Creating opportunities for adults with disabilities since 1974 |
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SEPTEMBER 2022 E-NEWSLETTER
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Hello Friends of Vocational Visions,
We were all excited to see so many friends and supporters at the Enchanted Evening event on September 17th. So much time, care, and attention went into planning a splendid time for all. A group of our program participants prepared for months to put on an energizing performance. Many weeks went into organizing items into fun gift baskets for our silent auction. Several generous sponsors donated items for our live auction, like a luxury suite for an Angels game, or an autographed Anaheim Ducks jersey. We had the opportunity to witness the generosity of our guests, as they bid on items, bought raffle tickets, or contributed through the 'Fund-A-Need' campaign.
This Enchanted Evening event was so special because we were able to come together, after all the challenges and uncertainty of the last three years, to celebrate with old friends and to meet new friends. We had the chance to enjoy good food and drinks, and to laugh together about how fast the time has gone by. Most importantly, we were able to focus on the mission of Vocational Visions: to enhance our community by developing the talents of adults with intellectual / developmental disabilities, creating pathways to employment, life-long learning, and social inclusion.
I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this event successful. Most of all, I would like to thank our guests, sponsors, donors, and volunteers for making this event so meaningful. It is your belief in our mission that drives us to keep innovating, to focus on the supports that people in our programs need in order to be successful, and to help people with disabilities become fully participating members of our communities. For helping us further that mission, thank you!
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EVERYTHING ENCHANTED EVENING
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We are dedicating this month's newsletter to our Enchanted Evening event that was held in mid-September. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to highlight some of the memorable moments and to share our successes. |
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We'd like to show you some awesome photos from the event. But first: |
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Fun fact: did you know that we hired one of our Supported Employment participants to be our photographer for the evening? His name is Paul Hayton and photography is one of his passions. If you want to see some of his awe-inspiring photography portfolio, check out his website here:
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You can also view and follow Paul's Instagram page here:
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We have a marvelous tradition of a themed ensemble dance performance by some of our participants. It is always the high point, the heart ❤️ and the soul of the evening. As Tim mentioned in his message, it takes months of practice and preparation. Besides the time commitment from our performers, we have volunteers who choreograph the moves, select and mix the music and run the practice sessions. The primary volunteers are Barbara Boteler, Connie Chick, Will Chick, Caren Bowman and Mike Lander. The amazing performer outfits were funded by Barbara and Connie. A lot of effort went into the planning, the fittings and the magic touches like the petticoats, pearl necklaces, bow ties, boutonnières and props. Shout-out to the Friar Tux in Laguna Niguel for the nice discount on the tuxedo rentals.
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Fun fact: the most smiles and clapping of the night happened during their 12 minute montage. The 🎵 songs they performed to were: 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'All You Need Is Love' by The Beatles, 'Mamma Mia' by Abba, and 'This Is Me' by Keala Settle. Here are the 21 names of our 2022 Enchanted Evening dance performers:
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Hopefully we can share the very special video recording of their performance in a future newsletter when we confirm signed permission approvals. In the meantime, you might enjoy this video of one of the songs they danced to. It's called 'This Is Me' and it's from the movie 'The Greatest Showman'. Once you watch it and absorb the lyrics, you'll understand why this song is a fan favorite for their performances. |
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Here are some photos of a few auction items along with a table setting for dinner. Fun fact: we raised $22,390 through live and silent auction winning bids.
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What would our event be without our joyful guests? Here are some photos of guests and volunteers enjoying cocktail hour and silent auction time. Fun fact: even though we had about 80 fewer guests than our last Enchanted Evening event in 2019 (pre-COVID), it still felt like a full house and everyone was having a lovely time. |
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Calling all guests: If you have pictures that you took during the event that they would like us to archive, please send an email with your photos here. We would love to add them to our photo album.
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We selected an award style that was in line with our love related theme. Here is a picture of Elia Ruth Abonasser with the award. She accepted the Employer of the Year award on behalf of her company, Chevron Corporation.
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In 2021, Vocational Visions began partnering in Chevron's Neurodiversity Program. A number of our participants have been placed in good jobs, and there are plans to create additional opportunities. Chevron’s commitment to being an inclusive and fully integrated employer for people with disabilities is outstanding. |
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VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION
We would very much like to give name recognition to our many volunteers (alphabetical order by first name). Yes, it really takes this many volunteers to pull off an event like this and we are grateful. Fun fact: we had about 60 volunteers, many who performed multiple functions leading up to, during and after event day. We apologize if we missed anyone here.
