The annual Christmas Party at the Brea Senior Center on December 15 was a huge success, filled to capacity with over 240 seniors attending the festivities complete with a visit from Santa.
As part of its ongoing outreach to elected officials and the community in general, the Orange County Chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America also co-sponsored this amazing event and attended the Christmas Party at the Brea Senior Center where a complete holiday lunch was served and over $5,000 in gift cards were raffled along with other gifts. Each senior also received a Christmas card from Santa with a $25 cash gift and when leaving each also received a Ralph’s Supermarket gift card and a Lottery scratcher.
During the program Brea Councilmember Marty Simonoff announced that Dwigth Manley, a local business owner donated $25,000 to the Senior Center to make sure vital programs continue throughout the year. The party continued with a live musical performance by Forever Young, a band comprised of retired musicians between the ages of 81 and 101, which led many of the attendees to dance. Mr. Simonoff also introduced special comedic videos depicting Brea Council members and others in animated form conveying their warmest wishes to all!
This annual event has grown tremendously since the inaugural Senior Christmas Party at the Center five years ago, organized and spearheaded by Marty Simonoff, currently serving his sixth consecutive term on the Brea City Council. Back then he, along with the support of the Brea Police Officers and Fire Fighters Associations, and Cecilia Hupp now serving on the Brea City Council, organized the free Christmas lunch and party for seniors with over 130 attendees and $500 in gift cards. Over the past few years this simple gesture has become the highlight of the Senior Center and one of the most anticipated Christmas parties in the area.
This year also attending were California State Assemblymember Phil Chen, Former Assemblymember and current candidate for the Orange County Board of Supervisors Young Kim, OC Board of Supervisor Todd Spitzer, La Habra Mayor Tim Shaw, Representatives from California State Senator Josh Newman’s and OC Board of Supervisor Shawn Nelson’s offices, along with the Brea Ministerial Association and the entire Brea City Council: Mayor Glen parker, Mayor Pro Tem Christine Marick, Cecilia Hupp, Marty Simonoff, and Steven Vargas.
There has been an overwhelming support from the community, growing each year, while the focus remains on ensuring Seniors have an enjoyable and fun Christmas. See below for a partial list of sponsors.
In addition to outreach in the community and political activism, ANCA OC will screen the documentary film, Women of 1915 by Emmy award winning producer Bared Maronian to the Armenian American community, and will invite local officials to attend. The screening will take place Tuesday January 30, 2018. Details will be announced soon.
ANCA OC is the Orange County chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region, and part of the most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of activists and supporters, and activists throughout Orange County and affiliated organizations and institutions in the region, it advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of local and national issues.
Partial list of sponsors:
- Brea Fire Fighters Association
- Brea Police Officers Association
- Brea Lions
- S&S Mortgage
- School Board Trustee, Paul Ruiz
- Whole Foods
- Bruno’s
- Dwight Manley, Local Business Owner
- Brea Councilmember Marty Simonoff
- Brea Councilmember Cecilia Hupp
- Sprouts
- Brea Rotary
- Brea Kiwanis
- Darryl & JJ Realtors
- Brea/La Habra Soroptimist
- Brea Ministerial Association
- Gateway Auto Spa
- Brea Towing
- Kevorkian & Madenlian Law Offices
- Armenian National Committee of America, OC Chapter
- Uni-Caps
- Brea Auto Body
- US Metro Group
- OC Board of Supervisor Shawn Nelson
- Brea City Treasurer, Rick Rios