FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA
SEPTEMBER 2019
The Heart of Pasadena MOZART’S PASADENA PATRONS CAROL AND WARNER HENRY
HELPING THE HOMELESS FRIENDS IN DEED
PARADING INTO THE FUTURE
WITH THE TOURNAMENT’S LAURA FARBER
CSLB 653340 Photo By Ryan Garvin
6 2 6 . 4 8 6 .0 5 1 0
9 0 9.6 70.1 3 4 4
W W W. H A RT M A N B A L D W I N .C O M
4 | ARROYO | 08.19
arroyo VOLUME 15 | NUMBER 09 | SEPTEMBER 2019
15
29
40
THE HEART OF PASADENA 10 PARADING INTO THE FUTURE Inclusivity and instilling hope are the goals of Laura Farber, the first Latina president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. —By BRENDA REES
15 FOR THE HENRYS, CLASSICAL MUSIC ROCKS Pasadena philanthropists Carol and Warner Henry are guardian angels for L.A. Opera and LACO. —By SCARLET CHENG
PHOTOS: (top) Robert Millard; (bottom right) Scarlet Cheng
29 HELPING THE HOMELESS The California homeless crisis may be reaching critical mass, but Pasadena’s Friends In Deed has been helping the needy find homes sweet homes for decades. —By PATT DIROLL
40 PAPER MOONS Echiko Ohira’s stunning paper sculptures go on view at L.A.’s Craft Contemporary this month in the Pasadena artist’s first one-woman museum show. —By SCARLET CHENG
DEPARTMENTS 08
FESTIVITIES Frankenstein opens at A Noise Within, “Art of TV Costume Design” at FIDM and more
18
ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX
42
KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Save Your Chix on Route 66.
43
THE LIST Herman’s Hermits at the Rose, Pasadena Pops plays MGM classics, Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse 09.19 ARROYO | 5
EDITOR’S NOTE
Many moons ago, when I was a baby news reporter at a small suburban paper outside Hartford, Connecticut, my editor handed me a brief but memorable typewritten sheet with my marching orders: Irene: Bad news is good news. Larry Not so in this issue, in which we celebrate Pasadena’s gigantic heart and generosity for the less fortunate. As Patt Diroll notes in her story about Friends In Deed (FID), the city boasts one charity for every 138 residents. And Pasadena’s philanthropic roots stretch back quite far. FID, for one, grew out of an organization of pastors that coalesced 125 years ago. Now the multi-faith nonprofit is tackling one of the most challenging social problems of our times — homelessness. Over at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Laura Farber is breaking the mold as the hallowed organization’s first Latina president. Brenda Rees talks to Farber about her plans for the 2020 Rose Parade, which will reflect her call for diversity and inclusiveness with a record number of Latin American bands, some of which have never left their home towns. Meanwhile, Carol and Warner Henry continue to invest in artistic excellence as top donors to Los Angeles Opera and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. L.A. Opera’s new season includes two Mozart productions underwritten by the Pasadena couple — The Marriage of Figaro in June 2020 and the delightful Berlin opera production of The Magic Flute from mid-November to mid-December. The Germans’ innovative take on the nearly 230-year-old opera, incorporating animation and fantasy, is so popular, this is its third run in L.A. So if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s our concise advice: Run don’t walk. —Irene Lacher
arroyo
FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Irene Lacher ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Torres ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Richard Garcia PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Yumi Kanegawa EDITOR-AT-LARGE Bettijane Levine COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Léon Bing, Martin Booe, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Richard Cunningham, Tommy Ewasko, Noela Hueso, Kathleen Kelleher, Frier McCollister, Brenda Rees, Jordan Riefe, Ilsa Setziol, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lisa Chase, Rick Federman, Javier Sanchez ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Bruce Haring ACCOUNTING Perla Castillo, Quinton Wright OFFICE MANAGER Ann Turrietta PUBLISHER Dina Stegon
6 | ARROYO | 09.19
TIMES MEDIA GROUP PRESIDENT Steve Strickbine V.P. OF OPERATIONS Michael Hiatt CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL editor@arroyomonthly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149 MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105 ArroyoMonthly.com ©2019 Times Media Group All rights reserved.
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FESTIVITIES
Gregg T. Daniel, Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, and Veralyn Jones
Jessica Kubzansky, Michael Michetti, Danny Feldman, and David Lee
The California premiere of Nick Dear’s adaption of Frankenstein opened to a standing ovation Aug. 17 at A Noise Within. The production of Mary Shelley’s horror classic is among the largest and most complex in the Pasadena repertory company’s history, requiring an intensive weeklong movement rehearsal with the Creature, played by Michael Manuel. The show, which is paired with a visual art exhibition by Latino printmakers Daniel González and Joel Rendón, titled Tlacantzolli: Monsters and Chimeras, runs through Sept. 8…The packed Aug. 17 opening of the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing’s 13th annual “Art of Television Design” exhibition was hailed by TV Academy President/CEO Frank Scherma as “one of my favorite nights of Emmy season.” The exhibition of 100 costumes from 23 shows (including 10 Emmy nominees) at the downtown L.A. museum space runs through Oct. 26…Offal, a group exhibition of artworks inspired by that controversial culture of consumption, opened Aug. 15 at L.A.’s Barnsdall Art Park and runs through Sept. 29.
Kory Kelly and Kevin Troxall
Patti Anne Miller, Geoff Elliott, Rodriguez-Elliott and David Lee
Steven Lee and Michelle R. Cole 8 | ARROYO | 09.19
Lou Eyrich
Offal artists Gazelle Samizay and Labkhand Olfatmanesh
PHOTOS: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages (FIDM); Brian Feinzimer (A Noise Within); Courtesy of the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (Offal)
Frank Scherma and Barbara Bundy
09.19 | ARROYO | 9
PARADING INTO THE
FUTURE Inclusivity, reaching new audiences and instilling hope are the goals of Laura Farber, the first Latina president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. BY BRENDA REES
our 130 years we have never used ‘hope’ in our theme,” she says. “That is fascinating because we have an event that celebrates the New Year, which is all about looking forward, starting off fresh, being hopeful for the future.” The word hope has a profound personal meaning for Farber. Her parents were biochemistry students in Buenos Aires in the late 1960s when a military coup led to a period of dictatorship in Argentina. Through academic connections, the young couple — with 2-year-old Laura in tow — left everyone and everything behind and found refuge at UC Santa Barbara. “It was a difficult decision, but they didn’t feel comfortable in their own country. They came here and had to start from scratch,” she explains. “The United States represented freedom and the ability to pursue education, careers, religion and speech. My parents are proud immigrants. And they are. like me, always incredibly optimistic about the future.” Farber’s husband, Tomás Lopez, was also a youngster when his parents arrived in New York from the Dominican Republic, which was also racked with political instability. Again, the U.S. offered hope, says Farber. Farber notes that the parade’s theme “is not just about immigrants. Hope is about dignity, respect, joy, happiness, aspiration and achievement. It never quits. It’s always there and tells you that everything is possible. It’s a way of thinking and no one can take it away from you. This is the message I share everywhere we go, and with everyone I visit.” Hope notwithstanding, Farber is also eager to remind everyone she meets about the many facets of Tournament life: the cadre of 935 loyal volunteers who donate countless hours working year-round, not just on the –continued on page 12
10 | ARROYO | 09.19
PHOTO: Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses
L
aura Farber knows her kids will be telling her to “chill out” and “calm down” on Dec. 31. It’s a battle they won’t win. “They know how I get. They’ve seen me before. I just can’t help it,” says the 53-year-old South Pasadena lawyer. “The parade is one of those wonderful institutions that gives us joy, happiness and hope — something we all need these days — and look!” She holds up her arm. “I’m getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it!” Farber’s infectious passion suits her well; after serving the Tournament of Roses for 26 years on various committees, she’s taken on the mantle of president for 2019. Her duties include planning and organizing the 2020 parade and football game, and providing direction and leadership as the official face and voice of the venerable organization. Farber has the distinction of being the first Latina to hold the yearlong post; she’s also the third woman to do so in the Tournament’s 130-year history. “Laura represents the collective spirit of the Tournament, and her enthusiasm is contagious,” says Tournament CEO and Executive Director David Eads. “She has committed a year of her life to this role, traveling the world and making an impact. As the first Latina, she has reached out to lots of diverse communities to make important connections.” Times are indeed changing, contends Farber, who wholeheartedly embraces how the Tournament is evolving to be relevant in these days of social media buzz, short attention spans and cultural divisiveness. She’s excited that women are taking on more prominent leadership roles in the organization; in fact, the fourth woman president, retired construction industry executive Amy Wainscott, will take over for the 2022 parade, with more female representation on the horizon. (The Tournament announces presidents eight years in advance.) “The face of the Tournament is changing to better reflect the community we live in,” says Farber about the increasingly diverse leadership. “It’s an exciting time for us.” Overall, Farber sees a Tournament future where the traditions of the past are intertwined with the diversity of today — ideals well represented in “The Power of Hope,” the theme of the 2020 parade. “Interestingly, in
09.19 | ARROYO | 11
