Betty Ma, a member of PCF's Professional Advisor Committee
Door of Hope Executive Director Megan Katerjian
Former PUSD board member Elizabeth Pomeroy and Ali Abira from Wisdom Arts
Kathleen Gilmore and David Lin from Clifford Swan Investment Council, Luncheon Sponsor
Leslie Ito represented the Armory Center for the Arts as one of the event's Spotlight Grantees
Luncheon sponsors Staci Nesbit and Ali Barar from GGA
Marsha Rood, Diana Petersen More, Phyllis Mueller, and Uma Shrivastava with PCF President & CEO Jennifer DeVoll
MPYD Chairman Tecumseh Shackelford and Charlie Plowman
Nate Bradley and Natasha Mahone represented the African American Parent Council, one of the event_s Spotlight Grantees
Pasadena Community Foundations Local Heroes Celebration honored 100+ local nonprofit organizations that received $2 million+ in PCF grants in 2023
Pasadena Ronald McDonald House Executive Director Mara Leong Maguinez with Sarah Hilbert
Past PCF board members Eddie Newman (left) and Diane Scott (right) wtih PCF President & CEO Jennifer DeVoll
PCF board member Koko Archibong
PCF President & CEO Jennifer DeVoll and Jeannine Bogaard with Thomas Meneghini from Mount Wilson Institute, one of the event_s Spotlight Grantees
PCF President & CEO Jennifer DeVoll with Zara Margarian of the Armenian Relief Society
PCF Program Director Jeannine Bogaard with Lindsey Reed from Friends in Deed
PCF Vice Board Chair Maggie Sabbag with guests Malin Keatley, Ivy Lee, and Jeff Keltner
Phlunte Riddle with Betsey Tyler
Phlunte Riddle, Mayor Victor Gordo, Deputy to the Mayor Vannia de la Cuba, and Executive Director of Pasadena Audubon Society Lois Brunet
The Gamble House Conservancy Executive Director Alexandra Rasic with Walt and Suzanne Cochran Bond
Young & Healthy Executive Director Ellen Kramer with CEO Lisa Cavalier of the Pasadena Boys & Girls Club
YWCA Glendale and Pasadena Executive Director Tara Peterson and guest
Pasadena Community Foundation has awarded more than $2 million to over 100 Pasadena-area nonprofits this year, and Thursday, November 9 was a day to celebrate this significant impact. PCF’s 24th annual Local Heroes Celebration brought together dozens of nonprofit executive directors with civic officials, community partners, and PCF donors at the Altadena Towan & Country Club. The event showcases PCF’s wide-ranging, annual grant programs in impact areas such as affordable housing, food security, the arts, education, youth and families, animal welfare, and the environment. Local Heroes has become an anticipated, beloved local event for its uplifting, convivial spirit. “It’s like a huge community hug!” exclaimed one guest.
SPOTLIGHT GRANTEES
Representatives from three organizations were invited to serve as “Spotlight Grantees” and share remarks from the stage about how PCF funding has helped their missions in the past year.
Nate Bradley and Natasha Mahone from the African American Parent Council shared that a 2022 Education Grant helped expand its PUSD Math Power Hour program, which “secures first and second graders’ fundamental understanding of early math concepts. We target both attitude and aptitude with a goal of encouraging confident, enthusiastic, lifetime learners,” said Bradley.
Executive Director Thomas Meneghini from Mount Wilson Institute shared that PCF’s $50,000 Capital Campaign Grant award will help his organization’s “Second Century Campaign,” which will improve infrastructure for visitors at the Mount Wilson Observatory mountain campus. Watch PCF’s 2-minute video about the Second Century Campaign.
Executive Director Leslie Ito represented the Armory Center for the Arts, which this year received one of PCF’s inaugural Arts & Culture Grants, as well as funding through PCF’s
Rowe & Gayle Giesen Trust. Ito noted that the Armory “has been incredibly fortunate to have PCF supporting us all along the way. . . We have received nearly $900,000 in PCF funding over the years. As arts organizations in Pasadena, and across the region, continue to build back our audiences (following the pandemic), it’s comforting to know that PCF is there to support us.”
“A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE”
PCF President & CEO Jennifer DeVoll closed the program with a reference referencing the place based nature of community foundations, which “need to reflect their community, collaborate with local organizations, and build on the unique strengths and assets in that location. PCF has been here in Pasadena, in a particular place that influenced our mission at our very beginning in 1953 and continues to influence our evolution 70 years later. Today we honor our local nonprofit grant recipients. These grants, though monetary in nature, symbolize something much greater: our shared vision and unwavering commitment to make our community a better place for everyone.”
About the Pasadena Community Foundation
Founded in 1953, Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of the greater Pasadena area. Managing nearly $145 million in charitable assets, PCF works with individuals, families, and organizations to establish philanthropic funds, create, and build endowments, and to distribute charitable gifts to nonprofit organizations. In 2023, PCF will award more than $2 million in grant funding to more than 100 Pasadena-area nonprofit organizations.
