Julie Hudash with Team Kids, Scott Green with Oscar & Ma, and Dave Elliott, CEO of the Passkeys Foundation and Founder of the Institute of Community Impact
On March 7, the Orange County companies and nonprofit communities came together for breakfast, organized by the Institute for Community Impact “The Institute”, a program of the Passkeys Foundation. The morning was dedicated to helping founders’ Julie Hudash with Team Kids and Scott Green with Oscar & Ma, both two local nonprofits, create new ideas and connections for the social enterprise initiatives that each organization has built. That is the overarching purpose of the Influential Leader Breakfast Series: to help nonprofits reach their strategic goals; the unique spin of the challenge isn’t related to their fundraising. Over 100 attendees attended the working breakfast, including local professionals, entrepreneurs, nonprofit executives, and philanthropists.
The breakfast also featured a success story from last year’s breakfast series presenter: Tracey Hill, the CEO of Child Creativity Lab. She shared that her organization added 12 new corporate partners to support its mission and created three times the number of STEAM Creativity Building kits this past year after sharing its mission with The Institute.
The 2024 Breakfast series marks the 9th year in place and has guided nearly 60 nonprofits. The Institute for Community Impact emphasizes collaborative problem-solving and innovative thinking. This hands-on, “working breakfast” format has proven to be highly engaging for the attendees and effective for the nonprofit organizations by laying the groundwork for a second strategic impact session where Institute attendees choose to spend an additional 90 minutes in a structured process to share more ideas with the nonprofit.
Dave Elliott, the founder of the Institute for Community Impact, shared his vision behind the series, stating, “Our goal was to create a platform where local leaders can directly contribute their expertise to solve real-world challenges faced by nonprofits. The enthusiasm and innovative ideas we see each breakfast are a testament to how such collaborative efforts can impact our community.”
Wayne Pinnell, managing partner of Haskell & White expressed his enthusiasm for the series, highlighting the mutual benefits of such gatherings: “Since the inception of The Institute, Haskell & White has been a presenting sponsor. The breakfast series has been a joy, as attendees consistently find the events both engaging and inspiring. Our aim is to bring together a diverse mix of individuals at our sponsored table for each breakfast, ensuring a variety of perspectives are shared. It’s a win-win scenario where everyone, especially our community, benefits.”
The breakfast series is sponsored by Haskell & White. Corporate and Nonprofit Sponsors include The Wooden Floor, Parentis Foundation, Revolution Office, First Bank, CLA, South County Outreach, HUB, Richard Ward, Success with Purpose, and Human Options. Collaborating sponsors include the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, Azusa Pacific University, and One OC, which help promote and facilitate the event.
