On Saturday, January 28th, our first and long-time board Chair, Dr. Paul F. O’Rourke, passed away. Paul helped establish Operation USA (then known as Operation California) as an an agile, effective relief agency which could immediately respond to disasters in many of the world’s most dangerous places.
He traveled with us to Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, [...]
MSN Money
Invest in Yourself: Starting a Charitable Foundation
Doing good in the world is equal parts vision and hard work. Find out how CEO Richard Walden got Operation USA off the ground MSN Money profiles OpUSA as part of their series “Invest in Yourself”.
WATCH HERE.
Julie Andrews will be honored at this year’s Princess Grace Awards Gala with the Prince Rainier III Award, a kudo given to prominent creatives whose career has included both artistic achievement and significant humanitarian work.
Andrews has a long history of charity work, particularly on behalf of orgs that tackle international issues. She’s a founding board [...]
Operation USA is proud to share this good news from our friends and long-time partner in Port-au-Prince, L’Athletique D’Haiti.
From Boby Duval, LADH:
“A group of young women organized by L’Athletique D’Haiti beat overwhelming odds to win the Women’s Plate in Paris. First, the team almost did not make it to the tournament for which they had [...]
Like you, Operation USA is closely monitoring reports of Hurricane Irene’s path of destruction as it makes its way north. 65 million people are in its path.
We want you to imagine that you are here with us at Operation USA headquarters in Los Angeles as we watch the storm–and prepare to be useful in the [...]
Operation USA is focusing on providing safe (e.g., purified) water to refugees from Somalia languishing in the world’s largest refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya, and to internally displaced drought victims in southern Ethiopia. We are working with local partners including Oxfam America and Africa Humanitarian Action, an Ethiopia-based Pan-African NGO. Both are excellent NGOs and [...]
We are moving!
As of July 11, Operation USA can be found at the following location.
Please make note of our new address and phone numbers:
Operation USA
7421 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
tel. 323.413.2353
fax. 323.931.5400
With many thanks!
Operation USA has been designated the official charity beneficiary of the Karma Foundation’s 6th Annual Kandyland Party. Held Saturday, June 25, this exclusive star-studded event was a great success.
To learn more about the Karma Foundation, visit:
www.thekarmafoundation.com
Julie Orlov
THE PATHWAY TO LOVE
A book launch event to benefit Operation USA’s women’s programs
Operation USA gives special thanks to author and relationship builder Julie Orlov, and our board member Jeff Franklin, for hosting this benefit event.
Julie’s passion for helping people create relationships in their lives that work is both inspirational and practical. The afternoon event [...]
MATERIAL AID SHIPMENTS: 2011
From antibiotics to vitamin A, water purifications tablets to surgical packs—Operation USA has been delivering material aid in the form of donated medical supplies and equipment, medicines and vitamins, education and shelter materials to people in need from its earliest days forward.
A cornerstone of our work, Operation USA is proud of [...]
Japan • Earthquake & Tsunami
Situation Report
15 March 2011
This report is produced by OCHA. It was issued by the Regional Office in Asia Pacific with input from the UNDAC team in Tokyo. It covers the period from 14-15 March.
HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
• There has been a third explosion at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant
• Radiation [...]
Many thanks to the Sequoyah School!
In response to the massive flooding that hit much of Pakistan in the summer of 2010, the “Over There” Class (5th and 6th grades) collected school supplies to add to Operation USA’s relief efforts focusing on education.
We are always greatly impressed by the enthusiasm and generosity of our donors. Thank [...]
MARCH 2011. A look at the process as we enter the final stages of rebuilding the public elementary school ‘Ecole Nationale JM Henriquez’. The first day of school is coming soon! Slated for May 2011.
From January 2010–to today… A quick history in images.
view album on Flickr
Operation USA is proud to share news of the day—and honor for our CEO Richard Walden.
from SecondAct
15 TOP GAME-CHANGERS OF 2010
By David Ferrell|
December 23, 2010
They are game-changers. They are changing ideas about what is possible. They are taking on society’s biggest, most intractable problems and, against all odds, making a huge difference.
13. Richard Walden
Walden, a [...]