New Year’s Day festivities but on other events held throughout the year; and the generous contribution of the Tournament’s Foundation which grants $200,000 annually to various programs benefiting children through seniors and which has, since its inception in 1983, invested $3 million–plus in more than 200 Pasadena-area organizations. Community programs receive grants in the categories of performing and visual arts, sports and recreation, and education; a new category is sustainable programs that invest in people. Recipients include Pasadena Educational Foundation (Summer Academic Support for Low Performing Middle School Students), PTA California Congress of Parents Teachers & Students, Blair High School (Aquatics program) and Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills (Think Digital STEM Education). But, Farber adds, the Tournament gives more than dollars. “Our philanthropy is not exclusively supporting worthwhile causes with money,” she says. “It’s supporting with efforts and involvement and community outreach that’s grounded in the message of hope.” Recognition can provide an emotional and a potential financial boost, for bands that travel far to participate in the parade, for example. Under Farber’s leadership, the 2020 parade will feature a record number of Latin American bands, including groups from Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica. Several Latino authors will write an anthology about the bands and their experiences and Spanish broadcaster Univision is covering all the Tournament visits to Latin America, which, says Farber, shines a light on these bands and communities. “We don’t realize the impact we have all over the place, the world,” she says. “Most band members have never left their cities or their towns and they are going to come and perform on the biggest international stage. This is a life-changing moment for many of them.” Farber witnessed the power of community support during a recent trip to Alajuela, Costa Rica, to meet with first-time participants Banda Municipal de Zarcero. When band members from nearby towns gather to practice every weekend, their families tag along and mingle with community members. Parents, shopkeepers and restaurateurs told Farber: “We have such energy and excitement in this town with this band representing us. We just don’t know what we are going to do when the parade ends.” Farber’s enthusiastic response: You’ll find another project or event to keep this energy going. You must do it. You will do it. Closer to home, Farber continues to connect with the local Latino community, whether by reading in Spanish at library storytimes (“a rewarding and wonderful experience”), being a keynote speaker at the Adelante Mujer Latina Conference held this year at PCC or supporting East L.A.’s Roybal Foundation by offering the Tournament grounds free of charge for the nonprofit’s annual fundraising gala. On Oct. 19, she’ll wave proudly as the grand marshal of Pasadena’s Latino Heritage Parade. Beyond those endeavors, Farber is helping make inroads in connecting the Tournament with new audiences. The organization has developed a new Innovation Team comprised of folks in varying leadership roles from all walks of life. Their assignment: If money was no object, what types of things, events and activities make sense for the Tournament? What direction would you like to see the Tournament take? Ideas will be discussed, researched and submitted to various committees to see if such concepts have a place at the Tournament’s table. “We want concepts that will be disruptive, but in a good way,” Farber says. That prompts a discussion about the Funny or Die Rose Parade broadcasts with faux local newscasters Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan, a.k.a. comedians Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon. “That is a great example of thinking outside the box,” she says with a laugh. In years past, such an idea would probably have been jettisoned by the tradition-bound organization, but now, such concepts are considered 12 | ARROYO | 09.19
and pursued. “No one would have thought we could be so hip or cool to do something like Funny or Die,” she says. “We want to continue to surprise and reach audiences, especially those who don’t watch TV the traditional way. We are looking to engage with interactive opportunities and experiences beyond the TV box. Maybe it’s augmented reality. Maybe it’s connecting audiences directly with the floats or bands. There is so much potential moving forward for us.” From mingling with foreign dignitaries to chatting up schoolkids in Altadena, from giving children tours of the Tournament House in Spanish to meeting with local leaders, Farber has been having the time of her life as president and Tournament booster. “Giving hope and supporting hope, that message has been extremely well received everywhere,” she says. “Everyone has their own interpretation of hope, their own experiences and they have shared their experiences with us. This year has been so moving for me. We need to know to never ever lose hope.” ||||
PHOTO: (top) Courtesy of Funny or Die; (bottom) Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses
–continued from page 10
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FOR THE HENRYS, CLASSICAL MUSIC ROCKS
Pasadena philanthropists Carol and Warner Henry are guardian angels for L.A. Opera and LACO. BY SCARLET CHENG
PHOTOS: (top) Steve Cohn for L.A. Opera; (below) Robert Millard
C
arol and Warner Henry are two of the biggest supporters of classical music in Los Angeles: She’s chairman of the executive committee of L.A. Opera’s board; he’s one of five board vice chairmen. When they met, he was already a huge fan of classical music, inspiring her to love it too — love it so much that she joined an early support group for opera, the Opera League, and then helped to found L. A. Opera in 1986. Carol was born in Baltimore; her family moved to Chicago before heading to Sacramento when she was nine. “My main memories of growing up are of Sacramento,” she says during a recent afternoon in their dining room in Pasadena. The view out the window is of the lush green Arroyo, with the San Gabriel Mountains beyond. Warner, in contrast, is a native Angeleno, born at Good Samaritan Hospital downtown and raised in Hancock Park. As a young man he had been a serious jazz fan. While a Stanford student, he often went to San Francisco to enjoy the lively music scene. “I’d listen to Turk Murphy and Bob Scobey, they were Dixieland jazz people,” he recalls with a smile. “And there were a couple of new guys getting started — one named Dave Brubeck, another one named George Shearing. I started hitting the bars they were playing in. A professor said, ‘If you’re interested in them, you should take Music 1.’” So he did. “When I heard Bach, it was all over — he was the original boogie-er,” Warner continues. For him, listening to classical music is “a spiritual experience. It reaches a part of you that isn’t reached in any other way.” After college, he served two years in the Navy before returning to Palo Alto for Stanford’s business school. Carol attended Stanford at the same time, but their paths didn’t cross until after both moved to Southern California. Warner returned in 1963 to join the family business, a glue and roofing products manufacturing company started by his father in 1933, and Carol settled in Manhattan Beach, teaching elementary school — “We taught every subject, including P. E.” The two were introduced by Warner’s cousin. “When Carol and I started dating I was going to about 50 concerts a year, about one a week,” Warner says. “She just got on the train and came along with me.” He laughs, as Carol looks on with an approving smile. “Growing up in Sacramento, the music that I knew was musical theater,” Carol recalls. “We had very good musical theater, and we would also go to San Francisco for musical theater. And I loved it. Then I met Warner, who had
Warner and Carol Henry
Scenes from the Komische Opera production of The Magic Flute
–continued on page 16 09.19 | ARROYO | 15
Scenes from The Magic Flute
16 | ARROYO | 09.19
studied classical music at Stanford, and I discovered this art form that was both wonderful musical theater and also beautiful music.” That art form was opera, and in the 1980s Carol became an early member of the Opera League, along with fellow Pasadenan Alice Coulombe and Lorraine Saunders of San Marino. In the early days, they were a presenting organization, hosting touring opera companies, such as the New York City Opera. But they believed L.A. deserved its own opera company, and in 1986 L.A. Opera was born. The Henrys’ longtime support of the acclaimed company is well known in the classical music community. “Carol and Warner are pioneering and visionary founders of L.A. Opera; they helped create a world-class opera company where none had existed before,” says L.A. Opera President/CEO Christopher Koelsch. “They’ve been an essential part of the company ever since those formational early seasons, and they’ve been incredibly generous with their time, wisdom, inspiration and philanthropy throughout it all. The company would be simply unimaginable without them.” These days the opera presents a full season, with the prominent tenor Placido Domingo as general manager. The Henrys are quick to point out they don’t do the programming — “It’s totally up to the professionals,” Carol says — but they have created the Carol and Henry Warner Production Fund for Mozart Operas. “We both feel that Mozart’s music is the most beautiful of all,” she says. L. A. Opera’s upcoming season includes two Mozart operas underwritten by the Henrys — The Magic Flute (Nov. 16 through Dec. 15 ) and The Marriage of Figaro (June 6 through 28, 2020), but the uninitiated should expect some surprises. This highly popular production of The Magic Flute, which originated at Berlin’s Komische Opera and returns for its third run here, uses original animation to provide the backdrop and the fantastical creatures. The singers are made up and dressed in costumes mimicking silent-era black-and-white film. Also of particular note this season is a world premiere of Eurydice (February 2020) with music by Matthew Aucoin and libretto by Sarah Ruhl, which will retell the Orpheus myth from the heroine’s point of view. And of course there will be opera greats treading the boards. Renowned lyric soprano Renée Fleming stars in Adam Guettel’s Tony-winning musical, Light in the Piazza (October), about an American woman who takes her grown daughter on tour of romantic Florence in the 1950s. And in February and March 2020, Domingo sings the prominent role of the Duke of Nottingham in Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux. For those put off by opera’s stuffy reputation, Carol points out that there’s no formal dress code anymore, and there are special programs with relatively affordable pricing. The Aria Package for people under 40 also offers special events for socializing and the Newcomer Package includes backstage tours, preshow discussions and even easy payment plans. While L. A. Opera declines to reveal how much the Henrys have donated, and the couple themselves are not boastful people, it’s fair to assume their contributions are generous. The Henrys helped set up the Founding Angels program for donors who give at least $1 million over a four-year period. They were also early supporters of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), and in 2017 they donated $1.5 million to the group to celebrate its 50th anniversary. It was the largest gift in LACO’s history. It’s certainly money well spent, given the wealth of musical talent available in this area, including those versed in the more “serious” arts. “We discovered that more than 50 years ago when Neville Mariner was auditioning musicians for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra,” says Warner. “He said, ‘I’m overcome by the quality of musicians in this city! Not in London, not in Berlin, not in Vienna, not even in New York are there musicians of such uniformly high quality.’ And it’s [because of] the studios that they were playing for, as well as the USC [Thornton] School of Music, and now, the Colburn. We are awash in great orchestral musicians.” ||||
PHOTOS: Robert Millard
–continued from page 15
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arroyo
™
~HOM E SALES I N D EX~
0.205.% ALHAMBRA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. ALTADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. ARCADIA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. EAGLE ROCK Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. GLENDALE Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. LA CAÑADA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. PASADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SAN MARINO Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SIERRA MADRE Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SOUTH PASADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. TOTAL Homes Sold Avg Price/Sq. Ft.
JULY ’18 28 $701,500 1498 JULY ’18 33 $868,000 1585 JULY ’18 20 $1,244,000 2214 JULY ’18 17 $915,000 1294 JULY ’18 84 $832,500 1599 JULY ’18 20 $1,965,000 2527 JULY ’18 106 $773,000 1457 JULY ’18 9 $2,138,000 2472 JULY ’18 6 $1,166,500 2213 JULY ’18 11 $1,438,500 1780 JULY ’18 334 $633
HOMES SOLD
335
AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.
