Orange County Childrens Therapeutic Arts Center

The mission of the OC Children's Therapeutic Arts Center is to provide innovative, artistic, educational and therapy programs to low-income and special needs families that unlock potential, nurture creativity, and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The OC Children's Therapeutic Arts Center was founded 25 years ago with the vision of providing therapeutic arts programs for children with special needs. One year after, OCCTAC broadened its scope to include ALL students, with an emphasis on providing access to children, youth and families from very low-income communities. Serving the high-need and under-resourced communities of Santa Ana and surrounding cities, OCCTAC became a pillar in the community, by offering a wide variety of programs to ensure access to the arts, creative education and creative therapy for the whole family! Ninety percent of the families we serve are very low-income. Many have annual incomes under $30,000. The majority of the children and youth in this area experience an arts opportunity gap and OCCTAC ensures access to the arts, educational opportunities and other support services, such as family counseling and more! During our 25 years history, OCCTAC has grown significantly throughout the years, and it currently serves more than 7,000 children, 500 youth and 400 adults throughout the year. Our programs serve a wide range of ages, from very young children and their parents, to young adults and seniors. OCCTAC programs empower children, youth and adults, while also promoting family wellness! Our organization has also built very important community partners throughout the years, and expanded the level of services we offer in the community. Some of our key community partners include: a) Santa Ana Unified School District, b) City of Santa Ana, c) County of Orange, d) Regional Center of OC, e) Pepperdine University, School of Pshychology, f) Santa Ana College and many more.

OCCTAC has grown significantly throughout the years. The most significant accomplishments from the past 5 years include: 1) OCCTAC's Operational budget has increased signatifantly throughout the years. Five years ago: 1,400,000 to 2,700,000 in 2025. We have been able to secure additional grants & contracts for our organization; 2) Number of participants served - we expanded the level of services and provided programs to more than 7,000 participants each year, including children, youth, and adults; 3) Age range of participants - we expanded our programs to older adults in the community, at-risk of isolation and mental health problems, by providing arts and socialization activities to older adults; 4) More Community Wellness programs - OCCTAC has expanded our range of mental health programs, mentoring and emotional support to families in the community at no cost to them. Currently, we offer a variety of community wellness activities, such as: a) parent mentor services, b) family and individual counseling, c) support groups, d) parenting classes, and more.; and 5) Size of Organization - OCCTAC currently employs 25 full time staff and 69 part-time employees. We have grown very much during the past 25 years thanks to our community partners and funders that believe in the mission of our organization!

The top 5 goals for the current year include the following:
1) Continue to achieve Financial Strength and Sustainability for OCCTAC through fund development and diverisification of funds through private funding and family foundations;
2) Expand and engage Major Donors in our mission with the help of the Board of Directors and a our Fund Development committe and staff;
3) Hire a full-time Director of Development to help the CEO and Board continue to bring more funds and resources to the organization;
4) Continue to expand our Board of Directors and bring more people with influence to our Board;
5) Develop and implement a Transition Plan for our Founder.

In addition to raising unrestricted funds for operations, fund development and marketing, OCCTAC Board of Directors and Founder will start looking for a bigger space/building for OCCTAC to accomodate for our growth (donated space, if possible), and discuss a transition plan for our Founder and CEO, who has volunteered her services for the past 25 years!

The Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center is located in the City of Santa Ana. The majority of the families that we serve come from the City of Santa Ana. However, we also serve many other families from nearby communities and distant cities, all over Orange County. Some families come from nearby communities, such as Tustin, Orange, Fullerton, Garden Grove, etc. However, we also have some families that come from distant communities (such as Long Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, etc.), because they have children with disabilities and cannot find the services that we provide in their community!

My name is Dr. Ana Jimenez-Hami and I started this organization in the year 2000. This year OCCTAC celebrates 25 years, a milestone I am incredibly proud of! I started this organization after the tragic loss of my parents. I wanted to honor their memory by bringing joy, healing, empowerment and transformation to children and youth with disabilities from low-income communities. My parents taught me the value of philanthropy and I have been able to volunteer my time all these years at OCCTAC. It has been an amazing journey, and so many lessons learned!

The Orange County Children's Therapeutic Arts Center (OCCTAC) is a jewel in our community. I am very passionate about the work that we do at our organization because I have seen firsthand all the incredible accomplishments and growth of so many of our students, especially those with special needs. The Arts is a powerful tool for self-expression, healing, empowerment and transformation. I have seen many miracles happen at our organization! Here are just a few examples: a) a child cannot use her voice to speak, but she is able to draw and paint to express her emotions; b) a youth that is struggling academically, has low confidence and self-esteem is empowered through the arts to accomplish great things! He learned to play music, improved his grades in school and is now eager to enroll in college and be a mentor for others; c) a child that suffered from depression because of a traumatic event in her life is healed through the power of therapeutic arts; d) a youth with autism becomes a great pianist and wins an international competition; e) a blind student becomes an opera singer and performs at various community events. These are just a few examples of the power of the arts. I am especially amazed at our special needs students with Autism that develop high-level artistic skills and perform various musical instruments with excellence. It is beautiful to see the incredible talent that many of our students have and their accomplishments! This brings me great joy and satisfaction that all my sacrifices were never in vain. These are just a few examples of how the Arts can change lives and have a great impact of the lives of many students and families in need. Thank you for supporting our organization so that we can continue to spread Joy, Heal, Empower and Transform lives!

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Sam Chari, current Board President. In my professional life, I am a risk management professional and currently head of enterprise risk and compliance for Experian. I’ve been involved with OCCTAC for more than 4 years now, and it’s been one of the most rewarding times of my life. Enriching children’s lives has always been a passion for me. OCCTAC’s mission is unique in Southern California and has changed the lives of so many underprivileged youth over the past twenty years. I feel honored and fortunate to be involved with OCCTAC. The Board is comprised of a diverse and experienced group of professionals from different industries, and each is similarly passionate about serving OCCTAC. Every time we see one of the OCCTAC children present their work - whether it be music, dance, arts - it validates the efforts of everyone on the Board and OCCTAC’s staff. We have been able to expand OCCTAC’s programs and services every year. This is mainly due to our founder and Executive Director - Dr. Ana’s tireless work in promoting the organization in and around Santa Ana, California. New programs have been added, including for older youth and adults, and more children are served each year. OCCTAC has been recognized with several awards and acknowledgements in the communities we serve. The Board has been active in developing and refining our strategy. Currently, while our revenues have slowly grown each year, longer-term financial stability is an area of concern and one of our biggest focus areas. This is because our primary funding sources - government grants, school districts - are continuously seeking to shrink their budgets. So, our challenge is to find new and diverse sources of funding. Being on a stronger footing long-term will help us continue to expand our services, while not having to worry about short-term cash flow to handle our operating expenses. Everything else we want to do strategically depends on financial stability. This is why this grant is so important for us. You can be assured that the funds will be spent for a worthy cause and will further enrich the lives of more underprivileged children. On behalf of the Board, I wanted to share our gratitude for being able to apply for this grant - and more importantly, appeal for your favorable consideration. If there is any other information you would like from the Board, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Regards, Sam Chari/OCCTAC Board President