NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Nov. 13, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- On a spring day in 1990 in Orange County, at a kick-off at one of HomeAid's first transitional homeless facilities -- Precious Life Shelter, a new beginning for women in crisis pregnancies and their newborns occurred. At this event, the "Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser" 2007 honorees of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Orange County -- Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs and her husband Donald P. Jacobs -- met, to eventually marry and together begin their enriched journey as lifetime philanthropists.
When they are asked how they met, the Jacobs fondly say, "at a homeless shelter." As they discussed marriage plans, Julie told Don, "Marry me; marry HomeAid." And he did. Then, in lieu of wedding presents, guests made charitable donations to HomeAid.
In the case of HomeAid, a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless, the organization is extremely privileged to be the Jacobs' charity of choice. With the help of their firms Lifescapes International, Inc. and JZMK Partners, the Jacobs are directly responsible for helping thousands of homeless families and individuals in Orange County and across the nation.
"Don and I have always felt the closest affinity with charity work -- especially for HomeAid, a charity so much a part of our professions of architecture, landscape architecture and business acumen," states Brinkerhoff-Jacobs. "It has been both an honor and a privilege to continue to focus upon improving the lives of America's temporarily homeless."
Brinkerhoff-Jacobs adds that while she and her husband are blessed with all the accolades given to them, the people who benefit from their efforts shall never know them. It is the Jacobs' hope that those in need will remember their own difficult times, once they are through them, and help others along the way.
The Jacobs have raised more than $600,000 for HomeAid; connected decision-makers nationwide to make personal and professional contributions and volunteer hours; donated the resources of their respective international landscape architectural and architectural design firms; and provided strategic, hands-on leadership by serving on national and chapter boards of directors.
"As Albert Schweitzer once said, 'Do excellent work. Someone may copy it.' We hope we have set an example for others to follow, to take the time to improve the world, as best we can, and leave it a better place than we found it," explains Brinkerhoff-Jacobs.
Besides their Orange County-based efforts to help the homeless, the Jacobs have leveraged their national and international contacts to help start and support HomeAid chapters in other areas, such as San Diego, Northern California (Bay Area), and Southern Nevada (Las Vegas). The Jacobs fundraise for them, recruit local board members for the chapters, and solicit in-kind donations from local building industry companies for their projects.
"Through the Jacobs' work with HomeAid, they are directly responsible for our success in fundraising and helping thousands of homeless families and individuals get back on their feet," said Genette Eaton, chief executive officer of HomeAid. "Their strategic, hands-on leadership coupled with their genuine compassion to help others is evident in every stitch of the fabric that makes them who they are."
Active Volunteers for a Lifetime
Julie began her philanthropic work in the late 1970s, serving on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Building Industry Association (BIA/OC) and chairing its community services involvement committee. After 10 years of leadership of the Community Services Program (CSP), including serving as president, Julie became involved with a team of BIA leaders investigating a way to institutionalize the philanthropic efforts of the association and its members by doing what they do best: build homes. The five-person team wanted to harness the power of all BIA members to create a means for builders and their trade partners (e.g., plumbers, framers, landscape architects, electricians, etc.) to donate their time, expertise, and resources. This concept of having BIA members contribute in-kind donations, versus straight cash, became the model for HomeAid, and Julie and the other four BIA team members became the organization's founders.
Julie's primary role in the origins of HomeAid revolved around fundraising and strategic planning. While other founders focused on the pragmatics of how the organization would function with builders and homeless service providers, Julie raised initial seed money for HomeAid through organizing a benefit concert with well-known musical artist Kris Kristofferson, at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Santa Ana, which raised $25,000. With that funding, HomeAid was incorporated and began operations.
Julie's firm, Lifescapes International, Inc., has been an integral part in landscaping HomeAid facilities locally and nationwide as well as donating hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars of landscaping materials to beautify miniature playhouses for HomeAid's signature fundraising event, Project Playhouse(tm), which originated in Newport Beach, California.
