Philanthropy runs in the family for Newport Beach women

Shirley Pepys’ house on Balboa Island is known as “The Penguin House,” and it’s abundantly clear why during the holiday season.

Many cute decorations adorn the Newport Beach home, which was built in 1913. Pepys brings a team in to work on them, and she was named a Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade Ring of Lights waterfront home decoration competition winner.

“It makes people happy,” she said. “Now it’s a production company that does this.”

This is one way that she brings joy to her community. In the philanthropic realm, she’s also been doing that for decades with the Orange County nonprofit Orangewood Foundation, which offers programs to assist foster children and also provides community youth services.

Pepys was a founding board member and served for decades before becoming an emeritus member in 2008. A year later, her daughter Renee Pepys Lowe joined the board to represent the family.

Renee’s daughter, Catherine Paige Lowe, has also been giving back to Orangewood through business connections she has as the owner of the Scout Guide Newport Beach.

Shirley Pepys, Catherine Paige Lowe and Renee Pepys Lowe, from left, are pictured outside of Shirley’s home “The Penguin House” on Balboa Island.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

So the Pepys/Lowe family offers three generations of philanthropy to Orangewood. One highlight of the season comes Tuesday night, when the Orangewood Advanced Studies program holds its annual holiday party at the Marke apartments in Santa Ana.

Advanced Studies was established by Shirley and Renee, along with Dan Houck, in 2010. It’s a scholarship program for former foster youth who have received a college degree and want to continue on.

Tuesday night’s gathering will include plenty of alumni, who now often have children to proudly bring.

“Each cohort comes together twice a year, with a summer party and a holiday party that are typically hosted by Shirley and Renee and Dan,” Orangewood Foundation chief development officer Kendra Puryear said. “They share their challenges, their struggles, what’s going on with them. Over the years, it’s been really fun to watch those events shift. You see these people saying, ‘I’ve got this great job now,’ or, ‘I’ve overcome these challenges and I’m here to offer support to anyone else.’

“It’s really become a community for young people who are pursuing advanced degrees and don’t really have traditional family support to do so, to really come together and support each other through that process.”

Newport Beach’s Shirley Pepys was on the founding board of Orangewood Foundation.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The impetus for the Advanced Studies Program happened when Houck met a former foster youth, Kim, who had been accepted to Harvard University and was short on means.

Shirley’s late husband, Eric, also had mentored an Orangewood youth named Kyle who studied at UC Irvine. After Eric Pepys died in 2009, an annual golf tournament was established in his honor for several years to raise money for scholarships.

This year, the Advanced Studies Program passed $1.5 million in fundraising, with more than 200 student awards given. The program’s mantra is that young adults should be able to go as far as they can dream in their educational pursuits.

“We give them a check to help with expenses,” Renee Pepys Lowe said. “It doesn’t cover their entire tuition, but it maybe allows them to not have to have a second or third job. It helps pay their rent. At the end of the day, it’s about mentoring and coaching. We wanted to create a community.”

Foster youth have maintained a special place in the Pepys/Lowe family’s collective heart for a long time. Shirley adopted a son, Max, from the Albert Sitton Home (which later became the Orangewood Children’s Home) decades ago.

Max became Shirley and Eric’s fourth child. It took seven years in the court system to adopt him after fostering him at the age of 2, but that journey shaped their philanthropic journey and desire to give back. Max Pepys, now in his early 50s, lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

Shirley’s other children, Tiffany and Noel, have also been involved in Orangewood Foundation auxiliary groups. And now it’s Catherine, Shirley’s 20-something granddaughter, who is helping to foster the next generation of support for Orange County foster youth.

“With Orangewood being our charitable partner, I’ve been able to involve local small businesses and bring awareness,” she said. “Last week, a few of my clients and I went to Orangewood and we did a night of self-care. We were able to actually interact with youth that are still in the system, which was cool.”

The Pepys/Lowes have been committed to supporting volunteerism, funding and board leadership through Orangewood Foundation, which helps foster youth and former foster youth on their road to success.

(Don Leach/Los Angeles Times)

Catherine Lowe added that people often want to give back, but don’t always know how, and Orangewood offers plenty of programs that can be plugged into.

“Looking at Newport Beach and Orange County, there’s so much wealth,” she said. “People think that you just have to write a check to be able to give back, but there’s a lot of other ways to do it. We help get businesses get exposure too, and it’s a win for everybody.”

Puryear agreed. She said Orangewood has asked Catherine Lowe to join Orangewood’s Business Advisory Council to really help the nonprofit continue to tap into those small businesses but also just that younger demographic.

“I think young, up-and-coming business owners look to [the Pepys/Lowe women] as a road map for how to get involved with philanthropy and integrate it into your life, how to be a part of your family culture,” Puryear said. “People are looking for ways to give back, and they want to involve their family. I think you’re more likely to sustain your philanthropic giving and involvement if you can involve your family and integrate it into your holiday traditions.”