Blake Edwards
1922-2010
December 15, 2010
Legendary writer-director Blake Edwards passed away this morning at age 88. The filmmaker was regarded as a modern master of contemporary film comedy and will be remembered through his more than 50 movies, including THE PINK PANTHER series, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES and 10.
Beyond his films, Blake was [...]
Operation USA, its staff, its board and its thousands of supporters wish Julie Andrews a very happy 75th birthday.
For over 31 years, Julie and her family have been essential to Operation USA’s very existence. Julie was attracted to our small relief group at the very beginning and for the purest of reasons—she wanted us [...]
Operation USA and Honeywell announced today the ground breaking for a public school, Ecole Nationale Jacob Martin Henriquez in Jacmel, Haiti.
Monday, June 28th
Harmony for Haiti ~ A Benefit Concert
Featuring performers from Broadway, Recording Artists, and Grammy Award winners. A Silent Auction with high-end goods & services will be held prior to the concert at 6:00pm.
100% of the proceeds from this concert will be donated to Operation USA’s Haiti Earthquake relief efforts including the school rebuilding [...]
Lives in Limbo: Re-Imagining Structures and Standards in Refugee Camps
Rockefeller Foundation, New York
April 2, 2010
This conference brings together experts in engineering, design, humanitarian programs, public health, and human rights to re-imagine the modern refugee camp. Based on Operation USA’s thirty years experience with refugee populations across the globe, the conference will center on the [...]
March 26, 2010—The USA Rice Federation announced today that Operation USA has been chosen as the beneficiary of $15,850 worth of rice purchased with funds donated during a monthlong USA Rice fundraising drive for humanitarian–relief efforts in Haiti. Operation USA assists developing communities in the United States and abroad in addressing problems relating to natural [...]
CNN American Morning:
Stephanie Elam talks to OpUSA’s CEO Richard Walden about how charities are spending your donations for Haiti.
Watch Clip
Julie Andrews spends a morning with The View: discusses upcoming film and OpUSA’s disaster relief work in Haiti
On Tuesday, January 12, 2010 a massive earthquake hit Haiti causing widespread devastation throughout the island nation.
Haiti ranks as one of the least developed countries in the world and is the poorest in the western hemisphere. According to the World Food Program–before the earthquake–more than half of the population lived on less than $1 per [...]
Our youngest supporters, Zoe Lipscomb (8) and her brother Henry (6) launched a lemonade stand this holiday season, in support of OpUSA. They raised over $200 to buy toys for local kids in foster care!
By Richard Walden, Operation USA, Preisdent & CEO
This holiday season there are a number of ways you can donate to powerful causes in honor of family and friends that they would wholeheartedly endorse in lieu of a gift:
1. Water purification tablets to disaster-prone areas like Cuba, Haiti, The Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Each $125 [...]
June 2009
Operation USA is the proud recipient of the Louisiana Primary Care Association’s annual Guardian Award for service to Louisiana’s uninsured and underinsured populations.
“As a staunch supporter of LPCA and the state’s Federally Qualified Health Centers, we would like to commend you for your efforts when natural disasters affected Louisiana. Your organization was one of the first [...]
NPR’s The Story: Just Back From Sri Lanka, featuring OpUSA’s Director of South Asia Programs. Aired May 13, 2009
AOL Digital City
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ONLINE CHARITY FRAUD: EXPERT ADVICE
By Carly Milne
So let’s say you’re getting a tax refund – you lucky dog, you – and you’re on the hunt for a charity to spend your hard earned cash on. But you don’t necessarily want to go with something that everyone usually goes with, so [...]
South Asia Director Nimmi Gowrinathan speaks about the situation in Sri Lanka in Part 4 of the series, “Caught in the Crossfire”.
From truthdigg.com
In the 12 years since Operation USA began directly providing humanitarian aid to Cuba’s main pediatric hospitals and its much-lauded international medical school, licenses have had to be obtained from both the US Department of Commerce and the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury. The shorthand name for [...]
In 2008, named the
“#1 Exclusively Privately Funded Charity”
by Charity Navigator.
Co-recipient of the
1997 Nobel Peace Prize as part of “The International Campaign to Ban Landmines”