Don's public service began in the early 1970s as a volunteer firefighter at Sea Ranch in Sonoma County, California. For 14 years, he trained, drove fire trucks, jumped from rescue helicopters, and rappelled over cliffs to fight forest fires as well as burning homes and buildings. In 1986, Don moved to Southern California and took a position at the architecture firm, Kermit Dorius and Associates. Mr. Dorius was an early member of HomeAid's Board of Directors.
Through the firm, Don became deeply involved in HomeAid, eventually taking a leadership role in the organization's chief fundraising event, Project Playhouse. Project Playhouse brings together members of a local building industry community to build and donate highly creative, unique 8'x10' children's playhouses for public viewing and subsequent live auction. Besides co-chairing the event's second and third year, Don was involved in the design of 16 thematic playhouses, donating hundreds of hours of personal time.
As Project Playhouse leaders, the Jacobs' have acted as the focal points to bring together different communities, such as builders, trade suppliers, and highly branded non-building-industry entities (e.g., American Girl Place and Caruso Affiliated) to collaboratively build 22 playhouses that have raised more than half a million dollars at auction.
As a principal at JZMK Partners, Don continues to foster public service among his employees through the firm's Community Spirit Program, a leading model for companies to encourage their workers to give back to their communities. Through the program, the firm pays for each employee to volunteer for two days each year for a 501(c) 3 organization. During the past two years, 23 JZMK employees have donated nearly 400 volunteer hours to non-profit organizations in Orange County. For employees who cannot participate, the firm donates the allocated budget for their volunteer days to a charity.
Finding New Fundraising Roads Together
For seven years, Julie and Don have auctioned exclusive dining experiences at HomeAid Orange County's LimeLight Ball (formerly Rainbow of Hope Ball), including last year's event with world-renowned chef Luciano Zamboni and his wife Pauline. In 2006, Julie and Don hosted 10 people for the dining event at their home, raising more than $40,000. For the last three years, Julie has reached out to her network of friends and business contacts in an annual appeal campaign. In 2007 alone, Julie raised more than $54,000 for HomeAid's national efforts, with a portion benefiting the organization's Southern Nevada chapter.
A Precious Life Fulfilled
The Jacobs' philanthropic giving extends far beyond HomeAid. Jacobs and his firm performed pro-bono work in 2006 to help a victim of the Laguna Beach mudslide redesign its home that had been devastated, and donated more than 800 hours of volunteer time to design a home in El Segundo for a family in need for the blitz-build TV series Extreme Makeover. Brinkerhoff-Jacobs has performed fundraising for numerous local non-profit organizations, including the Orange County Museum of Art and the Orange County Performing Arts Center. She has received numerous honors, including: B.J. Stewart Community Lifetime Achievement from the Orange County BIA (Building Industry Association) in 1991; Soroptimist Club Woman of the Year in 1986; and Orange County Business Journal Woman of the Year in the late 1990s.
Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs is president and chief financial officer of Lifescapes International, Inc., an international leader of innovative landscape designed environments. She is actively involved in organizations such as the Urban Land Institute (a full member and on the entertainment council), National Association of Home Builders, National Indian Gaming Association, and an associate member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Also, she serves on the executive board for HomeAid, the organization she co-founded in 1989. For more information regarding Lifescapes International, Inc., visit www.lifescapesintl.com.
Donald P. Jacobs, AIA, is president of JZMK Partners, one of Southern California's most respected architectural and planning firms. In addition to his civic and professional involvements, which include being the 1996 Chair of the National AIA (American Institute of Architects) Housing Committee and serving as a liaison with the National AIA Construction Documents Committee, Don is actively involved with the local Building Industry Association. He was recently recognized as volunteer of the year for HomeAid, where he serves on the Board of Directors, and is a member of the Education Committee for the Senior Housing Council. For more information regarding JZMK Partners, visit www.jbzarchitects.com.
HomeAid is the nation's largest nonprofit builder of housing for the temporarily homeless. Founded in 1989, the organization has built housing for more than 80,000 men, women and children. Established by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders, HomeAid has completed 147 housing projects nationwide with more than 58 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 21 chapters in 15 states and four offices in Augusta, GA, Washington, D.C.; Newport Beach, CA; and New Orleans, LA (for hurricane-rebuilding efforts). For more information about HomeAid call 1-888-3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.
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