July
2019
HOMES SOLD
-0.029%
July
2018
334
HOME SALES
JULY ’19 27 $680,000 1259 JULY’19 36 $897,500 1630 JULY’19 22 $1,007,500 2081 JULY’19 17 $1,119,500 1728 JULY ’19 36 $705,000 1259 JULY ’19 22 $2,182,500 3128 JULY ’19 133 $845,000 1432 JULY ’19 14 $1,927,500 2197 JULY ’19 10 $1,009,500 1503 JULY ’19 15 $940,000 1321 JULY ’19 335 $763
HOME SALES ABOVE $950,000
source: CalREsource
ADDRESS
ALTADENA
CLOSE DATE
PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD
1081 Alta Pine Drive 2555 North Altadena Drive 2212 Holliston Ave. 1400 East Palm Street 1560 Meadowbrook Road 1704 Meadowbrook Road 2386 Allen Ave. 1924 Craig Ave. 636 Wildrose Canyon Court 1701 Pepper Drive 205 Jaxine Drive 1998 Grand Oaks Ave. 3500 Glenrose Ave. 1993 Roosevelt Ave. 1990 Craig Ave. 2751 Highview Ave. 1213 Mount Lowe Drive
7/23/19 7/11/19 7/15/19 7/25/19 7/3/19 7/3/19 7/19/19 7/16/19 7/23/19 7/22/19 7/16/19 7/9/19 7/16/19 7/5/19 7/3/19 7/19/19 7/17/19
$1,900,000.0 $1,825,000.0 $1,750,000.0 $1,650,000.0 $1,575,000.0 $1,442,500.0 $1,250,000.0 $1,249,000.0 $1,249,000.0 $1,200,000.0 $1,160,000.0 $1,150,000.0 $1,125,000.0 $1,045,000.0 $1,021,000.0 $1,020,000.0 $1,010,000.0
2 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 3
1,656 3,297 1,630 2,026 2,964 2,478 1,800 2,494 2,507 1,589 1,944 1,489 2,175 1,849 1,605 1,344 1,429
1950 1946 1923 1957 1961 1927 1949 1932 1999 1939 1962 1953 1947 1940 1938 1948 1939
$1,530,000 $1,500,000 $905,000 $1,420,000 $950,000 $867,000 $970,000
7/31/18 9/21/15 6/13/17 4/22/16 12/21/09 12/29/16 6/24/13
$900,000 $335,000
6/2/05 12/22/98
$195,000 $330,000
11/1/91 6/6/98
$585,000 $430,000
6/14/10 7/1/09
1770 Oakwood Ave. 82 Woodland Lane 330 Hacienda Drive 1715 Watson Drive 1309 San Carlos Road 2230 South 6th Ave. 1209 South 8th Ave. 2024 Canyon Road 2015 South 8th Ave. 1331 Greenfield Ave. 1721 South 3rd Ave. 1010 Rancho Road
7/17/19 7/16/19 7/12/19 7/26/19 7/5/19 7/3/19 7/11/19 7/5/19 7/1/19 7/3/19 7/12/19 7/5/19
$3,180,000.0 $2,550,000.0 $2,325,000.0 $2,230,000.0 $1,900,000.0 $1,868,000.0 $1,800,000.0 $1,601,000.0 $1,600,000.0 $1,325,500.0 $1,060,000.0 $955,000.0
5 5 4 4 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 2
5,751 3,496 3,563 3,424 3,055 4,360 4,876 3,023 2,955 2,725 1,872 2,057
2015 1940 1951 2015 1951 2013 1949 1961 1950 1961 1961 1949
$1,250,000 $2,425,000 $2,200,000 $2,180,000 $1,558,000 $2,610,000 $355,000 $479,000 $1,580,000
8/17/12 3/27/17 6/24/13 4/19/16 9/15/09 10/24/14 2/1/88 11/3/97 12/12/16
$448,000 $1,250,000
2/19/03 6/28/16
5237 Rockland Ave. 5212 Dahlia Drive 5149 Hartwick Street 5326 Argus Drive 5230 La Roda Ave. 5142 Highland View Ave. 460 North Ave. 56 5133 Ellenwood Drive 5199 Ellenwood Drive 1555 Waldran Ave. 2131 Addison Way 5142 Highland View Ave.
7/11/19 7/5/19 7/5/19 7/3/19 7/18/19 7/16/19 7/3/19 7/2/19 7/17/19 7/26/19 7/2/19 7/5/19
$1,830,000.0 $1,700,000.0 $1,575,000.0 $1,440,000.0 $1,359,500.0 $1,300,000.0 $1,250,000.0 $1,225,000.0 $1,119,500.0 $1,000,000.0 $990,000.0 $980,000.0
3 4 3 3 3 7 3 2 3 3 2 7
2,081 2,710 1,315 1,898 2,110 2,786 1,536 1,728 2,565 1,559 2,020 2,786
1921 1936 1924 1958 1910 1912 1912 1941 1909 1926 1922 1912
$1,011,000 $440,000 $640,000 $1,080,000
11/27/17 3/6/00 5/16/07 4/25/16
$980,000 $421,500 $835,000
4/30/19 12/17/03 1/26/16
$701,000
12/28/15
$570,000
7/29/03
909 East Chevy Chase Drive 1536 Sunshine Drive 3744 Hillway Drive 1648 Country Club Drive 1110 San Luis Rey Drive 1958 Crestshire Drive 609 East Cypress Street
7/16/19 7/18/19 7/18/19 7/3/19 7/26/19 7/10/19 7/16/19
$1,750,000.0 $1,450,000.0 $1,375,000.0 $1,240,000.0 $1,140,000.0 $950,000.0 $940,000.0
8 6 5 3 3 4 3
4,642 2,725 2,633 1,838 2,415 1,738 1,836
1927 1967 1953 1924 1959 1964 1939
$224,000
3/26/98
$1,150,000
11/14/17
326 Baptiste Way #108 4127 Chevy Chase Drive 4415 La Granada Way 2140 Patagonia Drive 708 Forest Green Drive 839 Valley Crest Street
7/9/19 7/2/19 7/9/19 7/12/19 7/1/19 7/12/19
$2,650,000.0 $2,550,000.0 $1,815,000.0 $1,540,000.0 $4,300,000.0 $2,725,000.0
4 4 3 3 5 3
3,834 3,470 2,786 2,180 7,331 3,362
2007 1934 1945 1964 2001 1949
$2,292,500 $2,075,000
9/12/07 4/22/13
$1,030,000
3/25/10
ARCADIA
EAGLE ROCK
GLENDALE
LA CAÑADA
–continued on page 20
The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and Alhambra. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2019. Complete home sales listings appear each week in Pasadena Weekly.
18 | ARROYO | 09.19
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–continued from page 18
ADDRESS
LA CAÑADA 4735 Ocean View Blvd. 3721 Chevy Chase Drive 3684 Hampstead Road 5303 Crown Ave. 4550 Lasheart Drive 5228 Palm Drive 1343 Salisbury Road 5033 Jarvis Ave. 1519 Riendo Lane 4608 Grand Ave. 4463 Hobbs Drive 5465 Ocean View Blvd. 463 Paulette Place 312 Baptiste Way
CLOSE DATE 7/1/19 7/24/19 7/3/19 7/19/19 7/15/19 7/25/19 7/18/19 7/3/19 7/5/19 7/8/19 7/12/19 7/23/19 7/23/19 7/9/19
$2,482,000.0 $1,910,000.0 $1,900,000.0 $1,775,000.0 $1,760,000.0 $1,735,000.0 $1,710,000.0 $1,695,000.0 $1,520,000.0 $1,420,000.0 $1,350,000.0 $1,350,000.0 $1,300,000.0 $960,000.0
3 4 3 3 4 3 5 3 4 3 3 2 5 1
3,525 3,029 1,757 2,049 2,658 1,702 3,275 2,944 3,067 1,596 2,256 2,195 2,048 1,310
1953 1950 1949 1958 1940 1953 1928 1964 1977 1947 1948 1958 1955 1941
$1,129,000 $1,510,000 $1,440,000 $1,098,500 $1,195,000 $575,000 $362,000 $1,014,000
6/30/11 5/13/08 4/16/13 4/4/16 5/2/12 9/1/88 6/1/87 1/22/02
$1,051,000 $950,000
5/25/05 6/25/14
220 North San Rafael Ave. 7/2/19 1365 South Los Robles Ave. 7/10/19 1125 Wabash Street 7/12/19 788 South Grand Ave. 7/26/19 1065 Armada Drive 7/22/19 920 Granite Drive #508 7/10/19 192 South Orange Grove Blvd. #301 7/8/19 326 South Parkwood Ave. 7/1/19 130 South Arroyo Blvd. 7/22/19 1283 Afton Street 7/9/19 875 Laguna Road 7/2/19 366 Markham Place 7/5/19 1751 Rose Villa Street 7/2/19 2414 Paloma Street 7/12/19 551 Bradford Street 7/16/19 1630 Staats Place 7/25/19 3306 Barhite Street 7/23/19 1151 North Holliston Ave. 7/3/19 1045 Locust Street 7/26/19 3036 Gainsborough Drive 7/23/19 552 Eldora Road 7/5/19 1439 Las Lunas Street 7/3/19 2645 Deodar Circle 7/9/19 1125 North Holliston Ave. 7/17/19 1530 North Harding Ave. 7/22/19 3799 Sycamore Street 7/26/19 1074 South Orange Grove Blvd. 7/9/19 1104 Rose Ave. 7/23/19 1207 North Holliston Ave. 7/22/19 885 South Orange Grove Blvd. #12 7/19/19 588 North Michigan Ave. 7/26/19 155 Cordova Street #101 7/19/19 900 North Holliston Ave. 7/23/19 175 Malcolm Drive 7/23/19 153 South Hudson Ave. #101 7/9/19 238 Glenullen Drive 7/12/19 1708 Beverly Drive 7/12/19 93 North Craig Ave. 7/23/19 250 South Altadena Drive 7/16/19 2570 Deodar Circle 7/1/19 955 Cynthia Ave. 7/19/19
$6,885,000.0 $5,707,000.0 $4,890,000.0 $2,862,000.0 $2,453,000.0 $2,105,000.0 $1,995,000.0 $1,805,000.0 $1,760,000.0 $1,710,000.0 $1,700,000.0 $1,595,000.0 $1,585,000.0 $1,549,000.0 $1,480,000.0 $1,439,500.0 $1,400,000.0 $1,378,000.0 $1,375,000.0 $1,300,000.0 $1,265,000.0 $1,250,000.0 $1,235,000.0 $1,125,000.0 $1,123,000.0 $1,114,000.0 $1,100,000.0 $1,095,000.0 $1,094,000.0 $1,085,000.0 $1,075,000.0 $1,060,000.0 $1,055,500.0 $1,040,000.0 $1,030,000.0 $1,006,000.0 $1,004,000.0 $1,000,000.0 $998,000.0 $980,000.0 $976,000.0
3 8 4 4 6 3 2 4 4 3 3 3 3 4 2 3 5 3 2 2 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 4 3 3 2 5 3 3 2 3
5,922 11,152 4,168 3887 3984 2,780 2,760 2,488 2768 1,634 1,673 3,226 1,664 2,540 1,414 2188 6208 2,001 1170 1633 1,980 2,280 2,235 1,766 2390 1910 2,027 2077 1,590 2,544 2,237 1,930 1,722 1,948 2,110 1,921 2,129 1,092 1,743 1,987 1,655
1925 1915 1935 1924 1926 2009 2015 1925 1906 1949 1955 1908 1924 1937 1918 1977 1910 1939 1939 1947 1923 1921 1941 1941 1947 1935 1975 1989 1913 1973 1912 2010 1927 1977 2012 1952 1949 1920 1947 1956 1951
$3,600,000 $4,800,000 $2,850,000 $2,357,500
11/16/07 11/2/07 4/17/07 7/9/10
$1,850,000 $1,620,000 $1,350,000 $860,000 $1,065,000 $1,450,000
2/27/17 11/30/15 2/24/16 4/19/05 3/23/18 10/29/14
$1,075,000 $1,360,000
9/5/18 3/27/17
$450,000
9/17/08
$1,280,000 $1,121,000 $647,000 $729,000 $580,000 $875,000 $870,000 $945,000 $910,000 $870,000 $337,000 $490,000 $550,000 $1,274,500 $785,000
8/26/16 4/8/13 1/25/07 9/8/10 3/5/03 2/9/15 12/12/18 7/13/17 1/7/09 7/11/07 5/8/98 10/24/00 3/12/13 3/22/18 4/24/13
$830,000
8/12/05
$899,000 $600,000
11/24/14 5/20/15
