Orange County Congregation Community Organization

OCCCO was founded in 1976 by a group of community leaders, including Michael Clements, Sam Romero, Ralph Kennedy, Jovita Hernandez, Ruby Gonzalez, Sr. Armida Deck, Andy and Lupe Savedraa, Nancy Plevin, Fernando Moreno, Jeanne Blackwell, and others. Fr. Jerry Helfrich, a Jesuit priest from the Pacific Institute for Community Organizing (PICO), served as the founding director and assembled a team of organizers, including Fr. Mike Mandela, Meg Gafney, Mike Clements, and Fernando Moreno. The OC Sponsoring Committee, which comprised OCCCO's founding leadership, aimed to amplify the voices of low-income community members, many of whom were Mexican immigrants. This was initially achieved through a grassroots, neighborhood-based community organizing approach, starting with the Santa Ana Neighborhood Organization (SANO). In 1985, SANO's organizing strategy was shifted to a congregation-based approach, expanding its reach countywide and rebranding as the Orange County Congregation Community Organization (OCCCO). Under the leadership of PICO organizer Rev. David Mann, 14 Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish congregations united to elevate the voices of the disenfranchised. PICO's influence expanded on a national level, and in 2017 changed its name to Faith in Action network, which connects faith-based low-income community organizations across the country. Today, OCCCO continues to empower low-income communities of color and creating belonging for all, without othering, through bridging and systemic change.