Best Mommy & Me The Mommy Center The Mommy Center is a no-judgment zone for all things motherhood. It’s where moms can go to socialize, find support and make new friends for themselves and their little ones. The Mommy Center also offers a variety of classes, including Mommy and Me, Positive Parenting, Speech and Language […]
Reader’s Choice Awards 2022: Food Winners
Best “Kids Eat Free” Restaurant Ruby’s Diner Ruby’s Diner wins for the 18th time. The retro restaurant started out as a small shack on Balboa Pier in Newport Beach and is now serving up burgers, fries and shakes throughout America. The menu includes kids’ classics such as macaroni & cheese, grilled cheese, kids’ French toast […]
Sharing Strength
Meymuna Hussein-Cattan creates a space for refugees through her Santa Ana-based organization, The Tiyya Foundation. For many years Meymuna Hussein-Cattan felt invisible, with no place to tell her story. And what a story it is. Survival. Starting over in a new world. Paving the way for her family — all thousands of miles from her […]
Giving Back Big
Local teen honored for her extreme dedication to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Natalia Leon wasn’t sure she had enough to offer young kids who could benefit from extra guidance. After all, the Santa Ana resident was 15 at the time and still growing up herself. Fast-forward three years and not only has she […]
Moms Doing Good
Moms across the county share their stories of how and why they give. Julia Bendis City: Rancho Santa Margarita Family: Husband and two sons ages 17 and 22 How do you give back? “Since Day 1 of the war in Ukraine I got on the phone connecting with volunteers, civilians and military personnel on the […]
Tutor Help
(Photo Courtesy of Katherine Dang) Katherine Dang is a local college student helping kids experiencing homelessness through education. It’s a small commitment with a big impact. Once a week for an hour, Irvine resident Katherine Dang hops on a Zoom call with a fifth-grader to help her with schoolwork. During breaks, they indulge the girl’s […]
Service Through Sight
An Orange County pediatric ophthalmologist helps children here and abroad by supporting their vision in every way he can. Dr. Ashish Mehta will take a crying, uncooperative child over an adult patient any day. “I like the innocence of a child. I like the ability that I can impact someone’s life not just for the […]
The Wish Granter
Make-A-Wish OCIE President Gloria Jetter Crockett fulfills her own passion for giving by granting wishes to critically ill children. Gloria Jetter Crockett found her dream job in making others’ dreams come true. “It’s so fulfilling to know that you’ve helped a child feel joy,” said the Santa Ana resident. “When I get to see the […]
Popsicle Therapy
A local teen has discovered a way to help ease his stress, and that of others his age — popsicles. Austin Parker is melting away stress and anxiety one popsicle at a time, and others are eating it up. The 17-year-old Trabuco Canyon resident got into popsicle making in spring 2020, around the time COVID-19 […]
Local Hero : Paddle Passion
This entrepreneurial Tustin teen gives back through his love of pickleball. Like many boys his age, Myles McBride is into sports. The latest? Pickleball, which he was first introduced to about five years ago and started playing regularly last year when courts opened up near his Tustin home. The relatively new but growing sport combines […]