2905 Gainsborough Drive 765 Canterbury Road 710 Chaucer Road 1560 Kensington Road 1875 Virginia Road 1495 Mirasol Drive 1539 Mirasol Drive 2174 Melville Drive 1519 Wilson Ave. 1755 Westhaven Road 1285 Lorain Road 2270 Brentford Road 2187 Lorain Road 500 Plymouth Road
7/1/19 7/16/19 7/25/19 7/12/19 7/1/19 7/23/19 7/23/19 7/3/19 7/12/19 7/15/19 7/23/19 7/11/19 7/25/19 7/23/19
$3,880,000.0 $3,680,000.0 $3,000,000.0 $2,620,000.0 $2,400,000.0 $2,400,000.0 $1,934,000.0 $1,920,000.0 $1,918,000.0 $1,780,000.0 $1,750,000.0 $1,590,000.0 $1,550,000.0 $1,450,000.0
4 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3
4,296 4,528 2898 2,540 2,739 2544 2195 2,118 1,856 1,945 2199 1,505 1694 1671
1986 1937 1947 1948 1935 1937 1926 1928 1931 1928 1940 1937 1936 1926
$2,660,000 $3,750,000 $2,050,000 $1,210,000
12/16/09 2/15/11 9/28/10 6/24/02
$910,000 $1,880,000
6/10/03 9/25/17
$1,795,000 $582,000 $700,000
9/30/16 6/1/90 6/21/01
$975,000
2/17/12
62 Canon Place 301 Foothill Ave. 180 Colony Drive 454 Manzanita Ave. 205 Olivera Lane 228 Olivera Lane
7/15/19 7/3/19 7/5/19 7/2/19 7/1/19 7/12/19
$1,325,000.0 $1,300,000.0 $1,135,000.0 $1,092,000.0 $1,065,000.0 $954,000.0
4 3 3 3 3 2
1,989 2,291 1,605 1,231 2,046 1,400
1963 1949 1955 1949 1961 1940
$735,000 $375,000 $700,000 $841,000
9/9/11 12/6/99 1/12/09 2/4/19
$785,000
6/11/07
1611 Spruce Street 1525 Santa Teresa Street 1421 Lyndon Street 1550 Diamond Ave. 1962 Primrose Ave. 804 Monterey Road
7/3/19 7/1/19 7/15/19 7/1/19 7/5/19 7/2/19
$2,220,000.0 $1,815,000.0 $1,465,000.0 $1,250,000.0 $1,250,000.0 $1,135,000.0
5 4 6 2 4 3
3,008 3,095 2,936 1,577 218 1,325
1925 1968 1907 1924 1910 1899
PASADENA
SAN MARINO
SIERRA MADRE
SOUTH PASADENA
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PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD
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ARROYO HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
GIVING TO CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS REQUIRES SOME HOMEWORK Charities love donations – except when taking the goods is more trouble than they’re worth By Bruce Haring The American people are very generous when it comes to charitable donations. The 2018 Giving USA Report says Americans gave a total of $410 billion to charity last year. That’s an all-time high for donations, even as new tax laws have changed giving incentives. Choosing which charity to donate to is a highly individual decision, one usually grounded in personal experience or observed concerns. You can give to small local organizations, or international behemoths like the United Way, which topped the lists of charities for 2018 with 3.7 billion received. While charitable giving tends to peak around holidays, the doors are open for donations year-round at most organizations, and
your support during slow periods is particularly welcome in most cases. There are many ways to give to charities. Obviously, cash donations are always welcome, as the problems of warehousing donated goods is eliminated. Often, in a crisis, local resources can be tapped to purchase near disasters, rather than having to transport things many miles. And while donated cans of creamed corn can be put to use, it’s not high on the list of things charities need. You can also make a charitable bequest in your will. You don’t have to donate a large amount of money in order to remember your favorite charity, and many smaller donors often like to leave a small sum to organizations associated with their favorite causes. continued on page 26 09.19 | ARROYO | 23
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—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
continued from page 23
PHYSICAL GOODS Still, beyond cash, there are charities that will welcome your tangible goods, provided they are still in good condition. Frayed sofas, figurines, china, and brown furniture are generally frowned upon, but items that can reasonably be expected to have value to clients and potential purchasers are welcome. Even better, some charities will come to your home and pick up the items, eliminating the need for you to schlep them to another location. Among them are the Salvation Army, Goodwill, AMVETS National Service Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and The Arc. Note that most charities don’t want junk. If your item isn’t new, unused or only slightly new, then most places will take a pass. That means your frayed or cat-clawed sofa, Aunt Mary’s china, clothing that was fashionable 15 years ago and cars that won’t run aren’t something that most places won’t accept. However, if you sell them on your own, you can take the cash received and make a donation to the charity, which they’ll gladly take. How do you determine the value of your goods? The Internal Revenue Service uses the “fair market value” test for clothing and other items. That means that you can deduct what someone might expect to pay if they bought the items at a used clothing store. Note that you have to compare apple to apples on this. You can potentially get in trouble if you’re taking a deduction for a used shirt and comparing it with high-end department store prices. The best way to determine whether there is interest in your goods is to call the charity of your choice and ask. They may send an appraiser out, and charities such as the Salvation Army or Goodwill may even come out to your
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—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—
home for a look-see. Again, consider the time and money of the charity, which has costs to maintain its infrastructure. Make it easy on them. As for which charities are the best, almost all guides say to think locally. Beyond the huge international organizations are many worthwhile local charities that will help people in your community. This has the added benefit of allowing you to actually see how your contributions are making a difference, and in some cases, you may even be in touch with the recipients. Keep in mind that not every charity is worthy of your donation. Many celebrities have charitable organizations that are set up as a tax shelter, and little to no money gets to help the people they’re supposed to help. Try and stay away from nebulous causes like World Peace or an End to Poverty that have
donated by pharmaceutical firms, and many of the drugs had nothing to do
little to no hope of tangible progress. Annual reports can be a real eye-opener
with starving children.
on whether a charity is legitimate or merely window-dressing on a celebrity reputation. It’s advisable to do homework for another reason. Not every charity is exactly what it seems. There’s a notorious case of one charity that you’ve probably heard advertised on the radio or seen television commercials for that has a very catchy jingle and a seemingly good cause helping children. What they don’t tell you up-front is that the children they are helping are actually members of an ultra-orthodox religious sect that generally shuns most others. Yes, they are helping children, but you might want to find a more general way to help those in your community. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra earlier this year went
If you feel that a charity is not on the up-and-up in California, the state Attorney General is the party responsible for bringing them to help. The AG office has oversight to make sure charitable assets and your donations are for their intended use and prohibits deceptive or coercive charitable solicitations. The department encourages whistleblowers in the community to file complaints if they feel that something isn’t right. The news is always full of details about scammers that are soliciting following natural disasters or to help local first responders, so be cautious about your donation and do some research. Despite all the pitfalls, there are a lot of good people in the area doing a lot of good deeds for the less fortunate, the sick, the challenged and children. By donating to a worthy cause that is focused on helping them, you are helping
after a charity called Aid for Starving Children, claiming it engaged in
to make the communities we live in stronger. That, more than any donation, is
misrepresentations and breach of fiduciary duty. The charity over-valued drugs
reason enough to give.
