Teaching growth, freedom and dignity with music, local musician Elias Toscano helps support kids of all needs. Music is in Elias Toscano’s blood. It’s like the rhythmic beat of a heart. From a young age, he understood the value of it in his own life and it’s a gift he likes to pass on. The […]

Local chef Thomas Curran plans to walk across the country in the name of pediatric cancer research. Thomas Curran would never describe himself as an outdoorsy guy. “I love being in nature but I’m not an avid camper or hiker,” he says. Which is why it might be surprising that he will spend most of […]

Physician’s Assistant Tony Adkins puts smiles on his young patients’ faces by busting out some dance moves. Tony Adkins never intended to go viral. More than a year ago Adkins, a physician’s assistant at CHOC Children’s, was trying to find a way to help boost the spirit of a young patient who had survived childhood […]

Nine-year-old Ryan Hickman is an entrepreneur with a passion for the environment. Ryan Hickman’s career as a recycling prodigy began with a crunch. A bunch of them, actually. It was the crunching sound of aluminum cans and plastic bottles being compacted at the re-Planet facility near his San Juan Capistrano home that caught his attention. […]

By day Cris August helps LGBTQ teens. By night he’s a paranormal detective. The theme that flows through Cris August’s life, whether in the darkness of a haunted house or a well-lit office, is about education. In daylight, he’s trying to educate potential employers on the virtues of hiring developmentally disabled adults, or he’s mentoring […]

Patriot was three months old when Kevin Marlin (pictured with Patriot) first met the then-small Siberian husky puppy through a local rescue. “He was just a scrawny little guy,” said Marlin, who is executive director for Huntington Beach-based Orange County SPCA (OCSPCA) and its therapy dog program manager. The dog showed many signs of abuse—the […]

The tides may have changed for this Orange County professional longboarder and surfing instructor, but he continues to encourage himself and others to surf the waves. A man does not have to have children of his own flesh and blood to be considered a noble father figure, and Tim Reda is living proof. As a […]

Charity STEMs from passion For the past five years, Sharleen Loh has worked tirelessly to make a remarkable impact on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education for thousands of economically disadvantaged students throughout Southern California. Through her award-winning non-profit organization STEMup4Youth, Loh and her team of 140 high school volunteers, has created and […]

Although the common perception of Orange County centers around fabulous beaches, highly competitive schools, luxury cars and homes, idyllic parks and family recreation opportunities, there is another side to this often privileged environment. When we received a reader question about how to talk to your kids about homeless families and those less fortunate in our […]