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Amanda Vega de Garcia
Amy Gill
Avner Suselo
Barb Boteler
Barbara Sartor
Becky O’Campo
Breeze Patten
Candace Holbrook
Caren Bowman
Carol Roberts
Connie Chick
Danielle Booth
Debbie Watkins
Donita Custard
Ellen Suselo
Erika Zamarron
Gary Kasten
George Sernadilla
Jeff Reinhard
Jill Cooper
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Joseph Zelser
Juli Kelley
Julie Reinhard
Kenneth Gibson
Kim Klavzer
Kyla Avila
Kyra Harper White
Laura Martinez
Liaunna Chatman
Linda Albers
Linda McDowell
London Meredith
Lori Bartlett
Maddox Kennerson
Madelynn Hirneise
Maria Jacobs
Mark Banks
Mary Harden
Melen Harper
Melody Downey
Michael Lander
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Mollie Dumas
Monique Fierro
Ray Babilonia
Rene Rosales
Rich Mraule
Rizza Rea
Romaldo Escobedo
Rosie Deverona
Ryan Santos
Sharon Meredith
Sunny Leos
Susan Irby
Tim Campbell
Tim Chervenak
Tina Sciortino
Val Camaya
Vicky Bock
Will Chick
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Thank you to the following businesses and VV community members who sponsored one or more tables at our event. We're so appreciative of their commitment to our organization's mission. Fun fact: we raised $29,000 through table sponsorships. |
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32 guests raised their paddles during Fund-A-Need. These donations will be used to replace the air conditioning system in our Alambre building. Fun fact: we secured a total of $14,850 from our Fund-A-Need donors listed in alphabetical order (by first name) below. Thank you all. |
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Barbara Boteler
Barbara Schulman
Barry Lamb
Candice Friel
Caren Bowman
Chris Boles
Debbie Lovenburg
DeeDee Speicher
Dennis Ullman
Floyd Watson
Jenny Schoemann
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Jesse Hunt
Juli Kelley
Kaitlyn Fischer
Kent Colton
Larry Roberts
Linda Albers
Linda McDowell
Lisa Chou
Mayumi Lee
Mike Davis
Oscar Sanchez
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Patty Underwood
Reid Rova
Rich Murrell
Robert McClish
Susan Holley
Tom & Hilary Hurt
Vicky Bock
Victor Lamkay
Victor Ortiz
William Sheppard
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IN-KIND DONATION APPRECIATION |
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We received so many in-kind donations. While we were gifted many in-kind donations from businesses, we'd like to share some of our in-kind donations from individuals, families and groups with you. This is not an exhaustive list. It's just a good start. We are wowed by the kindness of our community members who played a big role in making our event a success. Fun fact: the beautiful bamboo plants, succulent arrangements and scarves for sale on event night were donated by Andy & Mayumi Lee. The scarves were handmade by their daughter (and VV participant) Jane. From these in-kind donations alone, we raised $565 on event night and we hope to raise about $110 more. |
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Ahmad Nuristani & Family
Alicia Romo
Amy Gill
Barb Boteler & Patty Fritsche
Caren Bowman
Charles & Richard Morris
Chelsae Mansfield
Cheri Lai
Connie Chick
Craig & Amy Nickoloff
David & Micheline Swan
Eikostos Deuteros Council
Grace Swanson
Howard & Alana Neufeld
Iain Field
Janet Fell
Jill Cooper
Kat Wallace
Kathy & Erica Davis
Kent Crawford
Kooshan Khosravi
Lee Family
Linda Albers
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Linda & Kristen Cullum
Lori Bartlett
Lynn Chang-Ly
Mark Sorenson
Marshall & Barbara Deems
Mary Ann Mernaugh & Michael DiMattio
Mary Bradsher
Melen Harper
Melody Downey
Nadira & Zoya Shaikh
Patricia Revelle
Peter Clarke & Family
Rick & Carolyn Watkins
Roberts Family
Rusty & Martha Underwood
Sharon Philippe
Sheri Lee
Shirley Bates
Terri Collins
Terry DiNolfi & Ashley Ortega
Tom & Diana Leary
Trinh Ly & Family
Yolanda & Joy Santiago
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We had a number of community members who could not attend our event but sent in a monetary donation, apart from any raffle ticket purchases, to further our fundraising goal. Here's a non-exhaustive list of those we wish to thank for supporting us from afar. |
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Anne Cramer
Barbara Wirtz
Betty Zuckerman
Dave Walling (Wallcon)
David & Debra DeHaan
Jack Colopy
Keith Sims
Luella Syler
Marjorie Sorenson-Lundholm
Mark Sorenson
McPheeters Family
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Michael & Jan Riley
Mike & Sharron Dumas
Parizino Family
Pat Trillwood
Richard & Patty Earlix
Robert & Susan Strube