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HELPING THE HOMELESS The California homeless crisis may be reaching critical mass, but Pasadena’s Friends In Deed has been helping the needy find homes sweet homes for decades. BY PATT DIROLL
T
he California homeless crisis has been grabbing headlines, raising fears that homelessness is becoming normalized, with indigent enclaves assimilated into the urban landscape. In the Pasadena area, however, there has been significant progress. This year’s homeless count, conducted in January, identified 542 homeless residents, down from 677 in 2018. That’s thanks in part to Friends In Deed (FID), the city’s interfaith organization that has helped meet basic human needs for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless for 125 years. The organization, which has long aggressively tackled the problems of the needy, is now focusing on outreach to get people off the street, one by one. FID’s roots date back to 1894 when a cadre of clergy formed the Pastors’ Union, a consortium of local congregations. After World War II, more congregations joined them and in 1946, the name of the new nonprofit was changed to the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches (ECPAC). In 1961, ECPAC adopted the “Friendly Visitors” project, a grassroots effort to help the poor launched by Mara Moser, a Quaker visionary who distributed clothes and food from her Pasadena garage. The program included Mothers’ Club, launched in 1962 to provide parenting education to single mothers. It soon evolved into an independent program, now called the Families Forward Learning Center. Headquartered at 980 N. Fair Oaks Ave., the center provides free education and social services to low-income families in Pasadena and Altadena, with children up to age five. Friends in Deed House on Washington Boulevard was built in 1978 to house the ECPAC office and its food and clothing programs. As its charity outreach expanded, ECPAC changed its name to the more memorable Friends In Deed; meanwhile, the group outgrew its quarters, and in 2018, its Street Outreach Team and administrative offices were moved to North Lake Avenue. FID House, a two-story cream-colored building at the corner of Los Robles Avenue and Washington Boulevard, remains the command post where people of all ages gather on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings to wait for the food pantry to open. It is set up just like a neighborhood grocery store and serves more than 2,400 individuals a month. Depending on the number of people in a household and what foods are available in a given week, shoppers choose from designated amounts of fresh produce, baked goods, eggs, frozen meat and other staples to feed their families. They can also get monthly health checks from medical professionals, free legal advice, the makings for holiday dinners and backpacks for their children. “We provide more than just food,” said Pantry Director Tim Nistler. “We provide a sense of
belonging and community.” Around the corner, women wait each weekday to enter Friends In Deed’s The Women’s Room (TWR), the San Gabriel Valley’s only refuge for women who are alone and homeless or at-risk, which was created in 2007 by the Women’s Issues Committee of Pasadena’s All Saints Church. Here, women can shower, shampoo, launder their clothes, get a snack and even take a nap in a safe environment. “This is home to many of our guests,” says TWR Director Marlene Martinez. “We are their support network.” Jacqueline Knowles, a former city editor of the Pasadena Star-News and TWR’s founding director, noted that at TWR older women are the fastestgrowing segment. According to a recent Needs Assessment Survey conducted by TWR, 41 percent of the women are white or latina, 23.3 percent AfricanAmerican, 8.3 percent Asian and 1.7 percent are Native American. “Most are over 50 and have layers of trauma that began when they were children,” she said. “More than half have some college education and try to keep themselves well-groomed, to avoid looking indigent. So why don’t we solve this problem of housing women first, when it seems doable?” One recent grateful guest, Elizabeth, described the experience of finally being off the streets. “On my first night, I tried to think of where I would be,” she said. “Normally I’d be hanging around Jack in the Box, trying to stay safe, trying to get a little WiFi. Then it just dawned on me —that that’s not my life anymore.” Some clients come to FID because they are about to lose their housing and need help from Homeless Prevention Services. “Ninety-nine percent of our families have remained housed while receiving prevention services,” says Homeless Prevention Manager Monica Cardenas-Ochoa. “This is due in part to our life-skills coaching program.” FID supplies short-term and mediumterm rental support, as well as move-in assistance, to those on the brink of homelessness. Nearly 70 individuals and families benefit from the Homeless Prevention Program each year. Studies reveal that keeping a person housed is more cost-effective than trying to help them get housed in the first place. That’s done in part by helping them navigate the pitfalls of affordable and “permanent supportive” housing for people in need. “For more than a century, our mission has been to relieve the effects of poverty…and recognize human dignity while responding to changing needs,” says Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater, FID executive director. “For example, our first program to aid people on the street was the Bad Weather Shelter, established after a man died of hypothermia on a bus bench in 1986.” The latest –continued on page 30 09.19 | ARROYO | 29
Jacqueline Knowles, Marlene Martinez and Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater
Elizabeth
strategy is to get people off the street and into permanent supportive housing, which augments housing with health and other services. The shelter, maintained from late November to the middle of March, at the Church of the Covenant on North Lake Avenue in Pasadena, provides a hot meal and a cot on cold or rainy nights for up to 140 people, although the population averages 80. Clients receive sheets and bedding on their first visit, and the items are waiting for them each night they return. Most are older, chronically homeless or suffering from mental health issues. Case managers are onsite to enter them into the Coordinated Entry System, which assists in acquiring permanent housing and other available resources. Until sustainable housing can be found, new socks, shoes, umbrellas and toiletry items are dispensed regularly to help them survive on the streets. Pasadenans have a long, impressive history of philanthropy, and Friends In Deed is just one of the thousands of charities in the city — one charity for every 138 residents, according to a study commissioned by Leadership Pasadena, which cultivates community advocates. That makes the city a great environment for good works, but a challenging one. “Competition is keen for the charity dollar. So we are not waiting for people to come to us; we go to them,” Rabbi Grater said. “Street Outreach is a two-person team that gets to know people living on the street, one by one, and encourages them to connect to services and ultimately, housing. In just a few months we have housed 11 people. We have now hired a ‘housing locator’ to recruit landlords willing to rent to the homeless. It is frustrating to drive through Pasadena and see longtime vacant homes and buildings that could be converted into low-cost housing. We can’t wait for new housing to be built. We are a small agency with a super punch!” On Grater’s watch, over the past three years, the FID annual budget has more than doubled to $1 million as it collaborates with other agencies to solve the homeless problem. “Our motto is ‘doing together what we cannot do alone,’” he said. |||| If you’d like to help — and have a good time doing it — ”Jazz on the Green,” FID’s primary fundraiser, is coming up on Sept. 25 at Pasadena’s historic Castle Green, 99 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Claire and Bill Bogaard, Pasadena mayor emeritus, will be the honorees. Along with cool jazz, there will be tastings from local eateries and wineries. The doings start at 6 p.m. Tickets
Tim Nistler with Knowles and Robbi Grater 30 | ARROYO | 09.19
are $105 at friendsindeed.org.
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Friends In Deed
–continued from page 29
CREATING A BRIGHTER TOMORROW These Charities & non-profits are making a difference!
BLOOM AGAIN FOUNDATION B Bloom Again Foundation works toward our mission through our collaboration with community partners – providing their clients, patients, and parishioners with financial assistance for living essentials when they th need it most. Our vision is a world in which the there th ther here is health equity in the healing process for all women. wom w wo om men. m WHATT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? WHA Aside from providing financial assistance to women, we have a Financial Literacy Campaign in which we provide free financial literacy workshops, in both English and Spanish, geared toward low-wage earners. We deliver the program to organization/business that serves the low-income women population. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Working women living at or near the federal poverty level. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? With homelessness up 16% from last year in Los Angeles, the Bloom Again Foundation helps keep women in their home, with their families in tact, as they heal from a medical challenge and prepare to go back to work. 221 E. Walnut St. Suite 245, Pasadena • info@bloomagain.org bloomagain.org
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF PASADENA The Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena is committed to education and youth development, to changing the trajectory of kids’ lives and, in turn, their families’ lives, and transforming the community. Our goal is to identify barriers our kids have to learning, remove e those barriers and bring out the best in them through oug ough ugh our afterschool and summer education enrichment en ent efforts. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? A multitude of programs are offered in three key areas of Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles, and Good Character and Leadership. In addition to our core programs, we offer music and swim lessons, dance and basketball teams, competitive photography and art, youth leadership competition, and more. Five days a week, throughout the year, the outstanding Youth Development Professionals at the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena provide opportunity and hope
to more than 1,960 community kids, many of whom come from disadvantaged economic, social, and family circumstances. We offer our programs and services to every child at a nominal fee, regardless of race, gender, religion, economic status, or any other factor. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? It gives children and teens a safe place to spend out-of-school hours, while offering enrichment activities that enhance their lives and shape their futures. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Children and youth in the Pasadena area, ages 6 – 18. 3230 E. Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena (626) 449-9100 info@bgcpasadena.org • bgcpasadena.org
CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY PASADENA (“CSCP”) Cancer Support Community is an international not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 to provide free support, education and hope to individuals impacted by cancer. CSC currently comprises 42 licensed affiliates (including Cancer Support Community Pasadena), eight hospital-based affiliates, 150 satellite locations and healthcare partnerships. CSC SSC C iis the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer canc c nce cerr cer support worldwide. su WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? CSCP serves individuals facing cancer, caregivers and support persons, children who have a parent or loved one facing cancer, those who are bereaved having lost a loved one to cancer, and survivors. CSCP also provides support groups facilitated in Spanish geared toward low income or uninsured s Spanish –speaking individuals. S Sp HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? H Reducing the stress that cancer brings is one of the most important things an individual can do to improve their quality of life. The value of psychosocial support cannot be underestimated; good quality medical care for cancer patients must also attend to the patients’ emotional challenges along with their medical treatment and physical challenges. Our support groups are led by licensed mental health professionals. Our groups give individuals a safe environment in which to express their feelings and connect with others undergoing similar experiences. Nobody truly understands the devastating effects of cancer better than other people who are experiencing it. –continued on page 33 09.19 | ARROYO | 31
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CASA OF LOS ANGELES C CASA of Los Angeles are court appointed special advocates for children in the foster care system. We investigate, report, recommend, advocate, and re support volunteers who are su advocating for children in need. adv As a CASA, our goal is to keep C children child ildren safe, find them a forever home, hom ome, me and an protect their well-being. Our mission is to mobilize community urr m volunteers for children who olunteers un eer to advocate a have abuse and neglect. ve experienced experience exp experie WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? We offer programs in Early Childhood, Transition Age Youth, Adult Connections, Health Advocacy, Mental Health Advocacy, Educational Advocacy, Children’s Court Assistants, and Glamour Gowns & Suit Up.. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Our volunteers benefit from changing a child’s story and our children receive a voice by having a one-on-one advocate. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Los Angeles County has the largest number of children in the dependency systems throughout the United States. We provide a oneto-one mentorship to help move children out of the system and into a forever home. Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Court, 201 Centre Plaza Dr. Suite 1100, Monterey Park (323) 859-2888 • rgreen@casala.org • casala.org
DAY ONE D For over 30 years our team at Day One has helped communities building vibrant, healthy cities by advancing public health, empowering youth, and igniting change. Day One Youth Advocates (DOYA) develop leadership skills that allow them to be powerful le e catalysts for change within their social circles and cat cat ca a communities. They attend public meetings, provide comm co c om o m youth in City decision-making, and take action yo you out o uth perspective p on teen and community issues. Day One assists communities, on ttee en na as a s key k agents age age ent of change, as well as policymakers, in gathering en relevant data and information, analyzing research findings, identifying policy options and implementing public health policy that improves quality of life for all. Day One is passionate about the people and communities we work in. We believe in the potential of humanity and know that by caring, helping, and loving those we work with, regardless of their past, we are able to
ELIZABETH HOUSE In 1993 Founding Director, Debora Unruh, witnessed firsthand the impact of homelessness and trauma. While in labor with her first-born son, she watched a woman lose custody of her newborn due to her drug use and homeless situation. Because se o of this experience, the generous donation of a home, hom ome me, m e, and vital community partnership, Elizabeth House its e welcomed we w elco omed it ts first resident on July 15, 1994. Twenty-five years later, Elizabeth House continues to serve hundreds of women and children. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? Accommodating up to eight young families at a time, our Residential Program takes a trauma-informed approach by providing case management, intensive professional counseling, access to healthcare, parent education, job training, mother-to-mother mentoring, scholarship support, and much more. Once women and their children transition from our Residential Program, we stay connected through our robust Alumni Services. Our alumni continue to receive case management and therapy, access to our donations center, community groups, and quarterly workshops and newsletters. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Pregnant and parenting women experiencing homelessness. Most of the women who enter our home have experienced the intergenerational impact of trauma and need both safety and healing. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Elizabeth House empowers women who have been abused to heal and get on their feet. We give at-risk children the chance to have safe and successful lives. We equip mothers to lead their families toward stable and prosperous futures. And we ensure there is always hope by providing a life-long community of support. We are proud that over 308 children have been born into safety, and over 333 women have been served. Also, 79% of former residents currently are served through our Alumni Program. 559 N. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, • (626) 577-4434 contact@elizabethhouse.net • elizabethhouse.net
make a difference. We are driven by the knowledge that each person really can make a difference. And that each day can be day one, of a better more meaningful and purpose-driven life. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? The community at large. Youth, Parents, Adults, Seniors, and anyone who wants to make the world a better place. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Our mission provides us with the opportunity to include and amplify the voices of community members in key conversations that affect public health - Issues of access, equity, opportunity, and inclusion. Through intentionally designing opportunities to hear community member concerns, we are able to form meaningful collaborations between residents, city staff, officials, and key stakeholders to develop and implement innovative solutions that bring progress to our communities. 175 N. Euclid Ave. Pasadena, • (626) 529-4470 christy@goDayOne.org • goDayOne.org
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FRIENDS IN DEED “Doing together what we cannot do alone” is Friends In Deed’s vision of its role in Pasadena, with a focus on partnership and collaboration to meet the needs of our homeless and low-income m neighbors for food, shelter, rental assistance and n neig community. Founded in 2007, The Women’s Room (TWR) is c comm the organization in the San Gabriel Valley dedicated to th only o serving women who are alone and homeless or at risk of homelessness. It is a daytime refuge known for wrapping its arms around the 20 to 35 women who come through the door each day, making them feel whole and appreciated. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? The Food Pantry provides food assistance to low-income and no-income families in the greater Pasadena/Altadena area. Our households are made up of “working poor” individuals, senior citizens and people with disabilities on fixed incomes, and those who are experiencing homelessness WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Pasadena’s homeless and low-income population HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Friends In Deed aims to bring to the most vulnerable members of our community the resources and opportunity to lead productive and meaningful lives, where they
LEADERSHIP PASADENA Leadership Pasadena is a powerful, hands-on leadership program that immerses participants in Pasadena’s rich history, government, school system, economics and more. Leadership Pasadena offers a special ce Course for Veterans that re-missions service members into the community. Graduates lo loca ocal al of both programs serve the community in local ommissions, omm mmis missi m issions, ons government, on non-profit Boards, City commissions, hoo ho h ood o od a associat ations. ons. through civic organizations and neighborhood associations. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? Leadership Pasadena offers two programs. Our signature program, which is based on neuroscience, is 8 months long in which participants do a “deep dive” into all aspects of Pasadena life--learning about local government, business, arts, science, history, regional economics and more. Our Community Leadership Course for Veterans (CLCV) is a strengths based course to re-mission high potential service driven military veterans and leverage their military skills and experiences to serve the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley area. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? The residents of the city of Pasadena, non-profit organizations, neighborhood associations, city government and local employers.
