Community: Organizations clink glasses in honor of their charities
Members of Burbank’s National Charity League “Raised a Glass” to their 30 philanthropies earlier this month at the newly opened Urban Press Winery.
Live music, wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres created a smooth blend of fun for the more than 150 people attending the annual fundraiser.
The winery is on San Fernando Boulevard between Magnolia Boulevard and Palm Avenue — right next door to Urban Outfitters. It’s just a coincidence both stores start with “Urban” — they are not related.
Welcoming guests were Cheryl Kisob, NCL Burbank chapter president, Charo Dolendo, fundraising event chair, and Fabiola Garcia, auction chair.
The national nonprofit is made up of mothers and their daughters, lovingly referred to as Ticktockers. They volunteer time to organizations such as Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and the Greater East Valley, Burbank Coordinating Council, Burbank Temporary Aid Center, Kids’ and Community Dental Clinic.
Committee members wanted to change things up this year and support another local business, Kisob said about the change in venue from the Castaway restaurant.
The winery’s narrow first floor meanders way back to the rear of the building, and a staircase takes a guest up to the mezzanine that overlooks the first floor or the romantic outdoor patio.
The patio’s soft lighting and wall art create a European ambiance that was conducive to mingling. Proving the point, Kisob said she saw a lot of prospective members in attendance who hadn’t been to an NCL fundraiser before.
Members had solicited silent-auction items and opportunity prizes from the community. There were wine and champagne tastings, and Porto’s catered its famous potato balls, meat pies, guava and cheese pastries as well as fruit plates.
A popular attraction was the wine pull, where, for $20, one could select a mystery bottle concealed in a generic covering that could be worth $60 or $70.
The sustaining members of the group had donated cash for a money tree, and bills were folded origami-style into butterflies.
The National Charity League is a six-year program for girls from seventh through 12th grade and their mothers. Its three pillars are community service, culture and leadership.
“And so what we really do is make sure we divide those pillars evenly,” Kisob said. “It’s important to give back to the community but it’s also important to teach our girls how to learn to try something new and learn how to be a leader and take risks. It’s important for them to also learn about the arts and proper etiquette so that in the future they can help host these types of events as well.”
Each Ticktocker class has its own officers, which teaches them leadership skills. The classes decide which type of cultural events they would like to experience. It could be a trip to a museum or the ballet.
NCL was founded in 1925 in Los Angeles and the Burbank chapter organized in 1959 and was chartered in 1960.
For membership information, visit burbank.nationalcharityleague.org.
Other board members helping coordinate the evening were Johanna Klohn, vice president of Ticktockers; Amy Lawrence, vice president of patroness activities; Teresa Weeden, vice president of philanthropy; and Natasha Mahone, ways and means.
Representatives from the group’s philanthropies attending were Linda Noel and Roger Koll, both board members from Burbank Temporary Aid Center, and Dale Gorman, executive director of the Kids’ Community Dental Clinic.
Noel said it’s a beautiful partnership the aid center has with the organization. The girls hold food drives and bring the items to the center.
“We are helping each other fulfill our missions together,” Noel said.
Civitans toast 46th year of champagne brunch
The Burbank Civitan Club will have its 46th annual St. Patrick’s Day Champagne Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 12 at the Pickwick Gardens.
Doors will open at 10 a.m. The entertainment will be by the O’Connor School of Irish Dance. There will be music for dancing, a silent auction and door prizes.
Proceeds will go to BCR “A Place To Grow,” the annual Baseball Jamboree featuring hundreds of young Hap Minor Baseball players, the Special Olympics, the Civitan International Research Center for Neurological Diseases and other local projects.
Adult tickets are $45 each, while tickets for children under 12 years are $20. For tickets, call Elaine Paonessa at (818) 845-6851 or DeeDee Ruhlow at (818) 843-6950.
JOYCE RUDOLPH can be reached at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.