Passport to Success
The event: The fourth annual Black & White Ball, staged by 100 Black Men of Orange County, the local chapter of an international organization that aims to improve the quality of life for minorities. The dinner last week at the Hyatt Regency Irvine raised funds for Passport to the Future, a mentoring program for high school students.
A 100-man salute: More than 600 people dined, danced and applauded honorees who received the organization’s 100 Award for their contributions to the community.
The evening featured a tribute to the late Florence Griffith Joyner, the Olympic gold medalist who died Sept. 21 at her Mission Viejo home. “We lost one of Orange County’s stars, and we want to recognize her,” said Ron Taylor, event chairman and recipient of the chapter’s Rising Star award.
Also honored: Sports agent Leigh Steinberg of Newport Beach (“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than in a roomful of people who want to support 100 Black Men,” he said). Also honored were: Webster J. Guillory, Orange County tax assessor; Kathryn McCullough, Lake Forest City Council member; and Earl Woods, father of golf champ Tiger Woods.
Others receiving awards: Donald McKayle, choreographer and dance professor at UC Irvine; Craig Jackson, CEO and chairman of Sanders Engineering Inc.; educator Johnny Williams; the Rev. John Nix-McReynolds, senior pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana; John Bryant, chairman and founder of Operation HOPE, a nonprofit investment-banking organization, and Debbie Allen, producer of the film “Amistad.”
Strength in numbers: Founded in 1963 by a group of black men living in New York, 100 Black Men has grown into an international organization with more than 10,000 members. Their mission: to improve the economic, social and educational status of AfricanAmericans through leadership. The Orange County chapter, founded in 1993, has 45 members.
Quote: “We’re trying to ensure that the vast resources of Orange County extend to all of its citizens,” said David Fields, chapter president. “The county has embraced us, and we’re all proud of it.”
Bottom line: The ball netted more than $50,000 for the chapter’s Passport to the Future program, which supports minority students in areas of self-awareness, cultural history, skill development, leadership and social responsibility.
Young men are matched with mentors from the chapter; those who complete the four-year program receive $1,000 scholarships for college or vocational training.
“It’s an opportunity for [the students] to see successful African Americans, and through us, see their future,” Taylor said.
Faces: Three members of the Orange County chapter received Presidential Awards for their service to the organization: Thomas Parham, assistant vice chancellor at UC Irvine; Hollis Lee, a retired Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant, and Theodore “TC” Newman, vice president of human resources and operations for Warner Bros. Others attending were Ronald Taylor, gala chairman; Bobby McDonald, emcee; Thomas Dortch, national president, and Ronald Pierre, chapter vice president.
To join: For information about the 100 Black Men of Orange County, call (714) 918-0204.