On the Town: Club gives $24K in scholarships
The Patrons Club of Glendale Community College kicked off scholarship season in style with the annual Scholarship Luncheon in the campus Student Center. Some 150 students, faculty and administers were welcomed by Supt./President Dawn Lindsay and Club President Judy Gorham on Thursday.
Club advisor and Dean of Student Affairs Paul Schlossman announced that during the past academic year, 500 students have received $300,000 in scholarships. At Thursday’s event, the Patrons Club awarded $24,000 in scholarships to 29 students and grants-in-aid to 30 students.
Co-Scholarships Chairwomen Betty Musacco and Karen Wharton presented the scholarships. Two of those were awarded to students from the college’s well-known Culinary Arts Department. Linda Alvarez and Josue Ortiz doffed their chef hats to receive their awards after preparing and serving, along with a dozen other culinary students, a luncheon of fruit-glazed chicken.
Theater arts students Mary Garcia and Joell Grager were given their awards to an extra amount of audience applause. Last year, Garcia starred in the college’s well-received musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
Retired college Supt./President John Davitt also awarded his personally funded scholarships to Jessica Martin, Suren Meliksetyan and Bryan Redfern.
The Patrons Club was founded in 1947 to provide a financial support group for students at Glendale Community College.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 139 played waiters for an evening at Damon’s Steakhouse. On May 19, a dozen Boy Scouts assisted servers in juggling trays of food and beverages for hungry customers. “Tip a Scout” envelopes were prominently displayed on every table.
Scout James Aguirre, 12, served his grandparents, Dorothy and Jim Dunlap from Glendale. Scout Christian Auajo, 12, also served meals to receptive customers — his parents Clara and Carlos Aruajo and sister Alyssa Aruajo, 7, from Glendale.
Kathy Yepez, Troop 139 Parent Committee chairwoman, said she expected proceeds from the evening to exceed last year’s $1,000. Funds will be used toward summer camp, attendance at Jamboree and other scouting events.
“Viva Fiesta” was the theme for College View’s School annual fundraiser hosted by the College View Foundation and staff. On Friday, Mariachi music, cake walks, piñata-busting, tacos for dinner and a silent auction kept dozens of parents, their students and guests more than busy.
VIPs included Glendale Unified School District board member Greg Krikorian and man-on-the-run Mike Gatto. Representatives from the Altrusa Club of Glendale were seen serving crisp churros from the churro cart, for which they donated rental funds.
To celebrate the school’s new therapy room, Principal Jay Schwartz and therapists Joy Huguet and Andrea Fay cut a yellow ribbon. The therapy room will make possible daily occupational, speech, vision, behavior and physical therapy for the school’s special needs students.
According to Schwartz, proceeds of more than $6,000 will fund a playground that will include a wheelchair ramp that rocks backward and forward for maximum stimulation.
A couple of dozen youth members of the ARK Family Center were car washers extraordinaire at their three-times-a-year fundraising car wash held at the Albersons/Sav-on parking lot on South Central Avenue. A warm Saturday saw drivers of more than 200 cars take advantage of the $5 car wash.
Students wielding soap, towels and sponges included Kristine Eliasyan, 18; Asbed Sarkissian, 15; Ryan Babakhani, 16; and Glendale Community College student Sevak Avanes-Arzoomanians, 20.
Eleven professional car washes managed by Hasmik Safarian donated the towels and soap. Baskin-Robbins donated $1-off coupons for frozen beverages.
ARK Educational Director Melina Sardar supervised her eager young staff. She expected proceeds of $900 to fund the Leadership Academy and a youth mentorship program.