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ORANGE COUNTY FUNDERS ROUNDTABLE ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE AND 2018 ANNUAL SUMMIT

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News Release   Media Contact Taryn Palumbo Executive Director 714.900.2998 Taryn.palumbo@ocgrantmakers.org   ORANGE COUNTY FUNDERS ROUNDTABLE ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE AND 2018 ANNUAL SUMMIT The Orange County Funders Roundtable is thrilled to announce that as of August 1, 2018, the organization has rebranded as Orange County Grantmakers. The group, comprised of over 35 local and regional …

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Connecting The Dots: Advocacy, Policy & Impact

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On March 29th, the Orange County Funders Roundtable had the pleasure of hosting a policy discussion with the Alliance for Healthy Orange County. The Alliance is a county-wide collaborative of healthcare organizations, community-based organizations and universities whose mission is to champion policy strategies and leverage funding opportunities that result in enhanced health outcomes and reduced …

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#GivingTuesday

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#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season of giving. This year,  OC Funders members celebrated #GivingTuesday by sharing what philanthropy means to them, and why they give. Cox California: #GivingTuesday Philanthropy is more than a buzzword …

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Why We Give: Cox Communications

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With one week to #GivingTuesday, OCFR member Cox Communications shares why they give: For Cox, philanthropy is more than a buzzword – it’s a mission and an opportunity to use our time, talent and technology in ways that strengthen cities, businesses and future generations. Our passions for the communities that we live in guide our …

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OC Forum: Ending Homelessness – Proven Strategies From Other Communities

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The OC Funders Roundtable attended the OC Forum Wednesday, November 15 to take part in the initial dialogue around ending homelessness in Orange County. Hosted by OCFR member Orange County United Way, the forum featured a conversation between Keith Morrison, NBC Dateline correspondent, and Andrae Bailey, CEO of Lead Homelessness Initiative. Recently, Orange County United …

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Why We Give

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“I wouldn’t be the first to say that the events of this year have tested humanity. We are seeing alarming levels of racism and intolerance; we are watching the expanding plight of refugees from war-torn countries; we are witness to terrorism, an ever-increasing climate crisis, and a widening disparity between rich and poor. But I …

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How do we build a compassionate and inclusive America in an age of distrust? WAJAHAT ALI knows from personal experience that when we come together to be the superheroes of our own stories, we can create honest social change. The beloved TED speaker has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic about our urgent issues—immigration, politics, parenthood—with boldness, hope, and humor. His memoir Go Back to Where You Came From, one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year, follows his life as a Muslim Pakistani-American on a surprising, emotional, and challenging quest for the good life. Iconic journalist Katie Couric says that “we are all so fortunate to be on the receiving end of his intellect, his humanity, and his heart.”

Wajahat Ali

“With wit and charm, Ali delivers a masterful meditation on growing up brown in America...he gives us a clear-eyed affirmation of the country America could be.” — Mara Gay, New York Times

Mara Gay, New York Times

Wajahat Ali uses his platform to fight tirelessly for the social change we need in our country—and he isn’t afraid to get personal while doing it. The Daily Beast columnist and former New York Times writer, TED speaker, award-winning playwright, and Peabody-nominated producer of the documentary series The Secret Life of Muslims offers us his experiences of triumph over hardship as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of life’s impossible situations. From his experiences of Islamophobia growing up as a Muslim Pakistani-American to his two-year-old daughter’s liver cancer diagnosis, Wajahat is living proof that when we share our authentic stories, we build the America we wish to live in.”

In his memoir Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American, Wajahat teaches us how to create our own superhero origin story, invest in hope for the future of America, and enact real social change. The book was called “biting and funny and full of heart” by NPR. Representative Ilhan Omar called Wajahat’s work “hilarious” and “deeply moving”, and legendary writer Dave Eggers said it was the book he’d “been hoping Wajahat Ali would write for ten years—hilarious, stylistically fearless, deeply humane.”

Wajahat is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim-Americans in a post-9/11 world. He was the lead researcher and author for the Center for American Progress’s seminal report “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” and served as a national correspondent for Al Jazeera America, where he told stories about communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media.

As Creative Director of Affinis Wajahat Labs, he worked to create social entrepreneurship initiatives to support and uplift marginalized communities. He also worked with the US State Department to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. Wajahat initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. For his work, he was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton and recognized as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. 

He has given keynote speeches around the world such as TED, The Aspen Ideas Festival, Google, the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival. His writing appears regularly in the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and The Guardian. He’s a Senior Fellow at The Western States Center and Auburn Seminary and co-host of Al Jazeera’s The Stream.