Dayle McIntosh Center Celebrates 48th Anniversary with Community, Learning and Impact Fundraiser as Disability and Aging Community Grows in OC
Dayle McIntosh Center Celebrates 48th Anniversary with Community, Learning and Impact Fundraiser as Disability and Aging Community Grows in OC
Anaheim, CA —Community, Learning and Impact. This purposeful foundation has been an integral part of the roots of Dayle McIntosh Center for the Disabled’s humble beginnings. Opening its doors in 1977, the Dayle McIntosh Center (DMC) www.daylemc.org – Orange County’s only Independent Living Center for people with disabilities, older adults, and Veterans is celebrating 48 years with its third annual Attitude of Gratitude Fundraiser with a first-time full Anniversary Giving Season which runs October 31 – December 2nd (Giving Tuesday), 2025.
The season-long anniversary of celebrating the community, learning and impact full-circle for DMC is much more than it appears – it is visibility and awareness of Orange County’s exponential growth due to many displaced individuals in Los Angeles migrating to Orange County. Additionally, countywide OC is at 278,935 growth with Boomer/GenX market of aging older adults is adding to the boom in people needing services through the aging process. According to the Office on Aging over 450,000 older adults (65+) account for 14.3% of OC’s population. As Orange County’s only existing Independent Living Center serving all OC residents with disabilities, older adults, and Veterans throughout North, South, Inland and Coastal OC, parts of Los Angeles and Riverside County, the need is expanding, therefore outreach and growth initiatives for 2026 must follow suit.
“We recognize DMC must adapt, especially in a landscape where funding and resources can shift overnight. One way we are adapting is through a new partnership with hospitals to launch the Hospital to Home Program (H2H) in 2026. This program will support people with disabilities and older adults as they transition safely from hospital to home by addressing barriers such as accessibility and equipment needs, coordinating in-home services, and connection to community resources while reducing rehospitalizations, avoiding institutional placements, and empowering participants to remain in their homes. At the same time, we are expanding our Veterans Independence Program (VIP) across Orange County, Riverside, and Los Angeles to ensure Veterans can age in place with dignity and self-determination in their own homes,” explains Brittany Zazueta, DMC’s Executive Director.
While this growth spurt for 2026 has plans in the making for DMC to reorganize, the core purpose is never lost on the peer-based led organization by and for people with disabilities, older adults, and Veterans. DMC understands firsthand what it takes to achieve independence and self-sufficiency in today’s society.
Returning to the roots and foundation of what the Independent Living Center was founded upon matters more than ever. It is with this year’s fundraiser’s theme Community, Learning and Impact helps to shape the path for where OC’s only IL plans to go and why this fundraiser is important to be successful for all DMC plans to do in the New Year.
“We also recognize that true progress depends on building a stronger advocacy network of peers and allies. In 2026, we will launch the first-ever Lead On Initiative (LOI) named after IL leader Justin Dart Jr.’s iconic words, “I love you. Lead on!” This initiative will host two cohorts in 2026 to explore independent living history, individual advocacy, systems advocacy, and goal setting for impact. It’s an invitation for our community to be “all in for change.” With these exciting and necessary expansions, DMC’s own needs are growing as well. As our team grows to 40 staff members and beyond, we are planning to secure a new building in 2026 that is fully accessible, inclusive, and safe space to call home for our team of staff, partners, and community,” explains Zazueta.
This year alone, through infrastructure reorganization and metamorphosis, the organization has reinvigorated multiple services, rekindling partnerships and alliances for greater community outreach and expanding program service needs. DMC has been rising to the occasion to meet critical challenges with 2025 to present day applying last year’s fundraising to make things happen.
Zazueta shares insights to DMC’s progress, “In addition to sustaining our ongoing core and extended
services, we were successful in regaining funding from the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and launched our rebranded Mobility Management Professionals Program (MMPP) where we teach people with disabilities and older adults how to independently navigate the fixed route bus system with safety and COVID precautions in mind. Additionally, we partnered with Orange County United Way through their Homelessness 101 initiative, ensuring accessibility and inclusion by translating materials on the causes, myths, and solutions to homelessness into Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL). Through this effort, our team delivered eight workshops which empowered monolingual Spanish speakers and ASL users with vital knowledge and resources. We also established our Veterans Independence Program (VIP) and so far have been successful in supporting over 70 Veterans with disabilities to remain safely in their home. Finally, we expanded our website to include a brand new Learn page where community members can learn for free or learn for a fee on a variety of topics related to disability, aging, and accessibility. As a result we’ve forged several new partnerships and provided our popular Disability Acceptance and Etiquette training to over 10 community partners.”
