VBJ January 22

THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL
4 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com
January 2022
RAKA GIVES BACK DAY SHOWERS HUNDREDS OF
UNSUSPECTING COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
On Saturday, December 11, 2021,
RAKA (Random Acts of Kindness Alliance)
surprised hundreds with random
acts of kindness and recognized Tammy
Wilson, Oak Grove Center CEO, for her
30 years of leadership and service to the
community’s at-risk and special needs
youth. The recognition was a part of
RAKA’s 9th Annual Give Back Day, an
annual community service project created
and led by Shawn Sorensen, winner
of Exit Alliance Realty’s national 2021
Humanitarian of the Year Award earlier
this year. Each December, RAKA dedicates
time and resources to help anyone
in need.
This year, RAKA had 150 community
volunteers broken up into 12 groups
to complete 12 random acts of kindness
projects benefiting hundreds of families,
animals and nonprofits in the local area.
Groups were charged with filling Holiday
wish lists for Oak Grove Center
low-income families, assembling more
than 200 food boxes at Salvation Army,
surprising unsuspecting grocery shoppers
or restaurant patrons by paying their
bills, and serving dog treats and toys at
local dog parks. RAKA even stepped in
to generously help a domestic violence
survivor and single mother of six with
emergency bill assistance, gifts, food,
home safety fix-ups, and a used car for
her 18 year old son to get to work.
RAKA also recognizes nonprofit
leaders shedding light on the personal
sacrifices they make for the community.
Tammy Wilson, Chief Executive Officer
of Oak Grove Center was one of four
recognized that day. As CEO, Ms. Wilson
is responsible for leading Oak Grove’s
operations, supervising the management
team, and providing leadership to over
345 staff members, as well as the special
needs youth targeted by the organization.
Additionally, she is responsible for maintaining
and ensuring the quality of care
related to all Oak Grove Center licenses
and accreditations, including Joint Commission
(JCAH) and Western Association
of Schools (WASC). During her tenure
as CEO, Oak Grove Center has expanded
from 190 employees to a staff of 375,
while securing the requisite funding to
grow the organization’s operating budget
from $500,000 to over $20 million.
For more information on Oak Grove
Center visit www.oakgrovecenter.org.
For more information about RAKA, visit
their Facebook page at www.facebook.
com/Randomactsofkindnessalliance
Oak Grove Center is a nonprofit Residential,
Education and Treatment Center
(with multiple campuses) for children
throughout California with psychological,
emotional and behavioral problems
and special needs. Oak Grove Center’s
mission is to rebuild the lives of at-risk
children and their families through educating,
healing, restoring relationships,
building character and instilling hope.
In this issue:
Murrieta City Council Sets Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore for Upcoming Year 1
Operating a Consulting Service 1
Social Media Marketing Training Event 1
The “Best of the Best” Chevrolet Dealers Honored 1
Long-Serving Menifee Assistant City Engineer Yolanda Macalalad 2
DigiFest Temecula Opens Submissions 3
RAKA Gives Back Day - Random Acts of Kindness 4
Grand Opening Celebration Elite Tax Partners 5
City of Menifee Receives Distinguished Budget Award 5
City of Murrieta Awarded for Excellence in Financial Reporting 6
Burke Takes Seat as EVMWD Board President 7
It’s Time to Step It Up! 7
JDS Creative Academy is Positive’s Nonprofit of the Month 8
JDS Studios: A Year in Review 9
Breaking Down the 2022 Proposed Tax Changes 10
Highlights of 2022 Tax Season for Your 2021 Tax Return 11
New Immigration Attorney Joins REID & HELLYER Law Firm 12
EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Darlene Wetton 13
EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Brian Connors 15
Chamber of Commerce Events 16
Online Eye “Exams” 17
The City of Murrieta Thanks Former Mayor Scott Vinton for Service 19
Tune In to Temecula Presents 2022 Classical Series 20
Realtor® Report 23
Temecula Announces Winners from Santa’s Electric Light Parade 24