Our 2024 Holiday Party
Provided Joyful Merriment
Amidst a Season of Cheer
With plenty of joy and lots of cheer, the Orange County Water Association brought together its friends and members this holiday season to celebrate another wonderful year of growth and collaboration.
And the Irvine Marriot provided everything we’d been looking for to make our 66th Annual Holiday Gathering a remarkable success — a spacious ballroom in which to mingle, beautifully set dining tables, and a scrumptious meal. The beauty of the hotel, the wonderful decor, the spacious parking, and the friendly staff only added to the evening’s charm.
As guests entered the hallway outside the event, they were invited to have their picture taken before OCWA’s newly-acquired Association backdrop, tastefully adorned with balloons in preparation for the evening. It made for an elegant beginning to a memorable event.
As with previous gatherings, socializing proved the evening’s most popular activity, as was evident in the many happy, animated conversations seen around the room throughout the celebration.
Pictures of the Evening's Festivities
can be Viewed Here . . .
Following a delightful dinner, it was time for the evening’s “business.” Outgoing OCWA President Candice Espinoza (City of Anaheim) passed the gavel to Incoming President Derek Kurtti (Black & Veatch). Derek then presented Candice with a commemorative memento of her service, a beautiful crystal water drop on a base of black marble. Inscribed on the plaque, Candice was commended for her “exemplary leadership” throughout her tenure.
Derek then introduced OCWA’s 2024 Board officers: Vice President Taryn Kjolsing (South Coast Water District), Secretary Todd Dmytryshyn (Moulton Niguel Water District), and Treasurer Dave Jones (Hazen & Sawyer), along with returning Board Directors Sarina Sriboonlue (Municipal Water District of Orange County) and Michelie Little (MKN Associates), and the Board’s newest Director, Jill Zander (Michael Baker International). In addition, Association Legal Counsel Jeff Hoskinson (Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo), was signaled out for special recognition.
And then it was time for the evening’s entertainment, a spirited trivia contest built around popular culture and questions about the Orange County water community. Led by Todd Dmytryshyn, the challenging contest pitted each table against the rest of the room. After multiple rounds of play, a rubber match was needed to break a three-way tie. Out of the merriment, Black & Veatch emerged as the evening’s winner!
We were blessed this year to have twenty-five Sponsors for our event. With their support, a great many opportunity prizes were awarded to our many winners. Among the many prizes were a Ninja Foodi Air Fry Oven; Belle Glos Pinot Noir; JVC Noise Cancelling Headset; Grey Goose Vodka; an Italian Feast Gift Basket; Waterpik Water Flosser; Gift Certificates to Target, Home Depot, Amazon, and Fandango Movie Tickets; a Beats Solo 4 Headset, an Apple iPad; a Dyson Air Purifier; a California Cutting Board; a Coleman Ice Chest; a Nutribullet Blender; Apple Air Pods Pro; a Crosley Wireless Turntable; multiple mystery gifts from Carollo; and tickets to both L.A. Kings and L.A. Lakers games (with parking passes), provided by Civiltec. Some very generous, well-received prizes.
For a complete listing of this year’s sponsors,
please visit the Holiday Party Sponsors section of our website.
Gifts for our guests weren’t the only presents distributed. Through the generosity of our attendees, an incredible number of toys were collected for the Orange County Fire Authority’s “Spark of Love Toy Drive” for underserved children and teens throughout the county. The Orange County Water Association is very grateful to all our guests for their generous support in this worthy endeavor.
A lot of planning and effort went into this year’s gathering. Beginning as early as February, the Board began exploring venues, and by June plans were well underway. Under Candice’s watchful eyes, the party took shape through the efforts of all the Board members. Each director played a part, and each came through in extraordinary fashion. In addition to the Board’s efforts, we are indebted to Nadine Krill, with FirstFiveCreative.com, who helped immensely by taking the ‘red carpet’ photos before our new OCWA backdrop at the beginning of the festivities.
Should any readers have ideas for next year’s Party — we’ve already had a few great suggestions made the night of the event — or wish to volunteer your services, we encourage you to contact any of the Board members. New ideas and suggestions — along with new faces and hands — are always welcome. Contact information for the Board can be found on the Association’s website.
We were happy to see so many new faces at this year’s event. After enjoying an evening of festive joy with us, we hope you’ll become a member of OCWA, to take advantage of the many networking and educational opportunities our Association offers.
With wishes for all for a happy and prosperous New Year, we look forward to seeing you at next year’s Holiday Party, where we promise an event which will again make for many wonderful memories of the season!