Initially starting off as a week-long fundraiser, the digital event has grown as the 501(c)(3) embraces a ‘solution’ to the dilemma of recognizing multiple simultaneous anniversaries: DMC’s Soft Grand Opening in September 27, 1977 official dedication; October 24, 1977 first published date in an industry newsletter being declared open publically through an announcement; October 31,1977 as the official day the Orange County Board of Supervisors check landed to November 1, 1977 when DMC’s grand opening was declared official and finally, a December Open House. Each milestone serving, educating and impacting the community was why each anniversary was its own milestone as new programs, services and workshops grew to meet a community in need.
Pictured above: Community, Learning Impact Dayle McIntosh Center graphic with black text, on gold image with red hearts, with silhouette of three people celebrating love of community with hearts above their heads and a big blue global heart in the center to represent the community itself. DMC blue logo at the bottom.
In the spirit of this history, DMC will be sharing an early “Save the Date” early launch preview ahead
of its season-long email campaign of inspirational and heart-felt testimonials from a variety of consumers, Veterans, Board, Leads, Administration, Volunteers and more. Full representation of both internal and external gratitude in the present day is meant to be an inspiring and motivating piece for the public to recognized the “how” piece, as the peer-based Independent Living Center is comprised of people proudly representing the community DMC also serves. Through an email campaign uniting all subscribers from long-time community members to newcomers joining DMC’s community for the first time through acquired disability, aging and the effects of Long COVID – the goal is to bring the community together, learn together and create an impact together as this year’s theme of the event implies.
As DMC meets people where they are as part of the Independent Living Philosophy, the organization also hopes that the community itself can grow in support at Orange County, Los Angeles County and Riverside County communities can grow to meet people with disabilities, older adults and Veterans with dignity, respect, and care as the demand, growth and opportunity require the rest of society to level up with the most education about the growing population in need. To support this effort, DMC additionally offers trainings for city government agencies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, businesses and helping OC thrive to meet the community as much as it helps consumers have their own needs met. Education and learning has been at the forefront to develop growth plans as OC faces unprecedented need in numbers.
As all counties progress to advance its accessibility, accommodations and reimagined access, DMC charges on in advocacy to be the solution as a peer-based organization uplifting voices for equity cultivating and empowering lives of independence to flourish with on-going resources and support. This modeling of disability pride is the impact changing lives. Community, Learning, and Impact are punctuated with every new growth milestone created by the organization and why donations matter most and when looking at 2026 growth initiatives for what the organization has planned as goals for the year ahead.
The DMC Attitude of Gratitude event creates a fun opportunity for all cash donors offering twenty-two prizes in an opportunity drawing where individuals have a chance to potentially win anything from an electric blanket; to an overnight getaway resort and spa stay; to dining gift cards, admission to tourist attractions; cultural art experiences and education; to gift certificates for gift baskets, jewelry; well-being, athleisure apparel, and creative fun. Early bird cash donors will double their chances of winning a prize entered into the early bird prize drawing, November 14th. Those who do not win are automatically entered into the main prize drawing taking place December 3, 2025 on what would have been Dayle McIntosh’s 84th birthday.
The public and donate, do corporate matches, individual donation match challenges and create a fun season-long united front to support DMC and be part of the movement for where DMC is trekking next in serving the community.
For a full-list of prizes, subscribe to DMC’s mailing list, stay tuned to social media and go to DMC’s website to learn more about how you can support DMC in reaching fundraising goals and share ways to support and access the event flyer, and other sponsorship opportunities
If you’d like to donate to The Dayle McIntosh Center you can do so by clicking HERE.
For more information on DMC’s programs and services go to https://daylemc.org or call directly at 714-621-3300. For media story inquiries, interest in donation challenges, corporate matches, and title sponsorship opportunities for 2026, please contact Publicist, Stacey Kumagai, Media Monster Communications, Inc. at 818.506.8675.
