Orange County Community Foundation kicked off an online fundraiser at "zero hundred hours" today to help veterans in Orange County. Over the course of 24 hours, the online Stand and Salute Giving Day fundraiser hopes to bring in more than $125,000.
For civilians, that means the fundraiser began the second after the stroke of midnight — or 12:00:01 a.m. today.
Orange County Community Foundation's Carol Ferguson tells KNX the money is for six organizations that provide a variety of resources to veterans and their families.
The money goes to “everything from 211 Orange County that helps to assess needs and refer veterans to services they might need, to mental health programs, employment resources, family support and financial counseling,” she said.
The organization has ten giving days for fundraisers a year. Even during the stresses of the pandemic last year, the group was able to successfully raise money.
“What we found is that donors have been extremely generous during COVID and as we start to move back to some sense of normalcy,” said Ferguson.
“Donors really like it because they're passionate about a cause and then they can learn more about the organizations that are participating.”
There are more than 107,000 veterans who call Orange County home, according to Census Bureau statistics.
Visit the Stand & Salute Website to find out more about the fundraiser.