OCCTAC News - September 2022
Thank You, Zonta Club of Newport Harbor!
Pictured here: EISOA participants enjoy a tea party at OCCTAC thanks to the donations and volunteer assistance of Zonta Club of Newport Harbor. Photo courtesy of Rosa Garcia.
OCCTAC was recently approved by Zonta Club of Newport Harbor for a service project to assist our senior adults in the EISOA program. Zonta Club will donate $400 per month for 10 months plus volunteer their time to assist with supplies and events for the program! Recently, co-chair Irma Espinoza said, “My co-chair, Gwen Black, and I put our heads together and saw this as the perfect opportunity to do a Zonta service project to assist the abuelitas in the EISOA program. We are happy to volunteer our time and finances to support their mission.” Across the globe, Zontians volunteer their time, talents and support to local and international service projects, as well as scholarship programs. Thank you, Zonta Club of Newport Harbor, for your amazing hearts!
Thank You, Sweet Geeks Foundation!
A heartfelt thank you from all of us at OCCTAC to Sweet Geeks Foundation for their recent $3250 charitable contribution. This contribution will be used to support our Therapeutic Arts program at OCCTAC. Theresa Gartland, Executive Director of Sweet Geeks, said, “Sweet Geeks is happy to support OCCTAC’s mission because music therapy is so near and dear to the hearts of the Kevin Jones family. Kevin Jones died in 2020 from lung cancer, and Sweet Geeks Foundation exists in part to further his love for music as therapy.” The mission of Sweet Geeks Foundation is to extend a culture of care through generosity, compassion, and empathy by providing grants to local charities that address arts, youth homelessness, and cancer research. Thank you, Sweet Geeks Foundation partners! You are a tremendous blessing to our students and participants at OCCTAC!
We're Bringing OCCTAC Arts
to Local Neighborhoods!
Photos courtesy of Mark Dimalanta & Carlos Beltran Arechiga.
OCCTAC has taken a big leap forward in fulfilling our mission to serve our community with equitable arts education programs thanks to our new partnership with the City of Santa Ana's Parks and Recreation department. We are fortunate to have an opportunity to address the transportation challenges some members of our community experience every day by bringing meaningful arts programs directly to their own neighborhoods.
In July 2022, we commenced our art, dance, and music classes at three community centers; Jerome, Roosevelt-Walker, and Salgado, and we are very happy to report these have been a success! Our sessions are filled with young creators wearing big smiles, and in the case of the Roosevelt-Walker's Recreation Center, we have integrated parents and children into our ukulele classes. The main goal of these programs is to foster in our youth a sense of love and pride for themselves and their neighborhoods to deter them from engaging in criminal activities by bringing them together in a space where the creative processes incite introspective considerations in a safe place where our youth can amplify the ways in which they can express themselves in a creative, healthy and fun environment.
Carlos Beltran Arechiga, OCCTAC’s Director of Arts, says, “I have to give a shout out to our amazing team of coordinators at OCCTAC and all the Parks & Rec. supervisors for the incredible work they have done in coming together to create the village our kiddos deserve." OCCTAC is proud and grateful to have the opportunity and means to align our mission and services with the City's commitment to its constituents as true champions of our youth.
OCCTAC Students Perform at
21st Annual Festival of Children
Pictured here clockwise from bottom left: Phoebe Stanciell, OCCTAC Music Coordinator, Eileen Daniher, Festival of Children Director of Programs, and Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, Festival of Children Founder & Executive Director; OCCTAC musicians Brandon Cruz, Cesar Galvin, and Kateryna Luzyanina; our amazing OCCTAC parents; OCCTAC musicians Valeria Alarcon, William Do-Trinh, and Ricardo Sanchez; OCCTAC dancers Elizabeth Lopez and Kaitlyn Sumner; and OCCTAC musicians with vocalists Joanna Cobos & Roberto Reyes. Photos courtesy of Mark Dimalanta.
OCCTAC students were honored once again to perform at the 21st annual Festival of Children Foundation showcase this month in Costa Mesa! OCCTAC’s Magnet Ensemble participants included the following students for this performance: Joanna Cobos, Roberto Reyes, Brandon Cruz, Kateryna Luzyanina, Daniel Angiano, Valeria Alarcon, Justin Navarette, Bella Zarate, Johannes Zarate, William Do-Trinh, Ricardo Sanchez, William Do-Trinh, and Cesar Galvan, under the direction of OCCTAC Music Coordinator Phoebe Stanciell, and included dancers Elizabeth Lopez and Kaitlyn Sumner, under the direction of OCCTAC Dance Coordinator Claudia de la Cruz. OCCTAC student Johannes Zarate narrated the performance for the second year. The Festival of Children Foundation works to improve the lives of children by strengthening the charities that serve them by providing training, awareness, and financial support.
OCCTAC Participates in Youth Conference
Photos courtesy of Axel Melendez-Mercado and OC MECCA
OCCTAC’s Mental Health and Community Wellness program staff led a variety of workshops this past Saturday, September 17 at the “Be A Friend, Save A Life” Youth Conference at the Boys and Girls Club in Westminster. This free, youth-centered conference sponsored by MECCA, the Be Well Foundation, and YOR California focused on the topics of mental health, wellness, and substance abuse for transitional-aged youth ages 16-24. Breakout sessions by OCCTAC included art, dance, sound healing, and mental wellness. The event was a great success, and together we impacted the lives of 89 young people!
NEW! Mommy & Me Classes at OCCTAC
REGISTER FOR FALL CLASSES!
Classes for our amazing Preparatory Arts Academy are open for registration now! Studio Arts, Dance, Music, Media Arts and more! Call us or visit our website for more information on how your students can be part of the OCCTAC dream!
OCCTAC: 714.547.5468
https://www.occtac.org/after-school-arts-program
Need A Vaccine?
WE ARE SCHEDULING VACCINE APPOINTMENTS FOR
ORANGE COUNTY RESIDENTS
You Can Help OCCTAC Today!
BECOME A DONOR
Did you know that when you donate, you are improving your own health as well? A study by the University of Oregon found that donating activates the pleasure center in your brain. Voluntary donations are especially pleasurable and improve your happiness, joy, and contentment! OCCTAC is forever grateful to our Supporters and Community Partners! Their donations and support continue to help our Arts Center grow and bring opportunities to our families and community, and you can be part of this as well!
Please help OCCTAC by sharing our Social Media links, liking our page, sharing our events and donating to our center! Find out how by clicking on the link below:
Donate with Amazon Smile!
You can help OCCTAC today by donating money, choosing to donate on a recurring basis, or by designating “Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center” as your charity when purchasing through Amazon via their Amazon Smile program at www.smile.amazon.com. Here are the simple steps to designate OCCTAC as your charitable organization to receive a portion of the purchase price:
On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, you need to select “Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts” to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.
If you already use Amazon Smile for another charity, you can change your charity to "Orange County Therapeutic Arts" on your Amazon Smile home page.
We appreciate you and your continued support of OCCTAC’s mission to provide innovative, artistic, educational and therapeutic programs that inspire and transform children, at-risk youth, adults and their families to fulfill their highest potential.