Sheri Lee
Sherry Smith (Tooth Slooth)
Stephanie Springel
Wendy Gless
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We would like to recognize Shawn Friel from Enterprise Fleet Management for submitting for and obtaining a grant for us through Enterprise Holdings Foundation, a donor arm of his company. A big thank you to Barb Boteler who submitted for and secured a matching grant for us from her employer UBS. |
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Our staple Opportunity Drawing is always how we cap off the night. We were fortunate to have Montage Laguna Beach donate a two-night stay once again. This deal was sweetened with a $500 Visa gift card. We used our company credit card reward points to buy the gift card.
Fun fact: we raised $,6,440 through raffle / opportunity ticket sales. We even learned that we had one guest, Lauren Bullock, who reached out to people in her community circle to pre sell tickets. Another fun fact: we have had a successful partnership with Montage Laguna Beach since 2003. They employ several of our participants.
While you don't have to be present at the event to win, the winner happened to be present and was pleasantly surprised to have his ticket selected out of the raffle drum.
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Click on the link below for an electronic version of our event night program. There's a really neat poem in there and other interesting tidbits. |
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Our next next big gala event is being planned for April 2024 which is just 18 months away. Mark your calendars now. The primary date we are considering is Saturday, April 13, 2024. The secondary date is Saturday, April 20, 2024. We will be celebrating our 50th golden anniversary. We are trying something new by exploring a different venue that we think will be a really big hit. |
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World Alzheimer's Month
Deaf Awareness Month
Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month
Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week
World Alzheimer's Day
International Day of Sign Languages
International Week of the Deaf
VV Board of Directors Meeting
EE Committee Meeting
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Entire Month
Entire Month
Entire Month
September 11 - 17, 2022
September 21, 2022
September 23, 2022
September 19 - 25, 2022
September 28, 2022
September 7 & 28, 2022
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SHOP FOR SUMMER & EARN DONATIONS FOR VV
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Click on this link to smile.amazon.com to go right to the page to select Vocational Visions as your charity for Amazon purchases.
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to us as long as you shop at smile.amazon.com.
Click here for instructions to activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon mobile phone app.
We have 104 Amazon shoppers that have selected VV as their charity of choice for AmazonSmile purchases. That is the same as the previous month. However, in the month of August 2022, we had an increase in qualifying purchases for a total of 217 (up 37 from July 2022). Are you taking advantage of AmazonSmile? It is a wonderful and easy way to help support our cause.
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BUY GROCERIES AT RALPHS
EARN DONATIONS FOR VV
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VV is delighted to report that we received a check for $62.45 from Ralphs as a donation resulting from 14 households who shopped at Ralphs from June 1 - August 31, 2022. We are thankful for the two new households that recently signed up. Why did Ralphs reward us for those 14 household shoppers? Because those shoppers support what we do at VV. They linked their free Ralphs Grocery Store shopper's card account to Vocational Visions as part of this program:
Then, they swiped their shopper's card (or entered their associated phone number) whenever they shopped at Ralphs and Ralphs made a quarterly donation to us on their behalf. It was that simple.
Can you imagine if 100 more grocery shoppers decided to take advantage of the Ralphs Community Contribution Program and chose us as their charity of choice? We could potentially raise over $400 per quarter. And all it would take from you is a couple of minutes to sign up and then grocery shopping at Ralphs using your rewards card like you probably already do. Click on the link above or the image below to sign up and make a difference in an unassuming but important way.
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