Operation USA
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| Operation USA | |
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| Founder(s) | Richard Walden Llewellyn Werner |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | Culver City, California |
| Key people | Richard Walden, President, and CEO Julie Andrews Senator Gary Hart Dr. Louis Ignarro Blake Edwards Roland Joffé |
| Area served | Global |
| Focus | Sustainable relief, Healthcare, Ending poverty |
| Slogan | Give and it gets there. |
| Website | www.opusa.org |
Operation USA (OpUSA, Operation California, or OpCal) is a non profit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping communities alleviate the effects of disaster, disease, and endemic poverty throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction, humanitarian aid and development aid.
Contents |
[edit] Key Facts
- Exclusively privately funded.
- Top 4-star rating by. Charity Navigator.[1]
- Revenue of over $18 million in fiscal year 2006.[1]
- Shipped over $250 million worth of "high-priority medical, nutritional and shelter supplies" since inception.[2]
[edit] Awards and Affiliations
- Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient in 1997 for work as part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.[3][4]
- The 1983 President's Volunteer Action Award.[4]
- Top 100 Best Charities in Worth Magazine.[5]
- Collaboration with NASA to develop new methods of land mine detection.[6]
- Member of InterAction.[5]
- AlertNet news partner.[7]
[edit] History
- 1979: Operation California, "a relief organization created to provide aid to Cambodian refugees"[8], was founded by Richard Walden and Llewellyn Werner. The organization flew "the first international relief airlift to Cambodia since 1975"[9], delivering food and medicine to Phnom-Penh. Operation California airlifted more than $3 million worth of aid by October 1979.[10][11][12][13]
- 1982: Operation USA, in cooperation with Americares Foundation, sent "the first private airlift from the U.S. to Poland", delivering 200,000 lbs. of medical supplies and medicine.[15]
- 1983: Aid to the children of Vietnam and Cambodia.[16]
- 1985: Aid to Mexico City earthquake victims.[17]
- 1985: Operation USA, in cooperation with The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and Oxfam America, delivered $250,000 worth of medical aid to Nicaragua.[18][19]
- 1986 Operation California, in conjunction with Medical Aid to El Salvador and the Salvation Army, sent "[t]wo cargo planes carrying $500,000 worth of relief supplies to earthquake-stricken El Salvador".[20]
- 1988: Operation California began using Operation USA as its corporate name.[9]
- 1989: Operation USA began operating on children in Vietnam who have cleft palates. [21]
- 1991: Aid to Bangladesh. [23]
- 1994: Earthquake relief effort.[25]
- 1995: Aid to Hurricane Mitch survivors in Honduras and Nicaragua.[26]
- 2003: Aid to Iraq War victims in the Persian Gulf.[28]
[edit] Celebrity Affiliates
- Barbra Streisand[33]
- Bonnie Raitt[34]
- Carol Burnett[35]
- Crosby, Stills & Nash[34]
- Don Henley
- Ed Asner[36]
- Frank Sinatra[33][35]
- Jack Elliot[35]
- Jackson Browne[34][6]
- James Garner[37]
- John Denver[33][35]
- Julie Andrews[38][39][35]
- Kirk Douglas[35]
- Michael Jackson[35]
- New American Orchestra[35]
- Placido Domingo[33][35]
- Ricardo Montalban[35]
- Ry Cooder[34][40]
- Sharon Stone[37]
- The Buena Vista Social Club[40]
- Tony Adams[4]
[edit] Film and Theater Projects
- Because We Care (CBS Television Special)[41]
- Beyond Borders (Hollywood)[42]
- Buena Vista Social Club (film) (Hollywood & Havana)[40]
- Fidel (film) (Hollywood for Showtime)
- Mary Poppins (musical) (London stage)
- Miss Saigon (Hollywood)
- Roll Bounce [43]
- The Killing Fields (film) (Hollywood & Cambodia)[44]
- Victor, Victoria (Broadway)
[edit] References
- ^ OpUSA Shipments (English). Operation USA. Retrieved on 2008-6-4.
- ^ Robert Scheer (1997-10-14). Banning Land Mines Is a No-Brainer; Clinton still has time to find his backbone, follow his instincts and sign the Ottawa treaty. (English). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Reuters AlertNet - News partners (English). Reuters. Retrieved on 2008-6-7.
