A Poolside Encounter by Mike Carman 38 years. That’s a long time to be sick. And with the passing of each torturous year, the prospect of getting better became that much more unlikely. And so he laid there, barely able to move his wretched and racked body, dependent upon others to meet his meager daily […]
Homelessness: What exactly are we aware of? Blog by Mike Carman Someone shared an article with me last week that reported the unspeakable. A woman in Los Angeles had a bucket of hot diarrhea poured over her by a mentally unstable man who was homeless. The article spoke of her experience and the resulting trauma […]
The Pumpkin Run 5K Story by Chris Baeza The sun is barely rising over the horizon. Runners are checking in to begin the festivities. It’s cold. You can see the cool chill in the air through each conversation. Families and single runners alike circle the event grounds before the race begins. One Grinch appears with […]
Matt Monzon Volunteer of the Month It is a simple fact that OC United would not be who we are without our volunteers. Very few, if any, are more critical to our ongoing work than Matt Monzon. One of our first volunteers when OC United launched four and a half years ago, he has since […]
Real-World Disciple Making by Mike Carman During my college/young adult years (a long time ago!), the concept of making disciples (today usually called mentoring) was popular in our Christian circles. Numerous books were written and multiple programs were designed to help Christians fulfill what we understood as Jesus’s great command to His followers, to “go […]
The Healing Power of Relationship Blog by Chris Baeza “We are better together in healthy relationships,” said Renae Dupuis, our Trauma Specialist and RESPITE Program Director. Our 2nd Annual RESPITE Conference concluded last Saturday and our attendees spent a whole day at Granada Heights Friends Church in La Mirada. Conference attendees listened to speakers and […]
Cecilia “Sally” Johnson Volunteer of the Month Sally is one of our most kind, patient, and dedicated volunteers. She started volunteering last school year for the United Kids After-School Program at Valencia Park Elementary. Her commitment to the program and to the children is an absolute blessing. For example, she is quick to learn the […]
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Granada Heights Friends Church When I stepped into Starbucks earlier in the year to meet with a friend and a pastor from her church, I had no idea of the opportunity that was going to unfold. We were meeting to discuss how to help equip Granada Heights Friends Church to become Trauma-Informed so […]
WHO is your community? by Chris Baeza For me, the community has been the students at Biola University for the last four years. Interestingly enough, I got off-campus very little in order to participate in initiatives that help out my community. The word “community” means “a group of people living in the same place or […]
Kathleen Dische Volunteer of the Month Kathleen Dische is the perfect example of servant leadership. Since 2016, she has volunteered at OC United, especially within our young adults THRIVE program. She is dedicated, selfless and extremely humble. Over the past three years, she has faithfully attended THRIVE nights, giving rides to young adults who wouldn’t […]