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 May 21, 2009 HONORING OUR LOCAL HEROES How do we thank those who do some of the most meaningful work in our community for limited remuneration? For the Pasadena Community Foundation, the answer is simple. Every year, the foundation honors local non-profit agencies with an invitation to a breakfast celebration that acknowledges their exceptional commitment and their important efforts. At the same time, the foundation awards them a grant that allows them to continue and, in some cases, extend their efforts on behalf of others. That’s the joyful purpose of the 2009 Local Heroes Celebration beginning at 7:30 a.m. on June 5th at the University Club of Pasadena (175 No. Oakland Ave.). This year, 45 non-profit agencies have been selected to be awarded a total of $630,000 by the 55 years-young Pasadena Community Foundation. Major grants such as this year’s award to NATHA will help this remarkable after-school program in Northwest Pasadena reinforce its amazing accomplishments. These include seeing 100% of its students graduate from high school if they have been actively involved in NATHA for three years and 86% enter college. Other smaller grants will be awarded to organizations like Meals on Wheels and the Pasadena American Little League based upon their request and their needs. Each grant request is reviewed by all the members of the Pasadena Community Foundation Board that spends numerous hours reading and evaluating them. For this year’s awards, some 91 grant requests were received and reviewed by the Board of the Foundation. Kicking off the morning’s program will be the Executive Director of the Pasadena Community Foundation, Jennifer DeVoll, who will remind guests of the ongoing relevance of the Foundation as a perpetual source of funds for the changing needs of our community. Joining her in sharing their experiences as grant recipients will be Bette Cooper, Board President of Pasadena Beautiful, which is receiving an award for their project to renovate the garden at the Santa Catalina Library and Victoria Williams, an alumnus of NATHA and one of its current Board Members. Providing comments as well as an introduction to some exciting young musicians will be Stephen McCurry, Executive Director of the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Pasadena is fortunate to have a community foundation that puts the causes that local donors are most concerned about together with funding designated for the local community. “We are your Hometown Foundation and local donors are the backbone of our support” says Executive Director, Jennifer DeVoll. “Through bequests and support from Friends and Fellows donor programs of the foundation, we are able to grow the pool of funds that provide on-going assistance to the community” says DeVoll. The Local Heroes Celebration is the largest event of the foundation’s year because it assists so many agencies in reaching out to those they serve and thereby helping all of us to maintain the quality of life we expect for Pasadena. 2009 Local Heroes Celebration Friday, June 5th at 7:30 a.m. University Club of Pasadena 175 North Oakland Avenue |