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Priests Retirement Fund
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THE WALKER FAMILY
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD
PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR HONOREE
For five generations, Walker family members have been raised with the values of hard work and of service above self. Having been blessed with five generations of success in their family business, they believe in the responsibility of sharing their blessings and giving back to the communities they are honored to serve.
C.J. Walker founded Farmers & Merchants Bank in 1907 on the principles of honesty, integrity, the home, the Church, and service above self. F&M has been and will continue to be a family-managed bank that is strong, conservative, and friendly, now with five generations of Walker leaders: Founder, C.J. Walker; his son, Gus A. Walker; his grandson, Kenneth G. Walker; and now his great-grandsons, Daniel K. Walker, CEO, and W. Henry Walker, President; and his great-great-grandchildren, Nolan Nicholson, Vice President, and Christine M. Walker-Bowman, F&M Bank Foundation President.
Farmers & Merchants Bank got its start because the people of the community believed and invested in it – and the Walker family has never ceased in returning that favor. The core values instilled by the family’s first generation continue to guide the Bank’s principles and practices. To this day, the Bank upholds C.J. Walker’s philanthropic spirit, regularly giving to local schools, healthcare facilities, nonprofit organizations and religious institutions, providing more than $2 Million in sponsorships and donations to more than 650 organizations across Southern California last year.
F&M’s philanthropic contributions have come in many forms, including in-kind donations for charity events, employee volunteer efforts, recognition and grant programs for organizations and individuals, and critical banking services that allow nonprofits to serve their missions, including OCSA, Orangewood Foundation and Samueli Academy.
The Farmers & Merchants Bank Foundation was created in 2012 as a separate 501(c)(3) organization to further enhance the legacy of philanthropic community support established by C.J. Walker.
Farmers & Merchants Bank is the founder and seed sponsor for The Orange Catholic Foundation’s Conference on Business & Ethics and has remained a presenting partner for all nineteen years.
VINCENT NGUYEN, D.O., C.M.D.
FOUNDATION PRESIDENT’S AWARD
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY LEADER OF THE YEAR HONOREE
Dr. Vincent D. Nguyen is a Board-Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Specialist with Board Certifications in Geriatrics and Family Medicine. He currently serves as the Palliative Program Medical Director, providing clinical and administrative oversight of the inpatient and outpatient palliative services at Hoag Hospitals. He is a volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCI School of Medicine and co-founded the Palliative Medicine Fellowship program to train physicians the art of hospice and palliative medicine. Dr. Nguyen has published multiple articles in the Journal of Palliative Medicine and co-authored several chapters in two books on end-of-life care published by the McGraw-Hill Companies. He is the founder and continues to co-chair the Orange County POLST Coalition since 2009, which serves as a catalyst for timely advance care planning conversations through community awareness and education.
In collaboration with the Diocese of Orange Office of Pastoral Care for Families in All Stages, he serves on the Caring for the Whole Person Initiative Leadership team to implement best practices to improve care for the seriously ill and their family in local parishes. Representing the Providence-St. Joseph Health System, Dr. Nguyen has served as a Board Member of the Supportive Care Coalition, the only national Catholic membership organization whose primary mission is advancing excellence in palliative care. He had served on the Board of Directors of The Orange Catholic Foundation for 6 years. In 2019, he was invested in the Order of Malta, a lay religious order of the Catholic Church with a long history of service to the vulnerable and the sick.
Dr. Vincent Nguyen served in the Army National Guard Reserve for 11 years. He attributes his accomplishments to his supportive wife, Linh, of 30 years and together they have spent over a decade as volunteers in family ministries preparing engaged couples for marriage and presenting at marriage renewal workshops. His interests include golf outings with his 3 daughters, annual silent Ignatian retreats, gardening and long naps on weekends.
GARY LEVOX, LEAD SINGER OF RASCAL FLATTS
ENTERTAINMENT
Gary LeVox made a name for himself as the lead singer in the multi-platinum-selling country-pop group Rascal Flatts. Since their founding in 2000, the band went on to infuse country’s traditional mainstream with smooth-pop textures, arena-rocking energy and faithful positivity, impacting countless fans and fellow artists along the way. They racked up 17 Number One hits, over 23.4 million albums sold, 35 million digital downloads, 2.2 billion streams worldwide and 4.4 billion streams solely on Pandora, while also selling over 11 million concert tickets and earning more than 40 trophies from the ACA, ACM, AMA, CMA, People’s Choice and more, making them the most awarded country group of the past decade.
HENRY DICARLO, AMS METEOROLOGISTKTLA 5 MORNING NEWS
EMCEE
Henry DiCarlo is an Emmy award-winning AMS meteorologist and sportscaster for the KTLA 5 Morning News. A television Meteorologist for over 25 years, Henry has worked in Palm Springs, CA, Salt Lake City, UT and, Seattle, WA. He currently works in Los Angeles, CA. A four-time Emmy winner, Henry has won an Emmy for Weather, Sports, and Reporting.
Born in the city of Orange, Henry attended Villa Park High School and graduated with a Communications degree from California State University, Fullerton. He went on to earn his Meteorology degree from Mississippi State University and received his American Meteorological Society (AMS) seal in 2002. Henry has become one of the leading Weather Experts in the country, serving as a professional witness in dozens of court cases across the country.
Henry and his wife, Lisa, currently live in Yorba Linda, CA with their two sons, Henry III and Jack, and three dogs, LeRoy, Otis, and Lucy. As a family, they enjoy traveling, sports, and cooking, as well as serving as advocates for pet, children, and veteran-related causes.
special thanks to our gala partners
EMERALD PARTNER
ANN CONWAY
JADE PARTNER
SUSAN MEARS
KENT & VIRGINIA VALLEY
SAPPHIRE PARTNER
RICHARD & KIM CRAWFORD
JOHN & LYN MCKINNEY
JOHN MCMAHON
PATRICIA O’DONNELL
AMETHYST PARTNER
STEVE & SUZANNE CAMERON
