Dayle McIntosh Center Celebrates 47th Anniversary Attitude of Gratitude with Giving Week Fundraiser November 18-26, 2024
(Anaheim, CA) — Gratitude is a simple word but there is much depth and meaning behind it when you are Dayle McIntosh Center (DMC), Orange County’s only Independent Living Center for people with disabilities and older adults. The peer-based non-profit organization is celebrating more than its past history consisting of over four and a half decades of activism, advocacy and its roots, it is celebrating the present day of gratitude and the future of the community it will continue to serve as the growing need and demand for programs and services keeps expanding with a population of Veterans, families, people with both visible and invisible disabilities, the aging community of older adults and the Long COVID population, exceeding over 500,000 people. It is with this current-day pivoting, and future-casting DMC, the State of California 501 (c )(3) announces the 2024 Attitude of Gratitude Giving Week fundraiser November 18-26, 2024. DMC hopes the giving season will continue through the holiday season with gratitude anniversary and birthday support just ahead of what would have been Founder Dayle McIntosh’s 83d Birthday on December 3, the world’s official Giving Tuesday.
2024 has been a pivotal year for DMC with many growth changes including the launch of a brand new Veterans Independence Program as well as the revival of its essential Volunteer Program, and the recognition of excellence DMC’s Housing Liaison’s tireless efforts in the fight against homelessness, and two earlier honors by the City of Anaheim and Toastmasters for DMC’s excellence in the community.
“As we approach our 47th year of service, I am deeply grateful for the vision of the original founding members of the Dayle McIntosh Center, whose tireless efforts brought this incredible organization to life. Dayle McIntosh and Brenda Premo were only in their early 20s when they began dreaming, planning, and advocating for what has become the Center we know and love today. They faced many challenges and had countless opportunities to give up, but they kept going. Reflecting on their journey, I can’t help but think of my own path. I joined DMC 12 years ago, at the age of 24, filled with hope and determination to make a difference. Seeing what Dayle and Brenda accomplished as young people motivated me to believe that I, too, could make a meaningful impact. Their journey gave me the confidence to push forward in my own career, showing me that age and disability were not barriers but opportunities for leadership and growth,” shares Executive Director, Brittany Zazueta.
Zazueta’s reflection on DMC’s founders is part of what the organization lives every single day as they walk the halls of their building and see photos on the walls which are milestone markers for where DMC has been – where trails blazed are not forgotten by anyone. DMC has had many individuals create their own impact at various ages and stages of their own journey on a daily basis, which includes its current team working tirelessly to honor the foundation of what the organization was founded upon. DMC’s Attitude of Gratitude is about a full heart of being in service continuing the legacy of its Founders with an eye on vital change as demands for essential services and programs continue to escalate to navigate an unprecedented growing community.
Donations are needed to continue forging ahead with momentum to provide what is needed, especially as the aging community of Boomers and Gen X’ers require more resources and COVID evolves every year with surges compounding upon pre-existing conditions of the pandemic’s aftermath. An entire population of individuals in Orange County have been navigating a difficult terrain of newly acquired disabilities. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 5.3% of all adults in the US were experiencing long COVID in late October 2023. Of the approximately 134 million adults who have had COVID-19, 9.5% were experiencing long COVID in late October 2023. Overall, the Census Bureau estimated that 25.6% of US adults who’ve contracted COVID-19 had experienced long COVID at some point. At the end of 2023 year-to-date positive cases exceeding 800,344 cases in total (which continues to grow) but are not being tracked as closely by the county in 2024, with many individuals in this data are those whom now live with Long-COVID. As we head into 2025 with the brand new variants adding to the numbers – the unknown factor of what lies ahead is prompting more urgency in the need for resources to inform, educate and provide programs and services.
“Just as it wasn’t easy for our founders, the journey has not been without its challenges for us, especially in recent years. When the pandemic hit, we were one of the first organizations to swiftly transition our operations to a fully remote model. Though we had never done this before, we made it happen in under a week, thanks to our amazing Operations and IT Administrator, Miguel, the Leadership Team, and our dedicated direct service staff, all of whom were committed to keeping everyone as safe as possible. We did what our founders did best—adapted in real time, a true disability strength!”
Zazueta further explains DMC’s pivot, “Our internal meetings, peer support groups, and consumer workshops quickly shifted to Zoom – a new platform we were learning and teaching our consumers at the same time. Even as we were surrounded by loss and sickness, our team pressed on, knowing that the struggles in our own homes and neighborhoods mirrored those faced by the people we serve. In response, we leveraged new funding to create a temporary PPE and food delivery program—something we had never done before. And now, as COVID surges once again without the same urgency from the community or government, we continue to adapt, prioritizing safety and service to our disabled and older adult community.”
It is here DMC has great need to introduce themselves as an Independent Living Center to a fresh demographic of people who have not been part of the disability community before, now needing many services, covering the spectrum of Youth Transitions to Community Transitions of Veterans and older adults with numerous needs in-between from Deaf Services, Blind/Low-Vision, Independent Living needs, Peer Counseling, Assistive Technology, Personal Assistant support, Housing, Home Modification, and both Individual and Systems Change Advocacy. Information and Referral support as well as Volunteer and Community Services outreach are vital for DMC to meet expansive demands for 2025.
Gratitude from both Team DMC and peer consumers continues to grow for all of these services, taking the “Attitude of Gratitude” next level, many which will be shared throughout giving season as DMC celebrates its birthday and years of creating access and independence by and for people with disabilities and older adults. The organization reflects back on its foundation but also looks to the future understanding the growing need for continued fundraising in order to support a community which expands every year, many of whom are brand new to DMC, which is not lost on anyone as Zazueta explains.
“DMC was born from the unconventional dreams of our founders, and as we look to the future, we remain committed to adapting and innovating. The disability community is one you can join at any point in life and our community is rapidly expanding as more people age and face the long-term effects of COVID. Together, our team will ensure that DMC’s impact continues to grow, fueled by the same spirit of determination and hope that first inspired our founders. Looking ahead to 2025, our focus must be on community. We will continue to trust in our ability to adapt, knowing that while the path may be unconventional or unprecedented, we are doing what’s right and we are doing it the DMC way.”
If you’d like to donate to The Dayle McIntosh Center you can do so by clicking HERE. Find out about the many ways you can support DMC HERE
For DMC’s detailed fundraiser flyer which includes this year’s prize levels and opportunity drawing for cash donors, Click HERE.
This year, DMC is doing an additional holiday fundraiser through See’s Candies with their own DMC storefront.
For more information on DMC’s programs and services go to https://daylemc.org/services/ or call directly at 714-621-3300. For media story inquiries, please contact Publicist, Stacey Kumagai, Media Monster Communications, Inc. at 818.506.8675.
