A Weekend of Accolades for Pasadena Community Foundation

Pasadena Community Foundation found its “social calendar” booked for the weekend of June 24 with two events that honored the Foundation’s impact in the Pasadena area.

On Friday, June 24, the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce honored PCF with the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award, which honors businesses or organizations “that have an ongoing and positive impact on our economy, our city, and the Chamber,” says Chamber President and CEO Paul Little.

Before presenting the honor to PCF President and CEO Jennifer DeVoll, Chamber Board President Raphael Henderson noted that the award helps recognize PCF’s role as one our community’s critical front-line responders in the fight against COVID-19. To receive the award, several staff and board members attended the Pasadena Chamber Inaugural Gala, which was held at the Langham Huntington Hotel, Pasadena.

Also during the weekend, the Pasadena International Film Festival showcased a new video about a Pasadena Community Foundation fund called the Rowe & Gayle Giesen Trust.

This spring, PCF worked with local filmmaker Will Kelso to create a video honoring the Rowe & Gayle Giesen Trust, a component fund of PCF that supports visual arts experiences for Pasadena-area children and teens. This year, the Giesen Trust celebrates 50 years of incredible impact and has granted nearly $2 million to local arts organizations since 1972.

The video — titled The Rowe & Gayle Giesen Trust: Nurturing Pasadena’s Arts Eco-System for 50 Years” — was selected by Pasadena International Film Festival as a local short documentary and was screened at the Laemmle Theater on Sunday, June 26 along with two other documentaries. The showcase was followed by a moderator-hosted Q & A session, as well as photos on the red carpet.