A season of celebrating, giving and receiving
As this season of year-end celebrations continues, the spirit of giving, community and friendship prove to be in good shape and of good cheer.
An early Christmas gift arrived at the Burbank YMCA’s Child Development Center (CDC) as board members of the Burbank Association of Realtors Community Service Foundation presented the facility with a check for $1,000 on December 22.
Accepted by Mary Cutone, who serves as the CDC’s director, the Realtors’ gift has been earmarked to assist in the completion of the facility’s new outdoor playground classroom that will include special features for children with physical disabilities. Among the Burbank Realtors in attendance were CSF president, Chris Habitz and board members Chris Rizzotti, Dana Russo, Marty Del Cid, Brian Paul and Dan Soderstrom. Representatives of the Y, who joined the Realtors to enjoy the vocal stylings of a chorus of students performing holiday classics, included Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Susan Sebastian and Philip DiNova who serves as the director of financial development.
Festively dressed, the CDC student chorus, under the direction of Max Reynolds and Rebecca Kelly, included Benjamin Forster, Piper Dugas, Elizabeth Blumberg, Arnav Pallapothu, Alexa Klohn, Emilio Sanchez, Alica Webber, Alexa and Katie Fishman, Pearl Poosong, Kyle Truett, Vivien Chen and Elijah Becker.
As Burbank’s yearlong centennial celebration draws to a close, members and supporters of the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Burbank gathered at the Arbat banquet hall to tip their hat to the city’s 100th anniversary.
Among the notables in attendance were ANC Burbank Chairwoman Silva Kechichian, the organization’s former chair, Stepan Boyajian, who served as the event’s master of ceremonies, Mayor Jess Talamantes and Councilmembers David Gordon and Emily Gabel-Luddy, School Board members Roberta Reynolds and Dave Kemp, City Attorney Amy Albano and Deputy City Manager Joy Forbes.
Others who attended the festive evening included Matt Dabanenh representing U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, Mary Hovagimian who represented U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, Stacey Brenner who represented Assembly member Mike Gatto, Talin Mangioglu of State Senator Carol Liu’s office, Rita Hadjimanoukian, representing L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, Armenian Relief Society (ARS) international Central Committee Chair Vicky Marashlian, ARS Regional Committee Chair Nayiree Derderian, ARS Social Services Executive Director Sona Zinzalian, and ARS Burbank “Araz” Chapter Chairperson Seda Martir.
The Armenian National Committee of Burbank advances the social, economic, cultural and political rights of the area’s Armenian-American community and promotes increased Armenian-American civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.
While it was not staged as an official event of the La Providencia Guild of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, numerous members of the organization were joined by their husbands to enjoy a recent evening of holiday cheer at the home of Victor and Donna Salant and accept a generous financial gift of support from New Urban West builders.
Among those who mixed and mingled were Ron and Deborah Spang, Joe and Sharon Terranova, Brooks and Ann Gardener, Tim and Paula Davis, Peter and Carol Thielemann, Max Andrews and Tami Sagona.
