MOMS Orange County, the county’s largest nonprofit dedicated solely to newborn and pregnancy health, held its annual Healthy Beginnings, Bright Futures celebration on May 6 just prior to Mother’s Day.
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian of Newport Beach was the title sponsor of the virtual fundraiser attended by over 250 participants. The fundraiser netted $93K for the organization.
Hoag also made a special $15,000 donation to provide in-home support to 75 postpartum mothers who have been isolated and lacking support due to the effects of the pandemic.
The event featured award-winning actress Jessica Bernard as emcee. The mom of a toddler and a former Disney Ambassador, Bernard served as the official representative and spokesperson of the Disneyland Resort and its 30,000 Cast members. In this role, she worked closely with MOMS Orange County during Disneyland’s annual Little Monsters event for the nonprofit.
The MOMS celebration included inspiring client stories and an auction with a variety of wellness, sports and luxury items.
“We are grateful to Hoag for their tremendous support of this year’s event that truly celebrated the strength and resilience of families as they navigated pregnancy, childbirth and raising newborns throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said MOMS Orange County CEO Dave Lugo.
Lugo shares that while the organization is called MOMS Orange County, stories during this year’s fundraiser featured the resilience of fathers. One of the speakers was James Alvarez, a father who tragically lost his pregnant wife in a DUI-related accident last year. He shared his emotional, yet inspiring story of raising his infant daughter Adalyn as a single parent with support from various MOMS Orange County programs.
In addition to Hoag, major sponsors included Union Bank, Dr. David and Sadie Sacks, Andy and Dr. Allyson Brooks, Monarch Healthcare, Beacon Pointe, St. Joseph Hospital, Service Champions, Cigna Health Care and Kaiser Permanente.
MOMS Orange County programs are aimed at disrupting the combined dynamics of poverty, lack of health insurance, and barriers to care. Serving 5,000 mothers, babies and fathers annually, core programs include home visitation and group health education at no cost to low-income participants. From the start of the pandemic, the nonprofit successfully pivoted all of its programs and services to virtual formats.
For more information, visit www.momsorangecounty.org.