can not only survive, but thrive, and are able to pursue the quality of life to which all are entitled. We provide a safe arena in which our clients are listened to, encouraged, and respected so as to promote self-worth and dignity. In the Food Pantry we provide food to more than 310 households per week (approximately 700+ people). The Women’s Room provides food, showers and laundry facilities to 25-35 women per day. The Bad Weather Shelter serves an average of 90 people a night when open. In the first quarter of 2019, the Homelessness Prevention Program helped 14 families and individuals at imminent risk of homelessness. 444 East Washington Blvd., Pasadena • (626) 797-2402
HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Leadership Pasadena produces empowered, inspired and connected leaders who strengthen our diverse communities. Graduates serve on City Council, on School Boards, on non-profit boards, are involved in neighborhood associations and are powerful advocates for the Pasadena community. Others become socially responsible business leaders. Corporate HQ Address: 75 South Grand Ave., Pasadena, info@leadershippasadena.org • leadershippasadena.org
office@friendsindeedpas.org • friendsindeedpas.org/fid/
HATHAWAY-SYCAMORES CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services es es is a highly-respected mental health and welfare agency with 10 locations throughout Southern California, headquartered in Pasadena, CA. Cultivating hope and resilience to enrich the wellbeing of children, adults, families and communities. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? We offer an array of innovative and effective programs rams am ms and services including residential treatment; transitional tio onal shelter care; foster care and adoption; transitional living assistance g assistan a ssist sistan si anc nce for young adults currently or at risk of experiencing homelessness; outpatient and school-based mental health services; wraparound/in-home services; psychiatric services; psychological testing; educational support services; and after-school tutoring/enrichment.
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WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? The children, young adults and families we serve come from diverse backgrounds but most have survived challenges such as abuse, maltreatment, family displacement, trauma and mental illnesses. All of the children, young adults and families we serve are low-income. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE H COMMUNITY? C We serve children, young adults and families from underserved communities and provide the tools needed to overcome trauma and co com omm mm m substance abuse and manage mental illness and to build resiliency. Our substan sub ubs u bsta b tanc anc nc c highly effective behavioral health services impact more than 15,000 lives highly hig hi ghly hye eff effe effff ffec ffec annually. 100 West Walnut Street. Suite 375 Pasadena, CA (626) 395-7100 • contact@hscfs.org • hathaway-sycamores.org
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PASADENA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Pasadena. Managing more than $85 million in charitable assets, PCF is Pasadena’s permanent endowment for public good, building ding g hometown legacies that benefit our community ity now and for decades to come. The Pasadena Community Foundation improves and enriches the lives of people in the greater Pasadena area through commitments to: •Provide grants and services to strengthen community-based organizations; •Promote and participate in community partnerships; •Enable donors to meet their philanthropic goals; and •Serve as a leader and catalyst to build charitable funds, emphasizing permanent endowments to fund grants to local organizations. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? PCF works with individuals, families, and organizations to establish philanthropic funds - including donor-advised funds, endowment funds, scholarships, and more - and distribute charitable gifts to nonprofit organizations across the country. In addition to donor-directed grants and scholarships, PCF makes annual grants in six areas: arts and culture, education, environment, health,, human services, and youth. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? PCF serves three public groups: donors, nonprofit organizations, and the Pasadena community as a whole. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? PCF’s donor services and stewardship increase the impact of individual philanthropy in Pasadena, and grants from the Foundation support the nonprofit organizations that provide vital health, cultural, and education programs in our community. 301 East Colorado Blvd., Suite 810, Pasadena, (626) 796-2097• jclark@pasadenacf.org • pasadenacf.org
PROFESSIONAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES (PCDA) PCDA is a nonprofit organization that offers a range of multidisciplinary screening, evaluation, therapy, and specialized services for children, birth through 21 years of age, and their families, when there are any concerns or problems in development, behavior, or social relationships at home, school, or in the community. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? PCDA’s programs include developmental screenings, child and family counseling, occupational al therapy, feeding therapy and nutrition, speech and language therapy, social- and life-skills programs, a Special pecial ecia ial al Olympics Young Athletes program, and creative-arts pr programs program pro rrog o rams ms such as music therapy; adaptive art, dance, and music lessons; sic ic le lesso sson ons ns; an an adaptive choir; an adaptive drama program; and a crea creative-arts eativ ativ ive-a ve-arts e-a arts ts summer program.
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PASADENA MEALS ON WHEELS, INC. NC. NC For 55 years, we have been providing nutritious meals to help meet the health needs of the elderly in Pasadena. Every meal delivered addresses the challenges of food insecurity of the aging by promoting health, improved quality of life and giving peace of mind to senior citizens. We are more than just ustt a meal, our volunteers provide sincere cere e interest and for some of our clients iiss o often oft ten n their only daily human contact. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? R? We provide a hot meal and a col c cold old dm mea meal eal al da d daily, a y, M Mondayy through Friday delivered by volunteers who a sincere interest h have h i i t t in i the th wellll being of seniors. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? The elderly, disabled and persons convalescing due to illness or injury. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Provide nutritious food and friendly personal contact. HOW ARE YOU MEASURING IMPACT? We see our clients every day Monday through Friday. We welcome comments and suggestions. Clients as well as their family members let us know how much they appreciate and need our service. (626) 449-6815 • Pasadenamealsonwheels@gmail.com pasadenamealsonwheels.org
WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? We currently serve more than 1,000 young people affected byy developmental disabilities, and their families, in the greater d Los Angeles area each year. Clients range in age from Lo birth to age 21, with the majority of clients under age 9. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? PCDA provides a wide range of services geared toward children, teens, and young adults g with wit developmental challenges. Our treatments are playand relationship-based. We accept children with pl pla all developmental disabilities, speaking to the diversity of our a d devel vel clients well cllients as w clie we e as to the depth of our care team. Our programs and therapies thera the erapies es include includ nclud the whole family – parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. ncl –w whereas most other organizations do not include family members directly wh whe hereas as os ost othe oth in sessions programming. n therapy ther th he errapy se erap era sessio ions ons an and nd p 620 • (626) 793-7350 62 N. 62 N Lake ke Ave., Ave Pasadena Passa LaurenL@pcdateam.org • pcdateam.org
ROSE BOWL AQUATICS CENTER Helping everyone achieve their personal best by providing the finest aquatic educational, competitive, a therapeutic and recreational programs. th WHA PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? WHAT The Center’s two Olympic pools, diving Th Therapy Pool and dry land facilities provide well, The he a full range of programs including: Lap Swimming (long & short course), Swimming Lessons, Swimming Team, Masters programs in swimming, water polo and diving, Recreational Swimming, Special needs and adaptive swimming programs, Therapy and rehabilitation programs, Diving lessons, Diving Team, Water Polo Team, Water Aerobics, Anderson Adventure Camp H2O, Dry land fitness classes, Personal weight and fitness training WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Residents of Pasadena and the surrounding communities. Patrons range in age from 6 months to over 100 years old. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? One of our most popular programs, Get in the Swim, partners with PUSD to offer swim lessons to every 3rd student in PUSD free of charge. Thousands of children learn how to swim every year at the RBAC, helping to keep them safe, as drowning is the 2nd leading cause of death for children ages 1 – 14. Hundreds of student athletes participate on our competitive teams, allowing them to grow emotionally while training physically. Every year, student athletes go on to compete collegiately as well as nationally and globally. Hundreds of others utilize the facilities to rehab from injury, gain strength and flexibility as well as workout to be healthier. Corporate HQ Address: 360 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena (626) 564-0330 eimperiale@rosebowlaquatics.org • rosebowlaquatics.org
THE SHAKESPEARE CLUB OF PASADENA The Shakespeare Club is dedicated to philanthropy and the strong camaraderie that exists between members. Members are of all ages and come from a variety of backgrounds, from retirees to millennial bloggers. While most members are women, the club does have a few male members. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? Bimonthly meetings which include guest speakers akers ake kers such h as authors, artists, and civic leaders of interest to Pasadena Pa Pasaden ena a and its culture and history. Weekly bridge games,, occa occasional casiona sion io ona nal al workshops on cooking, design, and art. We have partnered the t d with ith h th h Pasadena Museum of History and the Junior League of Pasadena on programs and events.
