OrgWatch

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) has announced that Mary Murray, a Wells Fargo wealth adviser in Rancho Santa Fe, will receive one of its annual Volunteer Service Awards for her work with Angel Faces.

Wells Fargo will contribute $10,000 to the Encinitas-based nonprofit in Murrayís honor to recognize her contributions to the organization, according to a release.

Angel Faces provides healing retreats and ongoing support for teenage girls with burns and trauma injuries. A seven-day retreat helps the girls gain skills and tools to overcome life's challenges. 

A volunteer for Angel Faces for the past six years, Murray currently serves on the board of directors and works endlessly on fundraisers. She also speaks throughout the country, seeking support for the nonprofit, and has participated in the nonprofitís retreats since 2007.

On Wednesday, local drug discovery company Takeda California hosted its fourth annual Takeda Dog Walk to raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, San Diego.

The event brought together employees, community leaders, breast cancer survivors and their four-legged friends to make a difference. For every mile covered by a person or a dog, Takeda California donated $10 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego, supporting breast health research, diagnostics, screening, treatment, services and education for uninsured or underinsured women, according to a release. To help reach the goal of 3,000 miles, resulting in a $30,000 donation, Takeda California invited rescue dogs from the Helen Woodward Animal Center to join the event.

The San Diego Performing Arts League on Tuesday will honor volunteers from performing arts organizations throughout San Diego County.

The Star Awards honors volunteers of San Diego County arts organizations and recognizes the crucial role that volunteers play in helping the arts community to thrive, according to a release. These honored volunteers have donated countless hours to music, theater, dance and other cultural institutions in San Diego County. Each organization selects its own honoree to be recognized.

For 2012, the event will also recognize "Emerging Stars," volunteers who are under 30 years of age and who understand the benefits and follow the example of volunteerism.

The 20th Star Awards will take place at the Lyceum Theatre at 79 Horton Plaza in San Diego at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $42 ($30 for SDPAL member organizations) and can be purchased through SDPAL's Arts Tix box office by calling 858-381-5595 or online at sdartstix.com.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Societyís Pacific South Coast Chapter in San Diego has announced that more than 250 people are expected to participate at the 11th annual Southern California Challenge Walk MS.

The challenge is a three-day, 50-mile fundraising walk along the coastline, starting at Carlsbadís Flower Fields and ending in downtown San Diego, Sept. 21 to 23, according to a release.

The fundraiser has a goal this year of raising $1 million for MS research and programs and services for Southern Californians living with MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention. Last yearís Challenge Walk helped raise about $969,000 in donations.

The minimum donation required to walk in the 2012 Challenge Walk MS is $2,500 per person, which includes overnight hotel accommodations, meals and entertainment. Walkers between ages 12 and 16 have a fundraising minimum of $1,500.

The San Diego Womenís Foundation will kick off its 2013 grant-making year on Wednesday, announcing that the coming year's focus area will be on health and human services.

“We strongly believe that healthy people build strong communities, which is why we decided to focus our 2013 grant-making on programs that will help those in need grow healthier, more stable lives,” said Rita Solberg, president of the San Diego Womenís Foundation. "We have no doubt that our model of pooled philanthropy will create true results in this critical area, proving once again our core belief that, together, women can do more than woman.”

The event will occur from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Roosevelt Middle School, 3366 Park Blvd. in San Diego, and will feature a panel presentation as well as interactive break-out sessions. The foundation invites anyone who is interested to attend.