Mission Viejo teen donates more than $1,500 to help local charities

Brooke Hira is a young entrepreneur with a heart of gold. Five years ago, this Mission Viejo resident and sophomore at Tesoro High School formed the nonprofit “Just A Smile” to raise money and awareness for children with cleft lips and palates. More recently, with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting home, Brooke reached out to the City to help local families and people in need.

On Tuesday, Brooke gave $1,500 in gift cards ($750 each) that she raised through fundraisers to two agencies making a difference in Mission Viejo – Project Access serving more than 140 low-income families and Standup for Kids, which serves 300 at-risk, homeless teens in Mission Viejo and throughout Orange County. The gift cards will be used to purchase food and essential supplies for people served by these agencies. 

If that weren’t enough, Brooke is a dedicated member of the City’s Community of Character Youth Committee. She is also a volunteer with Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and has raised several thousands of dollars for the hospital’s Cranio-facial department. 

“I also provide ongoing assistance to other organizations such as Project Vietnam where doctors and nurses volunteer to go on mission trips to rural areas of Vietnam to perform free surgeries for underprivileged kids,” she said.

Indeed, Brooke’s actions embody our City’s character traits of service, citizenship, responsibility, respect and caring. 

The City of Mission Viejo is proud of her selfless actions every day and during this pandemic.