Financial Gifts of $175,000 Narrow Gap in Pacific Symphony’s $1-Million Goal

Three gifts, totaling $175,000, have put the Pacific Symphony well within reach of its goal to raise $1 million by June 17, orchestra officials said Thursday.

The gifts, for the symphony’s Sustaining Fund, include:

-- $100,000, the single largest gift by an individual in the symphony’s history, from Mary Moore Young of Fullerton and Sun Valley Ida., given over 4 years;

-- $50,000, the largest corporate cash donation to date, from the Glen Ivy Financial Group which operates major resorts around the country, including Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Riverside County;

-- $25,000, from the Segerstrom Family Foundation, the first major contribution to the symphony from the Segerstrom family.

“These major gifts are a result of much hard work on the part of the board and staff and signify the orchestra’s coming of age,” said Stewart C. Woodard, president of the symphony association.

Together with a $150,000 challenge grant from the James Irvine Foundation of San Francisco, gifts to the orchestra are at an all-time high, Woodard said.

“Giving at this level prepares the orchestra to emerge as a nationally recognized ensemble, which has been the goal of this season’s annual fund campaign,” Woodard said.