volunteers.”
Angelitos de Oro celebrated the 17th anniversary of card week in 2018. This year’s fundraiser was co-chaired by Merrilee Harris and Catherine Sloan.
On Oct. 2, a Preview Day Champagne brunch co-chaired by Cari Young and Molly McCray served as a kickoff to the week of shopping. Held in South Coast Plaza’s Garden Terrace and attended by more than 300 cardholders, the event featured heartfelt remarks from Keane, Angelitos de Oro President Karen Taylor and Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing at South Coast Plaza.
Preview Day boutiques included Aquazzura, Bottega Veneta, Diptyque, Escada, Intermix, Oscar de la Renta, REDValentino, Stuart Weitzman and Tadashi Shoji. Participating boutiques showcased seasonal looks and invited attendees to shop with their Angelitos Card to receive 20 percent savings one day early, with 10 percent of proceeds donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters through Angelitos de Oro.
To-date, the auxiliary has contributed more than $6.5 million to support the nonprofit’s programs that match a volunteer mentor one-to-one with a youth facing adversity.
Pictured above: 2018 Angelitos Card Week Co-Chairs Merrilee Harris and Catherine Sloan, Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Sloane Keane, Preview Day Co-Chairs Molly McCray and Cari Young
About Angelitos de Oro
Angelitos de Oro is an auxiliary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County, raising funds to support the organization’s mentoring programs. Since its inception in 1961, the group has raised more than $6 million for Big Brothers Big Sisters, allowing thousands of children facing adversity to be matched with mentors. Angelitos Card Week, the auxiliary’s annual shopping fundraiser at South Coast Plaza, is celebrating its 17th anniversary in 2018. For more information, visit angelitosdeoro.org.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire
Big Brothers Big Sisters believes that with the support of a caring mentor, every child has the ability to achieve his or her full potential. It is the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring organization, serving a quarter-million children annually. Based in Santa Ana, Calif., the Orange County agency was incorporated in 1958 and works as a local extension of the national effort to make professionally supported, one-to-one matches between mentors (“Bigs”) and youth facing adversity (“Littles”). Together with the Inland Empire agency, which opened its doors in 2013, the local organization annually serves more than 3,500 children annually through programs that help youth avoid gang violence and substance abuse while working toward high school graduation and long-term, sustainable independence. For more information visit ocbigs.org or follow Big Brothers Big Sisters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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