OCCTAC NEWS

We have two fun, creative, art-based events for our friends, supporters and donors. September 23rd, 1-3PM, the barrel room,  324 W 4th St, Santa Ana:  Unleash your inner artist with the help of an instructor at Paint & Wine. Ages 21 and up. Tickets available on EventBrite . This event can only accommodate 40 guests. Hurry! ONLY A FEW SPACES LEFT! September 30th, 8-10PM, a secret location in Tustin : Sofar Sounds Orange County Presents: A Fundraiser Session for OCCTAC. Secret Location! Your secret code is:  OCCTAC-20F0E. Get your tickets online HERE . HURRY, SPACE IS LIMITED! Have fun and support our students! Thank YOU!

Phoebe Stanciell accepts the generous donation from UCI UCI Students Award 70,000 in Funding to Eight Local Nonprofits Through New Experiential Philanthropy Course What is an experiential philanthropy course? It is a course that allows students to learn about the giving process and its effects on institutions and society, while also practically allocating real money to nonprofit organizations. Under the guidance of Gillian Hayes, Kleist Professor in Informatics and the Faculty Director for the cross-disciplinary minor in civic and community engagement, students study local, national and global communities, addressing needs through philanthropic gifts to organizations that need support. During the 10-week course, students worked through a research-based, decision-making and selection process. “UCI seeks to foster leadership and citizenship in our students,” says Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and Dean of Undergraduate Education, Michael Dennin. “Students who have compl...

We are proud to participate in the MECCA Multiethnic Arts Festival at the Bowers Museum Date: May 7, 11Am to 3PM Location: Bowers Museum | 2002 North Main Street | Santa Ana, CA 92706 Register on EventBrite. The Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA) festival celebrates the diverse talent from all multi-ethnic communities in Orange County, and is a culminating event of visual and expressive art activities aimed at reducing mental health stigma. Join us for LIVE international music, food, dance performances, and visual artwork by consumers and artists. Break the stigma through the arts! Participating Agencies: Multi-Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA) Orange County Health Care Agency ABRAZAR, Inc. ACCESS California Services Korean Community Services (KCS) Orange County Chinese Community Services (OCCCS ) OMID Multicultural Institute for Development Vietnamese Community of Orange County (VNCOC) Orange County Children's Therapeutic ...

We had a full house on April 22nd for the presentation and discussion with JOSEFINA LOPEZ. We are very thankful for the wonderful support of our community for this event.

View the FILM on DailyMotion “I Am Orange County” originated as a 2005 technology grant students program to further social justice. Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center and Orange County Human Relations worked with at-risk youth in four Santa Ana schools. The students created a 30-minute documentary, photo essays and a website about their experience. Barraged with TV images of Orange County representing the rich and the wealthy (Laguna Beach on MTV, The OC on Fox, Arrested Development on Fox, OC Housewives on Bravo), the silent majority explored its identity. The students in Santa Ana have awoken. Their documentary expresses strongly and very positively what their lives are about. They address prejudice and immigration, life in the OC as part of the hardworking and neglected majority. They documented the immigration marches in Los Angeles and Santa Ana. Their personal stories are positive. These students, all classified "at-risk" at the star...

Our students gathered at OSCA's Symphony Hall for our Annual Holiday Concert on December 18th, 2016 as we shared the joy of music & dance! A HUGE Thank YOU to Noah Ruderman who spent countless hours directing, filming and editing pro-bono for this project. www.firstlookfilms.net

Looking for art-based, educational Summer Camp in a positive, nurturing environment for your children this coming summer? Follow us on FACEBOOK to stay informed about our upcoming 2017 Summer Camp Schedule. Registration will start later this Spring. Here a look back at all the fun from Summer 2016.

Hurry - the show ends at the end of February! Catch "Engage 360°", the intermediate student art created by OCCTAC's exemplary after-school art programs in the Santa Ana Unified School District. See the Portraiture Class Exhibit at the Barrel Room in Downtown Santa Ana. We are very grateful to The Barrel Room's Joe Castro for exhibiting the student and supporting OC Children's Therapeutic ARTS. To learn more about our after school arts program, please contact program coordinator Carlos Beltran Arechiga at our Center.  

We'd like to thank Chamber Music OC for their partnership and contributions to making our first String Summer Camp a success! Chamber Music OC's Director of Community Outreach, Michelle Gasworth, provided interactive music history and appreciation workshops that corresponded to the theme of each week during our camp (music from Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico). Students were exposed to traditional musical genres from each country, and even had a chance to compose their own music and lyrics in the  Plena  style - a traditional genre from Puerto Rico! In addition to facilitating these enriching workshops, select advanced students were chosen to be members of their first chamber music ensemble and received daily coaching sessions leading up to their performance at the end of Week 1, where students performed with the Latino Arts Strings Program at the Main Place Mall.We'd also like to thank Sonia Morales-Matos, our commissioned composer, for  the guest mas...

On Saturday July 16, 2016, the Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center hosted the award-winning Latino Arts Strings Program for a marvelous concert during their nationwide tour! Many people filled up MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana eager to watch these talented, young musicians traveling from Milwaukee, Wisconsin under the direction of Founder Dinorah Marquez. This special musical event began with the Latino Arts Strings Program playing and singing a variety of classic Mariachi songs. Then, the OCCTAC students took the stage to perform a rendition of the famous classic "La Bamba" alongside the Latino Arts Strings Program. As the sounds of guitars, violins, violas, cellos, and bass violins echoed throughout the mall, the crowd was left speechless and in awe. The students from both of these programs did an incredible job showcasing their skills, and giving the crowd a taste of how wonderful Latino culture and music is. Thank you to everyone who came out to support o...

From left to right: Ana Mendez, Regan Green, Phoebe Stanciell, Eric Rios, Samantha Lee, Julie Vu (Not pictured: Marion Renk-Rosenthal) OCCTAC recently started a pilot program to re-vamp our marketing efforts. With four new interns who specialize in marketing and business, we are striving to boost outreach and expand our program beyond the city of Santa Ana. Through our various efforts, we hope to give more families the opportunity to be part of OCCTAC and help continue to build a strong culture of creativity and innovation. Meet Our Marketing Team! Marion Renk-Rosenthal Marion is the Chairman of the Marketing Committee at OCCTAC and owner of EventWorks. With a Masters Degree in  Applied Foreign Languages in Business and Law from  Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis in France and  30 years of experience in media and public relations, Marion is a valuable asset to OCCTAC.  She has been involved as a volunteer and board member since 2001 and she thor...