In The News
In the News
12/19/2022 - Announcement – In Memoriam, William G. Steiner
It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Orangewood’s beloved founding Executive Director, William Steiner. He passed away on Thursday, December 15, on his way to New York to see his grandson. He was 85.
Bill’s generosity and fierce dedication to Orangewood Foundation and our youth was limitless. For Bill, Orangewood was an actual dream come to life. His vision of a home for children in Orange County was an innovation that set in motion Orangewood’s history.
In 1978, he was the newly appointed director of what was then Orange County’s shelter for abused and neglected children, the Albert Sitton Home. On day one, he saw a problem that needed a solution: the home was woefully underfunded and under-resourced, serving over 1,000 children each year but with so few beds that some children slept on the floor.
He got to work and spent two years tirelessly advocating for more resources. In 1981, he met General William Lyon, who became Orangewood’s founding Board Chairman, and together, they recruited others to form the first Board of Directors for Orangewood Foundation. Orangewood was charged with building a new home that could meet the needs of Orange County’s children. Together, Bill Steiner and William Lyon raised millions of dollars, and Bill became the architect of the County’s first public-private partnership to build a brand-new, innovative, one-of-its-kind children’s home. The Orangewood Children’s Home opened in 1985 and remains open and serving children to this day. Bill would later take the Orangewood Children’s Home model to communities across California seeking innovative solutions within the child welfare system.
Bill ran the Children’s Home until the Orangewood Board came back to him and asked him, “What else can we do?”
“I was amazed that the Board wanted to keep going,” he recently told us. Bill agreed to join Orangewood Foundation as its first Executive Director. Under his vision, Orangewood became a leader in helping youth transition out of foster care and into independent adulthood. He touched the lives of thousands of young people in Orange County.
In 2019, Orangewood Foundation honored Bill Steiner with our General William Lyon Crystal Vision Award. In October 2022, Bill attended our Ambassador Luncheon and watched with amazement and tears in his eyes the legacy of his work unfold across our Innovation Stations, all beginning with his dream of the Orangewood Children’s Home.
“After Orangewood was constructed, it was recognized that there was more to the Orangewood story than brick and mortar. Most of the Board Members re-enlisted,” Bill said. “The rest is history in terms of what the Foundation has achieved.”
Thank you, Bill, for your heart of service to our community and to the children and youth of Orange County. Your spirit sparked a legacy of innovation that we will continue into the future. You remain the soul of Orangewood Foundation. In loving memory.
OC REGISTER: https://www.ocregister.com/2022/12/17/bill-steiner-champion-of-childhood-dies-at-85
11/30/2022 - 19th Annual Scholarship Luncheon
When: June 7th 2023
Where: Balboa Bay Resort, Newport Beach
The dynamic ladies of Orangewood’s 44 Women for Orangewood auxiliary is hosting the 19th Annual Scholarship Luncheon: The Magic of Giving. The event will feature Jon Dorenbos, 2x Pro Bowl NFL Player, America’s Got Talent finalist and the Author of Life is Magic.
Learn more about the event & Purchase your tickets here
11/30/2022 - 5th Annual Lois Eisenberg Golf Outing
When: April 20, 2023
Where: The Ranch, Ben Brown’s Golf Course, 31106 Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA
Join the 44 Women for Orangewood at a fun and exciting golf outing in honor of Lois Eisenberg. View flyer here.
Entry fee is $44 (includes golf, beautifully curated breakfast & lunch)
ONLY 44 SPOTS
11/27/2022 - 44 Women Education Luncheon
Thursday, January 26th, 2023
11 am- 1 pm
Balboa Bay Resort, 1221 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA
Help Us Fight Human Trafficking Today
To honor Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Dr. Suamhirs Piraino-Guzman, LCP, MPSY, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the United Nations Fund for Victims of Contemporary Forms of Slavery and Human Trafficking and Orangewood Director of Drop-in Services will illustrate new ways Orangewood is targeting and preventing this problem while helping survivors. Dr. Piraino-Guzman will also share the ways you can participate in the fight.
Registration is closed. If you have any questions contact info@orangewoodfoundation.org
11/18/2022 - Orangewood Foundation Raises $469k at 25th Annual Ambassador Luncheon
This year, the event raised a total of $469,277 which will help the organization support community youth in Orange County. Guests experienced an interactive new event format featuring nine “Innovation Stations.”
11/18/2022 - 25th Annual Ambassador Luncheon
Orangewood Foundation gathered with the organization’s most impactful donors to celebrate the 25th annual Ambassador Luncheon. Orangewood Foundation raised over $469k to support community youth (Stu News Newport).
08/24/2022 - 44 Women for Orangewood Fall Social
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Shady Canyon Golf Club
Please RSVP by September 15th
08/17/2022 - Orangewood Challenge & OrangewoodFEST
9 am, Saturday, April 29, 2023
Newport Dunes, Newport Beach
The Orangewood Challenge is an exciting and fun multi-sport team-based adventure race in which teams of four-run, navigate, and tackle obstacles along a course. The race is a physical, mental, and teamwork challenge designed for competitive adults of all ages.
Join the Orangewood community at our OrangewoodFEST. Enjoy live music, food, drinks, and activities for all ages. Jam to the headliner act, Tijuana Dogs, and eat at local food trucks. Bring the family and enjoy activities like Silent Disco Yoga, the Teen Orangewood Challenge, bounce houses, and beach games.
Learn more and visit www.orangewoodchallenge.org and www.orangewoodfest.org
08/11/2022 - 25th Annual Ambassador Luncheon
October 28th, 2022
Renaissance Newport Beach Hotel
4500 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Orangewood is celebrating our special 25th Ambassador Luncheon. Sharing Orangewood Foundations’ history, accomplishments, and stories in an interactive exhibit.
This event is open exclusively to Orangewood Ambassadors. If you have any questions about the event contact info@orangewoodfoundation.org
Visit our website: Ambassador Luncheon (ejoinme.org)