SACRAMENTO – Earlier today, Senator Tom Umberg (D-Orange County), and the California State Senate, announced that the Mariposa Center in Orange has been honored as the 34^th Senate District 2024 Nonprofit of the Year.

Since 1977, Mariposa has served Orange County’s women, men, and families with innovative counseling programs and therapies to help achieve balance both at home and in the workplace. From personalized, individual care to group sessions with survivors, people suffering PTSD, and those struggling with addiction, Mariposa Center caters to all of the areas families in need.

For the last nine years, legislators from across California have chosen a Nonprofit of the Year in their district. Traditionally, the Senate and Assembly invite legislators and honorees to a celebratory luncheon on California Nonprofits Day. A picture of Senator Umberg with Krista Driver and Lauren Justice of Mariposa Center is attached.

“The pandemic, more than anything, served to highlight the work that nonprofits do for our community. The services and resources provided by the Mariposa Center and other nonprofit organizations are awe-inspiring,” said Senator Tom Umberg (D - Santa Ana). “As we work to recover from the mental and emotional impacts of the pandemic and deal with California’s opioid and fentanyl crises, the Mariposa Center is and has been a pivotal resource to Orange County families.”

According to Causes Count, a 2019 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the fourth largest industry in the state, employing more than 1.2 million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate more than $273 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California.

Nearly all of California’s 120 state legislators selected a Nonprofit of the Year for their districts, the highest participation yet since the program began in 2016. The nonprofits selected for this honor reflect the diversity of the state their work benefits. They address a wide range of issue areas and work in communities both urban and rural. The recognition as a Nonprofit of the Year brings much deserved attention to outstanding nonprofits whose work is often hiding in plain sight.

The Mariposa Center is focused on finding that seed of hope and the opportunity to regain wellness within everyone. For more than 46 years, the Center has served Orange County’s women, men and families with innovative counseling programs and therapies. From individual substance abuse counseling and domestic violence counseling to group sessions with fellow survivors, Mariposa supports everyone’s healing journey. Mariposa staff believe that there’s a path to a brighter and better future for anyone who is struggling, and their mission is to help pave the way.

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Senator Thomas J. Umberg represents the 34th Senate District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra,

Long Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, and East and South Whittier. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal prosecutor, and small businessman.

He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.