Orange County United Way hosted its 3rd Annual FACE 2024 Scorecard event for an audience of more than 250 business, community, government and education leaders at Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine on March 29.

The Scorecard tracks the progress towards the 10-year goals laid out in the FACE 2024 communitywide action plan:

• Cut the high school dropout rate in half
• Reduce the percentage of financially unstable families by 25%
• Increase the number of healthy youth by one-third
• Cut the percentage of homeless and housing-insecure children in half

Michelle Murphy, Orange County United Way’s Associate Director, Advocacy & Health and Barbara Delgleize, Council Member, Huntington Beach

This year’s findings revealed that we are making positive progress in the percentage of high school dropouts and showed improvement in the number of financially unstable families in our community. However, the number of Orange County’s homeless or housing-insecure children continues to creep upward and the rate of childhood obesity, which, while lower in some years, seems to be on the rise. Access the full FACE 2024 Scorecard update here.

Keynote speaker Anne Ferree, Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation

The focus of the event this year was health. Keynote speaker Anne Ferree highlighted Orange County United Way’s Healthy Schools Initiative, a collaboration with schools and the community to provide healthier choices for food and beverages, increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe play, and advocating for policy and systemic changes to sustain these efforts.

To highlight the importance – and fun – of staying active, Mr. Mike, a PE teacher at Pacific Drive Elementary School in Fullerton led the entire room in the Chicken Dance.

This program is just one of many ways Orange County United Way is working to make a difference.

Ernie Schroeder, Orange County United Way Board Member and his wife Donna

In order to make a significant impact, these challenges can’t be tackled alone. Collaboration remains our community’s greatest strength. The FACE 2024 plan includes initiatives and partnerships with organizations, agencies and private companies that have proven to make the most significant changes in education, financial stability, health and housing.

To support Orange County United Way’s work in the community,  Kaiser Permanente made a surprise donation of $150,000 to go towards the United to End Homelessness initiative.

If you couldn’t join us this year, check out some photos and our video on the Healthy Schools Initiative.

A big thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible: Edwards Lifesciences, Kaiser Permanente and AT&T.