Veterans First of Orange County recently honored McCarthy with a OneOC Spirit of Volunteerism 2012 Outstanding Volunteer Award. The award was presented to McCarthy during OneOC’s 36th Annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards Luncheon at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California.
With approximately 1,025 people in attendance, the OneOC Spirit of Volunteerism Awards is the oldest awards program in Orange County. The event honors the service of the individuals, teams and businesses that make the Orange County community a stronger and more vibrant place to live, work and play. During this year’s ceremony, many of Orange County’s community member and employee volunteers were honored by several non-profit, community organizations and companies for the time and talent they have contributed to build better communities.
Veterans First, which is a non-profit rehabilitation facility that provides housing and financial assistance to homeless and low-income military veterans in Orange County, chose McCarthy to receive the volunteerism award for the facility improvement project the firm conducted at the Veterans First housing complex in Anaheim. “We appreciate the McCarthy Heart Hats program for all they do for our veterans”, said Deanne Tate, President/CEO of Veterans First. “It was an absolute honor to nominate McCarthy Building Companies for this award, and we 
look forward to a strong partnership with McCarthy for years to come.”
McCarthy volunteers helped with the Veterans First service project through the McCarthy Heart Hats, a volunteer community outreach group which enables McCarthy employees to dedicate time and resources to community involvement on paid workdays. Over a dozen McCarthy Heart Hats participated in the project which included: hanging drywall; painting; installing carpeting, kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures; building an outdoor shed; and conducting yard cleanup and landscape improvements.
In addition to providing labor for the facility improvements, McCarthy employees donated over 28 new mattresses, box spring sets and bedding to the veterans. McCarthy Heart Hats also organized building support from additional volunteers and donors including Bergelectic, Borbon, Inc., Capparelli Contracting, Signature Flooring and Southern California Environmental. All in all, approximately $20,000 in labor and donations were made by this team of construction workers, some of which are U.S. veterans themselves or have family members currently serving our country.
Ray LaTour, IT Manager at McCarthy who served in the U.S. Navy and helped with the Veterans First site improvements, proudly accepted the Spirit of Volunteerism Award on behalf of McCarthy. “As a disabled veteran myself, the plight of homeless and disable vets means a great deal to me,” said LaTour. “I understand how difficult it is to function in today’s society when you are physically challenged, and it’s even more difficult in a challenging economy. I’m glad to be a part of helping my fellow comrades to get back on their feet and make a better life for themselves.”
VIDEO: To view McCarthy Heart Hats Veterans First Video click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8QqRZNalS4
About Veterans First
Founded in 1971, Veterans First is Orange County’s only 501c(3) non-profit agency that provides services exclusively to homeless and low-income military veterans and their families. Through our Santa Ana, Calif. service center and our nine houses within Orange County, Veterans First assists those who have served our country with housing, counseling, transportation, food as well as job training and placement assistance. For more information, please visit our website at www.veteransfirstoc.org.
About McCarthy Heart Hats
The McCarthy “Heart Hats” community involvement program is dedicated to encouraging, supporting and recognizing McCarthy employees’ volunteer efforts in a variety of causes to ensure real needs are being met in communities where employees work, live and play. McCarthy employees are as passionate about building better communities as they are about construction. In addition to recognizing outstanding employee volunteers and providing a company-wide paid volunteer day, McCarthy Heart Hats volunteers donates countless hours of in-kind services and monetary contributions to improve communities each year. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is the largest construction firm in Orange County, and the one of America’s oldest and largest commercial builders. In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; Houston; St. Louis, Collinsville, Ill., and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.
