On the Town: Family Promise hosts fundraiser at Rose Bowl
With baseball season commencing this past week, millions of Americans began to turn their attention to the 2018 campaign of the national pastime. But, not everyone.
Staff members and supporters of Family Promise of the Verdugos proved they are always looking to the future as they took to the field, locker rooms and VIP dining facilities at a legendary sporting venue that won’t be seeing action for months to come.
Convening for its fourth annual gala fundraiser, presented under the theme “Coming Up Roses,” the organization, whose mission is to provide assistance to homeless children and families, passed on the usual hotel and restaurant ballrooms.
Instead, the organization gave supporters a behind-the-scenes look at the stadium which has hosted five Super Bowls, serves as the home of the UCLA Bruins, and, perhaps most notably, the New Year’s Day “granddaddy” of all college bowl games.
“We thought it would be exciting, and make for a really unique evening, to give the people who support us the chance to spend an evening at the Rose Bowl,” said Albert Hernandez, executive director of Family Promise of the Verdugos.
“It also gave them the opportunity to see parts of this stadium the general public rarely, or ever, get to see,” Hernandez added.
He and the organization’s board chair, Nancy Guillen, who oversaw the festivities, welcomed more than 200 guests to the fundraiser last week.
Along with the two events that bookended the evening — a welcome reception that included a silent auction, and dinner in the venue’s VIP Club Lounge in the Terry Donahue Pavilion — guests were treated to guided tours of the storied stadium, which included visits to the locker rooms and the opportunity to explore the actual gridiron.
Among the numerous notables who took to the field were state Sen. Anthony Portantino, Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, Vice Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, City Council members Jess Talamantes, Bob Frutos and Sharon Springer, and former Mayor Marsha Ramos.
Since the establishment of its fundraiser, the organization has made annual recognitions of the contributions to the cause of local individuals, organization and businesses. This year, the group bestowed its IMPACT Award upon Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, which was represented by the hospital’s chief executive Kelly Linden. The Hands On, Hearts In Award was presented to Jenny Greene Smith for her longstanding dedication to Family Promise’s mission.
Among the many who made last week’s event a success were members of the organization’s board made up of Alex Bruno, Darrin Borders, Lisa Patino, Renee Johnson, Patrick Garney, Yvette Herrera, Robert Hill, Carolyn Jackson, Diana Moreno, Kenny Pawlek, Geraldine Ramos-Alvarenga, Kathy Sessinghaus, Dan Soderstrom, Jane Winter and Brandi Young.
Others whose contributions made for a rosy evening were Carrie Prado, Janice Casazza-Piatak, Vanessa Tachiquin, Carlton Johnson, Jenny Cerda, Esterphaine Conrado and Serge Shahniana.
DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