- ^ Human Kindness (English). Los Angeles Times (1980-6-11). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ ROBERT J. CAMPBELL (1979-10-25). Students Form Group to Aid Cambodia: Plan Lobbying, Petitions, Fast, and Concert (English). The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Operation California Bidding a Benefit (English). Time Magazine (1979-12-10). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Brown Assails 'Neglect' In Relief for Cambodia (English). The New York Times (1979-12-6). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ "There Is Nothing, Monsieur" (English). Time Magazine (1979-12-10). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ KATHLEEN HENDRIX (1989-9-12). Airlift to Beirut: Relief and Red Tape. Operation California Finally Manages to Get Medical Supplies to Lebanon (English). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Operation California Bidding a Benefit (English). PR Newswire (1982-2-17). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Jody Jacobs (1983-11-2). Operation California Bidding a Benefit (English). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Operation USA Appeals For Public Support To Aid Victims Of South Mexico Floods (English). Reuters (2007-11-3). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Aid for Nicaragua (English). The Washington Post (1985-7-6). Retrieved on 2008-6-9.
- ^ No Title (English). PR Newswire (1985-7-3). Retrieved on 2008-6-9.
- ^ Quake Relief Groups Allowed To Land At Salvadoran Military Airport (English). The Associated Press (1986-10-18). Retrieved on 2008-6-9.
- ^ U.S. medical team operates on Vietnamese children (English). United Press International (1989-3-15). Retrieved on 2008-6-9.
- ^ U.S. and Soviet Relief Workers to Join Forces (English). Los Angeles Times (1990-6-1). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Burnout Hits Relief Network Too many catastrophes abroad and too many burdens at home are blamed for the lackluster public response to recent appeals for help. (English). Los Angeles Times (2007-5-4). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Mission to Somalia Poses Danger for Relief Worker Famine: Neil Frame will take medical supplies gathered by a Westside agency to field hospitals in the war-torn African nation. (English). Los Angeles Times (1993-1-10). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Donations Sought in Quake Relief Effort (English). Los Angeles Times (1994-2-12). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Reach Out to Lift Up Hurricane Survivors (English). Los Angeles Times (1998-11-17). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Sending a Rainbow of Relief After the Floods; For many Southland Latinos, aiding Mexico's storm victims is a means of honoring homeland ties. (English). Los Angeles Times (1999-10-19). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ AID GROUPS AMASS RELIEF GEAR (English). Long Beach Press-Telegram (2003-3-19). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ GROUP READIES AID (English). Long Beach Press-Telegram (2004-12-30). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Operation USA Appeals For Public Support To Aid Victims Of South Mexico Floods (English). Reuters (2007-11-3). Retrieved on 2008-6-5.
- ^ Los Angeles Based Operation USA Appeals for Funds to Aid in Myanmar (Burmese) Cyclone Disaster (English). Fox Business News. Retrieved on 2008-6-4.
- ^ Operation USA to Respond to Earthquake Devastation in China; Agency is Appealing for Funds to Rebuild Schools and Clinics (English). PR Newswire. Retrieved on 2008-6-4.
- ^ Daniel Southerland (1982-1-26). Foreign aid, Hollywood-style: cut red tape, go to the top (English). Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 2008-6-9.
- ^ Bill Higgins (1991-10-22). Operation USA Raises $200,000 at Benefit (English). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-6-6.
- ^ Kathy Blumenstock (2007-1-26). Her newest role: Surprised recipient; Julie Andrews will receive the Screen Actors Guild's 43rd Life Achievement Award on Sunday. (English). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-6-6.
- ^ ANDREW EPSTEIN (1980-3-16). BENEFIT TV SHOW RAISES $1 MILLION (English). The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2008-6-7.
- ^ USC Annenberg School for Communication to Host Special Screening on USC Campus Of Paramount Pictures' 'Beyond Borders'. (English). PR Newswire (2003-9-25). Retrieved on 2008-6-7.
- ^ Janice Page (2005-9-3). 'Roll Bounce' slides back to the '70s with an earnest, feel-good vibe (English). The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2008-6-7.
- ^ REAL-LIFE PARTICIPANTS OF "THE KILLING FIELDS" TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE (English). PR Newswire (1984-11-13). Retrieved on 2008-6-9.


