Late Laguna mayor bequeaths $280K to senior aid nonprofit
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Former Mayor Elizabeth Pearson made many contributions to the Laguna Beach community, both as a public servant and as a volunteer.
Laguna Beach Seniors, the nonprofit that runs the Laguna Beach Community and Susi Q Center, certainly understood that.
Shortly after the opening of the facility, the organization recognized Pearson, who had advocated for the space as a politician and served as the original capital campaign chair for the project, with its Legacy Award.
Following her death last September at the age of 73, Pearson’s impact continues to be felt by the members of the community that once had to “overlook her youth” in bestowing upon her that honor.
Laguna Beach Seniors Executive Director Nadia Babayi announced Monday Pearson had left $280,000 from her estate to the organization for which she helped build a permanent home.
Babayi called Pearson “a long-time member of the Laguna Seniors family,” adding the organization was “honored” by the bequest.
Located at 380 Third Street, the senior center is a 19,000-square-foot facility that offers a wide variety of life-enhancing classes, clubs and programs. Before the structure was built, Laguna Beach Seniors previously met at Legion Hall.
At the 2009 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the center, Pearson told those in attendance, “This touches my heart, and I hope it touches yours.”
As a council member, Pearson helped to secure land in the downtown area for the facility. An agreement called on Laguna Beach Seniors to raise $2.5 million toward construction costs.
Along with Ann Quilter, who took over for Pearson as capital campaign chair, the organization led a fundraising effort that brought in more than $3 million for the project’s construction. Major donors included the Quilter family, whose $750,000 contribution was made to honor family matriarch Liz Quilter, a local newspaper columnist frequently published under the pen name “Susi Q,
“Elizabeth was a driving force, alongside the Quilter family, in raising money and working with the city to create this beautiful center,” Renae Hinchey, president of Laguna Beach Seniors, said in a statement.
Pearson’s 18-year public service career included three terms on the Laguna Beach City Council, from 2002-2014, and a yearslong stint as a city planning commissioner.
At the end of her third term on the council, Pearson gave up the gavel to commit to her position as chief executive and president of Pacific Chorale, the resident choir for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
She remained immersed in her hometown, also serving on the boards of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. and Laguna Live!
“Elizabeth worked diligently with all her City Council colleagues to get this project accomplished,” Sue Kempf, a current council member and friend of Pearson, said of Pearson’s pivotal role in bringing forth the senior center. “When she wanted to get something done, there was no stopping her.”
