NBC4’s Orange County Bureau Chief Vikki Vargas received the 2011 General William Lyon Crystal Vision Philanthropy Award from the Orangewood Children’s Foundation. Vargas received the top honor for her work with foster youth at the organization’s annual Ambassador Luncheon held at the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel on Thursday, October 6th, 2011.
Named after Orangewood’s founding Board Chairman General William Lyon, Vargas is only the ninth recipient of the award. This recognition is given to individuals who have given his or her time and resources and who reflects the unending commitment to Orange County children.
Vargas has been committed to the cause of abused children for more than 15 years. She has served on Orangewood’s Board of Directors since 1996. She is a co-founder of Orangewood’s Guardian Scholars Program at California State University Fullerton, a partnership between the organization and local universities that provides college scholarships and on-campus support to former foster youth who want to achieve their dreams of a college education. The program provides on-campus support to these young adults who don’t have the benefit of the guidance and resources of family.
“Vikki has a true passion for our kids. She has been an active and respected member of our board and deeply admired by the staff and college students,” said Cal Winslow, chief executive
officer of Orangewood Children’s Foundation. “She was a natural selection for this award and we are proud to honor her for the many years of service and the accomplishments she has achieved on behalf of the organization.”
“Vikki is an exceptional journalist who has given countless hours of her time back to the community to help local youth fulfill their dream of achieving a college education,” said Vickie Burns, Vice President of News for NBC4 Los Angeles. “We are very proud of her recognition and celebrate this honor with the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.”
Vargas is NBC4’s Orange County Bureau Chief, overseeing all news gathering operations for the station in Orange County. She joined NBC4 in July 1982 as a general assignment reporter, and has been stationed in and covered Orange County’s major news storiessince 1984. Vargas has won numerous awards for both her professional achievements and community involvement, including the prestigious National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Lifetime Achievement Award, California State University Fullerton’s Vision & Visionaries Award, Hispanic Americans for Fairness in Media Avance Award, a Golden Mike and an Orange County Press Club Award for “Best News Reporting.”
Orangewood Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide innovative services for abused and neglected children and at-risk families to end the cycle of child abuse, one life at a time. to find out more about the Orangewood Children's Foundation, visit www.orangewoodfoundation.org.