SHRINERS FOR CHILDREN MEDICAL CENTER – PASADENA Shriners for Children Medical Center, is a specialty medical center providing comprehensive medical, surgical and rehabilitative care to children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burn scars, and cleftt lip pa and d palate. Our family-centered approach pro ch proach pr h to care supports the entire family during all ly dur uring ga al phases of a child’s care. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? We offer outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals, physical therapy students and child life therapy. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Children; we have nearly six-and-a-half decades of giving children the specialized medical care they need. This has helped us create a lasting legacy of care that can be found nowhere else in the world. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Shriners for Children Medical Center is the ONLY healthcare provider in San Gabriel Valley that specializes in pediatric specialties. We are dedicated to providing orthopaedic care and plastic reconstructive surgery to children in our community and around the world. 909 S. Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena (626) 389-9300 • shclapr@shrinenet.org shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/pasadena
WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR W SERVICES? Beginning in 1954, the Club founded the Annual Scholarship Awards presenting scholarships to four outstanding high school graduates in Pasadena. Throughout the year, we raise money P for the needy and underprivileged in Pasadena fo for including the Friends of Foster Children. in inc nclu nc n c HOW H HO OW O WD DOE DO DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? CO COMM C OM OMM MMUN UN Through TThroug hro hroug h ou ugh h ou our o philanthropic efforts, the club has awarded scholarships years. The club also has a group of talented singers sch scho h lar hola ho arship arsh a ship ips ps for orr 6 65 ye e and dancers which have performed at the Ronald McDonald House and dd hi h h h retirement homes. 171 South Grand Avenue, Pasadena (626) 793-5714 • shakespeareclub423@gmail.com shakespeareclub.org –continued on page 39 09.19 | ARROYO | 37
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UNION STATION HOMELESS SERVICES UN Union Station Homeless Services provides permanent solutions to help end homelessness and rebuild lives. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? Our focus on outreach, bridge and permanent housing, employment and community p integration programs help people end their inte nte homelessness and stay housed for good. hom home WHO A ARE AR R THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR RE SERVIC VICES VICE SERVICES? We e ser sserve erve adults a and families experiencing homelessness or r k orr homelessness. h ho omeless at risk HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? Everyone deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home. Union Station’s programs help provide a healthier, happier and stronger community by connecting people with the housing and services they need. HOW ARE YOU MEASURING IMPACT? Last year, Union Station housed 902 people, and one year later, 97% of them remain housed! In addition: the agency outreached to more than 3,200 people experiencing homelessness in the San Gabriel Valley. Their staff helped more than 725 people access safe shelter and bridge housing; they served 133,000 meals; and they helped 265 secure and retain employment. They did all this with the incredible help of more than 3,000 volunteers! Corporate HQ Address: 825 E. Orange Grove Blvd. Pasadena (626) 240-4550 • info@unionstationhs.org • unionstationhs.org
VINTAGE ROSE BATTERED WOMEN’S SHELTER CORP. Vintage Rose Battered Women’s Shelter is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization that was established in 2008 as a grassroot and a vision. Relocation programs, Workshops in re-entering the workforce, day treatment programs, Domestic Violence class visiting religious clergy, professional and community leaders for spiritual emotional support ppo pport pp po ort childcare, Clinical Mental Health staff, AA meetings, et ng etings, gs, Beauty and Sewing Classes. Vintage Rose Battered ttere ed Women’s Wome men’s n’s Shelter Corp. Committed to seeing through recovery. goal covery. co y. Our Our go goa g oal o al is to serve low-income women and children off San an Gabriel G brie Gab ell and a d surrounding Los Angeles Counties who are or have been victimized and are in need of immediate, temporary safe shelter away from the abuser.
YOUNG & HEALTHY Young & Healthy is based on a two-fold conviction that every child should have access to quality healthcare regardless of their family’s income and that giving a child early and consistent medical attention is an investment in the future of the he e community. WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? FFFER FER ER? Our programs include referralss forr medical, medica me medic cal, al, dental de den enta nta ntal h insu insuran suranc nce ce adv ad dvocac dvo acy, y, tr ttrauma ra ma inform formed med and mental health services, health insurance advocacy, informed care initiative, preventive and health education services, our week-long Mobile Dental Clinic, first grade dental education program and the Alma Stokes Healing Fund. WHO ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? We serve children, 0 -18, in the greater Pasadena community, including Altadena, South Pasadena and Sierra Madre. HOW DOES YOUR MISSION POSITIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? As a nonprofit provider of free and fully accessible health services organization for children in greater Pasadena, Young & Healthy is a critical resource for low-income families throughout the area. Our approximately 350 volunteer physicians, dentists, mental health providers and other health professionals deliver care, at no cost and in their own offices, to children referred by our client services staff. 136 W. Peoria Street • (626) 795-5166 jan@yhpasadena.org • yhpasadena.org
WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU OFFER? Vintage Rose is in the early stages of it’s development and it’s total existence currently is on a Volunteer Basis Relocation programs, Workshops in reentering the workforce, day treatment programs, e Domestic Violence class visiting religious clergy, Dom Dom o professional and community leaders for spiritual pro rofe ofe of emotional em e moti mo otio tion on support childcare, Clinical Mental Health staff, Beauty and Sewing Classes. sstaf taff taff, fff, AA A A meetings, m WHO A WH WHO ARE AR TH THE HE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF YOUR SERVICES? Wom Women W Wo omen en n and a c chil children hild ild of all races and ethnic background who are victims and sexual abuse. vic vict victi tim im mss of of physical, phys p hy ysical,, emotional, ysi emotio motio mo 845 E. Foothill Blvd., Unit A Monrovia • (626) 239-6765 blessingrosalin@yahoo.com vintagerosepenniesforthoughts2008.com ||||
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PAPER MOONS Echiko Ohira’s stunning paper sculptures go on view at L.A.’s Craft Contemporary this fall in the Pasadena artist’s first one-woman museum show. BY SCARLET CHENG
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PHOTO: Scarlet Cheng
P
aper is Echiko Ohira’s medium of choice. Not only does she draw and paint on it, as many artists do, she dyes it, cuts it, tears it into pieces, crumples it and assembles it into sculptural configurations that can look like a giant rose or, when compacted, an oval stone. She learned how to do all this pretty much by herself, through experimentation with inexpensive or found material. Some of her early works were made from paper shopping bags. “We had so many of them,” she says, during a studio visit, “and I thought they shouldn’t go to waste.” This month, Echiko, who lives in Pasadena with her artist husband, Minoru, will have her first museum exhibition at Craft Contemporary in midtown Los Angeles. Finding the Center: Works by Echiko Ohira opens Sept. 29 and runs through Jan. 5, 2020, showcasing some 40 artworks of Echiko Ohira hers from the last three decades. “I love the density and layering she creates in her pieces,” says Holly Jerger, the museum’s exhibition curator. “I personally love works using paper. It’s a material most people think of as a flat surface, but she can California. “We wanted to look around,” says Minoru, who joined us for part of the interview. “We saw we could do something here, [different] layer it so dramatically.” kinds of possibilities,” Echiko adds. “It was more free.” Jerger had seen her work at several group shows, including one at They had planned to stay just a few months, then ship their things the now-shuttered Offramp Gallery in Pasadena and in Paperworks, back to Japan. But they ended up settling in L.A. At first Minoru made a 2015 group show at Craft Contemporary, when it was known as the a living doing carpentry, then began to show some of his sculptural Craft & Folk Art Museum. In recent years the museum has been moving pieces in commercial galleries and museums. They lived downtown away from folk art and traditional craft in favor of contemporary art at when downtown was more affordable, but when they decided to buy the exciting intersection between craft and design — thus the name a house, they turned to Pasadena, where they found a bungalow in change. 1987. Echiko started making art in the mid-’80s and says she may have Echiko grew up in Tokyo, where her architect father would bring been influenced by all the arts and crafts they saw in Mexico. “The home scrap blueprints for the kids to draw on. (She is the youngest of materials they used were so simple.” six.) She later studied graphic design at the prestigious Musashino Art Today the couple shares a studio in San Gabriel, with Minoru’s University. Shortly after graduating, she attended an art opening where workshop and machinery in the front, and Echiko working in rooms she met Minoru Ohira, a successful young sculptor who was on the side and in the back. They’ve been there for more than two already getting gallery shows and winning commissions. They married, and in 1979 they moved to Mexico. “I wanted to see the world. Japan is decades, and work is stored everywhere, propped against tables and walls, and of course in flat metal files. A petite woman with an a small island,” says Echiko, who still speaks English haltingly. “I was very elegant demeanor, Echiko gives me a tour through her area, filled with curious. And we were both interested in pre-Columbian art.” The low drawings and collage on flat paper, as well as sculptural works on the cost of living also helped them stretch out Minoru’s earnings. wall, a table or the floor. In 1982 they decided to return to Japan, so they packed up their Three of her larger works are on the floor, and she gingerly removes things, put them in a van and drove across the U.S. border to Southern
PHOTO: Gean Ogami
Untitled (Paper and Thread), 2016–17 Tea-stained blueprint paper, cardboard, thread, glue, 39” x 39” x 11”
the protective plastic sheets so I can see better. Part of her Red Whirl series, the paper sheets were painted deep crimson before being assembled. They look like giant roses, their “petals” gathered densely around a center. The artist likes to work with a limited palette, mostly white, red, brown and sometimes black. White is the paper’s natural color, and she uses a watered-down acrylic for the red and black; sometimes she stains the paper with tea, which yields a soft beige and brown. From a flat file, Echiko pulls out two albums from the late 1990s. She opens them and randomly begins to pull out one sheet at a time.
