Free Wheelchair Mission Joins Eight Other Organizations with the Goal of Collectively Raising $95,000 for Community Members with Disabilities

IRVINE, Calif., (05/29/2019) — Free Wheelchair Mission is partnering with the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) and seven fellow nonprofits on May 30 to host the second annual Empowering Possibilities, a giving day for OC neighbors with disabilities. This 24-hour online effort aims to raise $95,000 in critical funds. Last year’s Empowering Possibilities giving day raised $86,523 with participation from more than 306 donors.

Empowering Possibilities is part of a bold initiative by OCCF to boost the capacity of local nonprofits through a series of Collaborative Giving Days over the coming year. Nonprofits with shared missions are invited to come together to boost collective giving for their causes. OCCF will power the campaign by providing seed funding to support the marketing assets, campaign resources, and collaborative partnerships. The seven Giving Days held throughout 2018 raised a total of $1.4 million for local organizations.

The eight organizations participating in Empowering Possibilities include Dayle McIntosh Center, Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, Family Support Network, Free Wheelchair Mission, Project Independence, Rehabilitation Institute of Southern California, Speech and Language Development Center, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Orange County, and Vocational Visions.

“We are excited to continue empowering aligned nonprofits to work together to maximize their impact,” said Shelley Hoss, president, OCCF. “It takes committed and experienced leadership to care for our community members with disabilities, and we are thrilled to provide this group with the support they need to succeed.”

OCCF first challenged Orange County residents to “give where their heart lives” during the inaugural ioc Giving Day in 2015, raising more than $1.8 million through gifts to 347 participating nonprofits in just 30 hours. OCCF nearly doubled those results in 2016 during the second annual ioc Giving Day, receiving contributions totaling $3.2 million for 418 participating nonprofits. In 2017, OCCF re-envisioned ioc as an expanded opportunity for nonprofits to connect with one another in support of their shared missions.

To give online, please visit empowering-possibilities.funraise.org. For more information on the 2019 Collaborative Giving Days, visit oc-cf.org/iheartoc.

About Free Wheelchair Mission:
Free Wheelchair Mission is a humanitarian, faith-based, nonprofit organization that manufacturers low-cost, durable wheelchairs for those living with a disability in developing nations. In collaboration with a network of like-minded partners, Free Wheelchair Mission has distributed more than one million wheelchairs to those in need in 93 countries around the world, providing renewed dignity, independence, and hope, at no cost to the recipient. Learn more at freewheelchairmission.org.

About Orange County Community Foundation
Founded in 1989, the Orange County Community Foundation (OCCF) works with donors, strengthens the local nonprofit sector and works to find solutions to community needs. Since its inception, OCCF has awarded nearly $600 million in grants and scholarships and ranks in the top two percent in grantmaking activity among more than 780 U.S. community foundations. For more information, visit oc-cf.org or call 949-553-4202.