On the Town: Cows beef up the spirit in San Marino

“I’m from Texas and the cows are as close to Texas as I can get in San Marino,” said Clarisa Ru, Co-Chairman of the first Glorious Gardens Tour in San Marino benefiting the Spiritual Care Guild. To Ru’s garden art collection of two full-sized, faux cows were added seven more — making a total of nine Holstein cows “roaming” the gardens of Ru’s San Marino estate, Casa Ru. All cows are on sale for $888 each. The Spiritual Care Guild of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will receive 20% of the cow profits.

More than 500 curious garden fans turned out to visit five self-guided San Marino “glorious gardens” on Sunday (April 29). Casa Ru was the home garden at which beer flowed in lady-like amounts, Wolfgang Puck-catered lunches were plentiful, and boutiques flourished. One vendor, Gourmet Blends, was so exclusive it only sold infused oil, dipping oil and balsamic vinegar. (Word is, a bottle of basil olive oil makes a caprese salad sing.) Gourmet Blends’ amiable sales rep on the scene was Meredith Alaway. Enjoying the jewelry boutiques were BFFs Mary Van Hiel from San Marino and Annie Higgins from Pasadena. Both were on the lookout for antique lockets.

Spiritual Care Guild members at the ready to guide garden guests included Gardens Tour Co-Chairman Donna Jathro, Guild President Diane Lam, Guild founder Heidi Johnson, Public Relations Vice President Zora Chase and Membership Co-Chairmen Paula Knop and Janice Trojan. Patron Co-chairmen were Karen O’Connor and May Gonzalez.

The Spiritual Care Guild was founded in 2003 with 10 friends of Johnson’s. Father John Sigler came to help and before long, 100 women had joined the newly formed guild. Since that time, the guild has raised $1 million to provide spiritual care services for the 300,000 families that come to Children’s Hospital each year. Thanks to the efforts of the guild, spiritual care is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. (Previously only one chaplain handled the task. Now, dozens of salaried Spiritual Care chaplains and chaplain interns are available.)

The Gardens Tour is the first guild event that has been available to the public. Also a first-time event for the guild was the bestowing of its “Angels of the Spiritual Care Guild” award. That honor went to Ron and Margaret Preissman. Ron has been a member of the Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees since 2005.

The Guild’s motto remains, “One Spirit, One Soul, One Child at a Time.”

Canned meats such as tuna, salmon, chicken, also stews, ravioli, soup, beans flour, peanut butter and jelly, pasta and oatmeal were just a few items in the cornucopia of food that was delivered by generous folks to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 28. The drive at the church’s Pasadena Stake Center (like a diocese) on Sierra Madre Villa Avenue garnered eight van loads of food in four hours.

The idea is to deliver the donated food to Friends in Deed, a program of the Ecumenical Council in Pasadena Area Congregations. According to Church member and Pasadena resident Muriel Donaldson, the Friends in Deed Pantry has plenty of food for Christmas, but summer is a little slow. The pantry is running out of food, yet Friends in Deed services 1,000 low-income families a month.

Church member Denise Andrews from Pasadena added that Friends in Deed also runs a woman’s shelter and the donated food could also be used for shelter residents. Pasadena residents and church members present at the food drive included Ron Nelson, president of the Pasadena Stake. Also in attendance were Darlene and Nalu Tafua. Nalu is bishop of one of the six wards (a congregation) within the Pasadena Stake. Jason Junge, a recent Pasadena transplant from Glendale, did some of the heavy lifting. Wife Linda Junge stayed behind the scenes.

Bright balloons and signs alerted those interested in donating food. In fact, several neighbors who live near the church turned right around, rummaged in their own pantries and came back with food.

Church members also plan to take the food to the Pantry. Trucks and SUVs are welcome.

RUTH SOWBY may be reached at ruthasowby@gmail.com.