StandUp for Kids – Orange County
Creg Parks has been a donor at StandUp for Kids for over nine years, and we admire his dedication to our mission. He has been working in healthcare for about 30 years doing consulting. He now owns his own company, where he helps and assists doctors, hospitals, and health plans, and does a variety of things to make healthcare a better industry. Creg is also launching a new company called Aspire. Aspire consists of a new mental health toolkit, a healthcare toolkit, and healthcare networks for employers. He has a passion for helping others, which he has been able to live out through supporting StandUp for Kids. He recently moved to San Diego but had lived in Orange County for most of his life. Living in San Diego, he loves to sail and work on his startup.
Creg also has a significant commitment to charitable causes because of his Christian faith. Creg stated, “As a Christian, I just feel love and always want to do good for others. So, this is part of my DNA and my whole life’s purpose.” In addition to his faith, what led Creg to help the homeless youth was learning more about homelessness in Orange County. After doing some research, he came across StandUp for Kids. Seeing our mission as an organization inspired him to get involved. Getting in touch with our executive director, Justine, Creg started serving. Previously, when he lived in Orange County, he did some mentoring. Now that he lives in San Diego, he has a pause on that but wishes to get more directly involved again. Despite Creg moving down south, he still significantly impacts the program through monthly giving. Being engaged for about a decade, we are grateful for dedicated individuals like Creg.
When asked why he thinks people should donate to StandUp for Kids, he said, “Well, to me, this is just a huge crisis, and the results are outstanding. There are just so many stories of people that the organization has helped. So, I think it’s just a critical thing in our society. So, I encourage all people to either help, volunteer, or donate because the money goes directly to help these kids and it really is effective.” Not only has Creg impacted our programs, but StandUp for Kids has also positively impacted him. To this day, he has been able to stay in touch with one of the youths he mentored via Facebook, which has been especially rewarding. Creg has been able to watch him grow from struggling on the streets to being married to a career as a chef. Also, being able to attend the gala and hear stories from the youth that have been impacted at StandUp for Kids was incredibly fulfilling for Creg.
Creg is an outstanding example of someone passionate and dedicated to our cause. We wouldn’t be able to be successful without people like him and you! The youth of Orange County need you! Please get involved and donate today by visiting our website.