NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 30, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- In addition to its $10,000 contribution to Rebuilding a Better Community in New Orleans, the Junior League of Orange County, Calif., Inc. (JLOCC) is funding two volunteers who will assist the efforts of Junior League members nationwide in helping that city's homeowners to repair their storm-ravaged homes.
Kelly Northridge (Newport Beach) and Tiffany Thomas (Costa Mesa) will be among the nearly 300 volunteers from 28 states and Canada who will participate in this nationwide Junior League effort scheduled for Thursday, October 5, through Saturday, October 7. Four homes have been selected for repair. An additional two to three houses and the funds associated with the cost to rebuild them are now being sought. Repair at Green Charter School and the rehabilitation of a neighborhood playground are also anticipated. In addition, the Leagues are joining with another local nonprofit, Katrina Krewe, in a neighborhood-wide clean up.
The Rebuilding participants will first take a bus tour of the city in order to gain an understanding of the extent of the damage from Hurricane Katrina. At an evening presentation, speakers from the Red Cross and other agencies will educate them on how to prepare for unexpected circumstances. On Friday and Saturday, they will work throughout the day on repair projects. No skills are required of the volunteers -- just a good attitude, a willingness to learn, and a desire to help. In addition to Junior League members, hundreds of their friends and adult family members wearing Junior League t-shirts will be wielding paint brushes and hammers.
Last year's $10,000 donation to New Orleans' Rebuilding a Better Community was raised by the JLOCC's largest annual fundraiser, The Christmas Company, which will take place again this year Saturday, October 14, through Wednesday, October 18. The event will begin its fourth decade and will be held at a new location: Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. Overall, the JLOCC has raised more than $6.5 million for the benefit of its charitable projects.
As a solely educational and charitable organization, the JLOCC supports the community through its collaboration with organizations that promote and support the health, safety and education of women and children. Its efforts currently benefit the Orange County Bar Foundation; Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center; Casa Teresa Inc.; Girls, Inc.; and YMCA of Orange County. The organization awards thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships each year.
About the Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc.
The Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc., is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and the leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. A 501(c)(3) organization, the JLOCC reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism. Originally founded in 1956 as the Newport Harbor Service League, the JLOCC is a member organization of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. To learn more about the JLOCC, call (949) 261-0823 or visit www.jlocc.org.