Four residents commended for philanthropy efforts

The 22nd Annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon, honoring four Newport Beach residents for outstanding volunteer service, will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, 700 W. Convention Way.

National Philanthropy Day was the idea of Newport Beach attorney Doug Freeman, and was proclaimed as a national day of remembrance by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

Nominated by the Great Park Conservancy, MIND Institute and Discovery Science Center, Walkie and Janet Ray were chosen to receive the Spirit of Philanthropy Lifetime Achievement Award for “volunteering their time, talents and leadership” for many years to those groups as well as to Ballet Pacifica and Sage Hill School.

The Rays were involved in the planning, construction of and fundraising for the Discovery Science Center, and are past recipients of the Outstanding Philanthropist Award.

Honored as outstanding volunteer fundraisers were Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs and Don Jacobs, nominated by HomeAid Inc. for years of volunteer service to a variety of Orange County charities.

Brinkerhoff-Jacobs co-founded HomeAid in 1989, and the organization has provided temporary housing to more than 73,000 homeless individuals, including victims of domestic violence.

Jacobs has been instrumental in projects involving the design of homeless facilities, and heads the organization’s “Project Playhouse” fundraising event at Fashion Island.

The keynote speaker at the event will be UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake.

Tickets are $55; tables of 10 are available for $500. For more information, call Milly Heaton at (714) 278-7695, Bill Heaton at (714) 449-7464 or go to www.npdoc.org.

— Sue Thoensen