Dave Elliott, Debbie Hanson, CEO of Flor a and ___ with Oak Valley College
On June 18th, leaders of Orange County for profit and nonprofit companies came together once again for breakfast, organized by the Institute for Community Impact, a program of the Passkeys Foundation. This morning’s session was dedicated to assisting the Flora May Foundation and Oak Valley College, two organizations making significant strides in their respective fields.
Debbie Hansen, the Founder and CEO of The Flora May Foundation spoke to the group, and shared her deeply personal experience, and her reason for creating the Flora May Foundation. The Foundation provides a lifeline for parents grappling with the immense challenges of raising children and teenagers facing mental health and behavioral issOues. Their mission is to ensure no family has to navigate these struggles alone, offering comprehensive support including action plans tailored around each family’s needs, free counseling with skilled therapists, transportation, parental support groups, and educational resources aimed at prevention and early intervention. At the breakfast, the Flora May Foundation presented their strategic challenge of creating more awareness for their services. Attendees suggested various strategies such as presenting at corporations, providing information at beauty salons and school sites, and writing success stories of current clients to reach more parents of struggling children and teenagers.
Oak Valley College also spoke at the event, seeking to recruit 25-30 more students from the Santa Ana area for their three-year undergraduate program that offers an accredited BA in Business in just two years and eight months. The college aims to provide a debt-free education experience with its reasonably priced program. Attendees suggested potential recruitment avenues such as collaborating with local nonprofits like Templo Calvario, The Boys and Girls Clubs, and The Wooden Floor, as well as speaking to service groups in the area such as Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions, and the Elks.
Dawn Reese, Board Chair, praised the collaborative spirit of the breakfast series, stating, “The Institute for Community Impact has created an invaluable platform for nonprofits to receive direct input and innovative solutions from the community. The energy and ideas generated at these events are truly inspiring and make a real difference in advancing our missions.”
Les Walker from Revolution Office, one of the event’s sponsors, echoed this sentiment: “Being a part of the Influential Leader Breakfast Series is not just about sponsorship; it’s about being actively involved in the growth and success of our community. The insights and connections made here are unparalleled, and we are proud to support such impactful work.”
The breakfast series, now in its 9th year, continues to be sponsored by Haskell & White, with additional corporate and nonprofit sponsors including The Wooden Floor, Parentis Foundation, Revolution Office, First Bank, CLA, South County Outreach, HUB, Richard Ward, Success with Purpose, Human Options and Town and Country. Collaborating sponsors such as the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, Azusa Pacific University, and One OC help promote and facilitate the event, emphasizing the collective effort to drive positive change in the community.
The Influential Leader Breakfast Series continues to be a cornerstone event, fostering collaboration, innovation, and community impact through its unique working breakfast format.
