Pasadena Jaycees Mark 97 Years With Annual Awards Gala and Leadership Installation

One of Pasadena’s oldest civic organizations dresses up and looks back Saturday night, February 28 when the Pasadena Jaycees present their annual Awards and Installation Gala at the Maxwell House in Old Town.

The evening marks the 97th year of operation for the Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1929 as a chapter of what is now JCI USA. The ceremony serves two purposes each year: recognizing individual Jaycees and community groups for their contributions over the past 12 months, and installing a new Board of Directors and president, according to the organization’s website.

Several named awards carry decades of chapter history. The B. Durwood Howes Award — which the organization describes as its oldest and most prestigious — honors the member who contributed the most time and talent to advancing the Jaycees.

The William D. Sloss Award memorializes a member who died in 1972. The Peter Beam “Spirit of Christmas” Award honors Beam’s years of participation in Operation Santa, the Jaycees’ longest-running community program. The Philip K. Ishizu Red Rose recognizes contributions in memory of a chapter president.

Other awards to be presented include Jaycee of the Year, Committee of the Year, Chairperson of the Year, Director of the Year, and the Lathrop Leishman and Jay Rinehart awards. The outgoing president will receive Honorary Life Membership, a tradition extended to all past presidents, according to the organization.

In December 2025, Operation Santa — which has delivered gifts to Pasadena and Altadena children on Christmas Eve since 1934 — served approximately 2,200 children, up from about 1,800 the prior year. Ashley Jordan, the Jaycees’ Operation Santa chairperson, told the Pasadena Star-News the increase reflected “this particularly tough year as so many folks, including our volunteers themselves, rebuild after the Eaton fire.”

The organization’s membership is open to young professionals ages 21 to 40, though the Jaycees describe their events as open to non-members as well.

Tickets are available through the Jaycees’ Glue Up platform. The Maxwell House, 55 S. Grand Ave., Pasadena. For more, email info@pasadenajaycees.org or visit https://app.glueup.com/org/pasadenajaycees/.