O.C.’s United Way Group Raises Record $21.5 Million in Donations

The United Way of Orange County has celebrated a record $21.5 million in donations.

The fund-raising total eclipses by $1.1 million the organization’s previous record set in 1989 and represents a $2-million increase over last year’s total.

That means 60,000 more people will be helped by the group, said Maria Chavez Wilcox, the organization’s president.

Last year, the group funded more than 100 county nonprofit agencies that aided more than 1 million residents.

More than 700 people attended the group’s ceremony Thursday at Tinseltown Studios in Anaheim, where some of the organization’s prominent donors were recognized.

United Way’s top honor for overall community service was presented to Santa Ana-based Ingram Micro. Nearly 56% of Ingram Micro employees contributed funds, allowing the company to donate nearly $700,000.

Edison International, which donated more than $850,000, gave more than any other company for the second consecutive year.

The organization also received its first-ever $1-million gifts from two anonymous donors this past year.

The United Way is currently in the midst of a countywide needs-assessment survey to decide how best to allocate its funds, Chavez Wilcox said.