Countywide : Philanthropists to Have Their Day

Volunteering an afternoon here and there at the county home for abused children was not enough for Lorri Galloway.

So she and her husband, Mike, started Eli Home Inc., an emergency shelter program for children and their mothers aimed at preventing child abuse through counseling and classes.

“There comes a time when you want to do something that will make a difference,� said Galloway, 37, who has worked full time without pay since founding Eli. “I don’t know if that’s true with everybody, but it was in my life.�

Today, Galloway and eight other Orange County residents and groups will be honored for their contributions at the fifth annual Orange County National Philanthropy Day breakfast.

“I’ve always cared about doing and giving,� Galloway said. “My husband and I have always given money and time to things we care about.�

She and her husband were childhood sweethearts in Salinas and married just before moving to Orange County to attend Cal State Fullerton. They now live in Anaheim with their two children, Tammy, 11, and Shannon, 6.

Galloway’s educational background is in business rather than social services. She and her husband, an electrician, owned a bowling alley for years and for a while she worked in banking and civil engineering.

The business background has come in handy for Galloway. She and her husband set up two shops to raise money for Eli Home, and Galloway does much of the accounting for the businesses. Eli Home receives no state or federal funding, so it relies on donations, profits from the shops and other fund raising.

Despite the many demands on her time--including serving on the board of directors and meeting with counselors about the progress of residents--Galloway spends about 20 hours each month writing thank-you letters to everyone who donates money to Eli Home.

“It’s gotten really crazy. I try to make them short and simple, but I want people to know that they’re not just a name and a check, that someone really appreciates what they’re doing,� Galloway said.

A couple of weeks ago, Galloway said she ran into the first child Eli ever helped. He had gone from being an 11-year-old abused child being courted by gangs to a teen-ager recently graduated from high school and helping to support his mother.

“He’s this handsome, good boy and I just have to believe that we made a difference in his life,� Galloway said. “This kid could have been in jail. This kid could have murdered somebody. But he didn’t turn out that way at all.�

Award winners were chosen from more than 50 nominations received from 33 organizations. Among those being honored are the guilds of Children’s Hospital of Orange County, which have raised more than $8.8 million for the hospital since 1962, and the Harry and Grace Steele Foundation, which has given grants of more than $65 million in the past 36 years.

A special “spirit of philanthropy� award will be presented to Arnold Beckman, founder of Beckman Instruments Inc. Through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, he and his late wife have awarded more than $170 million in the past decade and founded UC Irvine’s Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic and the adjacent Beckman Center.