“I made one every day,” she says. On the middle of each sheet is a drawing or collage or combination thereof. “It was a kind of diary,” she notes. Some individual pages may be in the Craft Contemporary show, but it hadn’t been finalized as of our interview. Working with paper came naturally to Echiko, she says. There was always plenty of it around, and some early work was made with recycled material. She has also used newspaper, cardboard and craft paper. It’s no coincidence that several early sculptures seem to refer to the torso or the spine — she was having chronic back problems then. Untitled (Torso) (1995), measuring nearly six feet tall, is made from hundreds of pieces of tea-stained cardboard stacked horizontally, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, like a person’s back. Nearby on a rear wall is a more columnar piece, Black Torso, made seven years later and painted in gray-black acrylic. More recent work in the show will include the “globes,” stone-like shapes the size of ostrich eggs sitting on a table. She made them by wetting paper and forcing it into round plastic containers — she shows me a storage container she used. Then she lets them dry and paints them, at some point coating them with beeswax. While her techniques may not be complicated, they are very time-consuming. Fortunately, her back is much better now, Echiko tells me. How did she do it? Through exercise — yoga and “every morning walking in the neighborhood.” |||| Finding the Center: Works by Echiko Ohira runs from Sept. 29 through Jan. 5, 2020, at Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. the first Thursday of every month. Admission costs $9, $7 for students, teachers and seniors 65 and up; free for members and children under 10.
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KITCHEN CONFESSIONS
Save Your Chix on Route 66 TOAST CHICKEN BOY DAY WITH THIS FRUITY “COCK”-TAIL. BY LESLIE BILDERBACK
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(Just a side note to draw your attention to the use of anthropomorphized food as a way of selling it. Why would a chicken want you to eat another chicken? It’s horrifying, really — and yet, it worked. Mr. Peanut, Charlie the Tuna, Mayor McCheese and M&Ms all seem fine with the prospect of being devoured. Let that sink in.) When the Chicken Boy Restaurant went out of business with the death of its owner in 1984, the site was slated for demolition. Local artist Amy Inouye, recognizing the beauty and historical importance of the giant fiberglass birdman, inquired about saving him. Sadly, no such plans were in the works. So she did what any good kitsch-lover would do — she rescued him herself. The restaurant said Chicken Boy was hers for the taking. With only a week to act and no time to acquire necessary permits, she and a team of expert movers acted stealthily in the middle of the night. They disassembled Chicken Boy and brought him home to roost in storage for safekeeping. Inouye wanted Chicken Boy to be installed in a museum or a park, or some other type of public space. But for two decades Chicken Boy was routinely rejected. Finally, Inouye created a home for him herself. She purchased a commercial space on North Figueroa Street (a.k.a. Route 66) in Highland Park to serve as the office for her design business, Future Studio, and, with great support from the Arroyo community, she affixed Chicken Boy atop the roof in 2007. Then, in 2010, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger presented this fixture of Route 66 Americana with the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award, and National Chicken Boy Day was hatched. You can visit Chicken Boy yourself at 5558 N. Figueroa St., between Avenues 55 and 56. The Future Studio Gallery is open to the public during the North East Los Angeles Second Saturday Gallery Night (NELAART Gallery Night). Every second Saturday there are free self-guided tours of local galleries, nonprofits and artist-run projects. Stop by, pick up a Chicken Boy souvenir and reminisce about those egg-citing days of yore. ||||
THE ROUTE 66 “COCK”-TAIL Celebrate Chicken Boy Day with a cocktail named for the iconic route where he now sits, and on which so much amazing kitsch was born.
INGREDIENTS 1 ounce vodka 1 ounce cherry juice 2 ounces orange juice
METHOD
2 ounces pineapple juice 2 ounces lemonade
Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a tall Collins-style glass over ice. Garnish with a cherry,
PHOTO: Courtesy of Amy Inouye
T
he National Day list for September is as quirky as ever. It includes the first National Day that I ever noticed and celebrated, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, on Sept. 19. Created as an inside joke between two friends during a racquetball game (when one was injured and shouted “Aaarrr!”), it gained national attention in 2002 via syndicated columnist Dave Barry. It wins my prize for dumbest origin story of any National Day. This is also a month full of mom-themed days. I like that they are not attached to Mother’s Day — spread out the love. The best of these is National Lazy Mom Day on Sept. 6. Kudos for giving me a reason to be lazy (as if I needed one). There is also National Wife Appreciation Day (Sept. 15), National Girls’ Night In Day (Sept. 22) and National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day (Sept. 13). That last one no doubt prompted National Clean Up Day (Sept. 21). Not to leave out other members of the family, there’s National Grandparents Day on Sept. 8, and for the guys, National Beard Day (Sept. 7) and National Felt Hat Day (Sept. 15). There are also several days dedicated to fictional characters (which is unusual), including National Hobbit Day (Sept. 22) and National Johnny Appleseed Day (Sept. 26). But the day that really got me excited is National Chicken Boy Day, celebrated on Sept. 1. For those who are unfamiliar with him, Chicken Boy is a 22-foot-tall fiberglass statue of a man with the head of a chicken, holding a bucket of fried chicken, standing atop a small art gallery in Highland Park. I first spotted Chicken Boy from the top of Debs Park while taking in the view of the 110 Freeway and the rooftops of Highland Park. Weird, quirky, kitschy — it is exactly my speed. Chicken Boy is a classic L.A. success story. In the 1960s he stood over the Chicken Boy Restaurant on Broadway between Fourth and Fifth streets downtown, near the Grand Central Market. During that era, giant fiberglass promotional figures were all the rage. All over the country giant Muffler Men (as they are now called, because many of them held mufflers in front of automotive stores) loomed over businesses, drawing attention and, presumably, business. The figures were made at International Fiberglass in Venice, California, which rose to fame after producing a giant Paul Bunyan holding an axe for the PB Café on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona. The company soon attracted the attention of several big tire and oil companies hoping to capitalize on car-loving, road-tripping Americans. They used the stock figure mold of Paul Bunyan and adapted him into different characters by changing hats, clothing and what was being held. There were mechanics (holding mufflers), cowboys (with rifles), spacemen (with rockets), golfers (with clubs) and eventually, Chicken Boy, with his bucket of chicken. They even had a giant female figure, now known affectionately as Miss Uniroyal, who appeared in a dress or a bikini. She favored Jackie Kennedy and held tires, serving trays and the like.
THE LIST COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER Yesterday's Hits Revived at The Rose
Duo — violinist Pasha Tseitlin (below left)
Doors open at 6 p.m.
inspired by artworks in the museum,
and headliners start
including paintings by Picasso, Miró
and pianist Nic Gerpe — features modern compositions for violin and piano
at 9 p.m. each night:
and Kandinsky. World premieres include
Sept. 1 — Herman’s Hermits Starring
compositions by Dale Trumbore, Hugh
Peter Noone features the group’s
Levick and Glenn Rowen.
original lead singer singing such 1960s
Sept. 21 — In a 4 p.m. lecture titled, “Not
hits as “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely
Your Parents’ Norton Simon Museum
Daughter,” “I’m Henry VIII,” “Can’t You
— Or Is It?” art writer Suzanne Muchnic
Hear My Heartbeat” and all the rest.
discusses significant enhancements to
Tickets are $38 to $68.
the museum and grounds, educational
Sept. 7 — The Glenn Miller Orchestra
activities and public outreach launched
revisits its namesake's 1930s repertoire,
after the death of founder Norton Simon
including “Tuxedo Junction,” “When You
in 1993.
Wish Upon a Star,” “In the Mood,” “Don’t
The Norton Simon Museum is located at
Sit Under the Apple Tree” and others.
411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call
Tickets cost $38 to $68.
(626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org.
Sept. 8 — Black Flag, a punk band
Eat|See|Hear Film Series
formed in Hermosa Beach in 1976, takes the stage with original lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member Greg Ginn still at the helm. Tickets are $28 to $48. Sept. 12 — East Coast rock’s iconic band
CELLO CONCERT UNDER MT. WILSON DOME
The summer film series closes its season with two screenings at
Sept. 1 — The Mt. Wilson Observatory hosts another Concert in the Dome,
Pasadena City Hall’s Centennial Square.
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes,
alongside the 100-inch Hooker Telescope. The program of duos includes Mozart’s
Tickets cost $8 to $21. Look for food
cofounded by Steven Van Zandt of the
Sonata for Cello, Bach’s Chaconne, Barrière’s Sonata for Two Cellos and more.
trucks and live music. The events run
E Street Band, performs its rambunctious
Performers are cellists Eric Byers and Cécilia Tsan (above). Concert times are 3
from 5 to 11 p.m.
signature New Jersey sound of roots-
and 5 p.m. The cost for each concert is $50 and must be purchased in advance
Sept. 7 — Say Anything (1989) stars John
tinged rock, hard-core R&B, edgy street
on the website.
Cusack as an incurable optimist trying
songs and blues. Tickets are $28 to $58.
The Mt. Wilson Observatory is located on Mt. Wilson Road, La Cañada Flintridge.
to win the heart of an unattainable high
Sept. 14 — Gary Puckett & the Union
Visit mtwilson.edu/concerts.
school beauty (Ione Skye).
Gap performs their late ’60s signature
Sept. 14 — The original version of Willy
(their) hits of love and love gone wrong,
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
including “Young Girl,” “Woman, Wom-
guests through tours of the Old Pasa-
$20 for designated drivers.
(1971) tells the story of a sweet boy
an,” “Lady Willpower” and “The Girl Is A
dena Historic District on the first and third
Call (626) 441-6333 or visit pasadenaher-
hunting a golden ticket hidden inside a
Woman Now.” Tickets cost $38 to $68.
Saturdays of the month. The National
itage.org.
chocolate wrapper, which will admit him
Sept. 20 — One of L.A.’s original New
Register Historic District offers numerous
Wave bands, Martha Davis & The Motels (above), drops in for the night, with hits
to the eccentric Willy Wonka’s (Gene
examples of historic buildings and urban
Salon, Strings, History at Simon
revitalization. Tours run from 9 to 11:15
All events are
Pasadena City Hall Centennial Square
including “Only the Lonely,” “Danger”
a.m. Tickets cost $20 ($18 for members).
included in Norton
is located at 100 N. Garfield Ave., Pasa-
and “Suddenly Last Summer.” Tickets are
Sept. 14 — The Arden Road neighbor-
Simon admission of
dena. Visit eatseehear.com.
$24 to $38.
hood, a prestigious local address, sits on
Sept. 21 — Perennial guitar hero and
the northern edge of the Oak Knoll dis-
free for students, those 18 and younger
prolific songwriter Al Di Meola delivers his
trict and is home to residences designed
and members.
Pops Goes to Fave Movies
six-string virtuosity on both electric and
by some of the country’s most prominent
Sept. 7 — In an Afternoon Salon from 1
Sept. 14 — The Pasa-
acoustic guitars. Tickets range from $34
architects. The tour runs from 9 to 11:15
to 2 p.m., a museum educator discusses
dena Pops performs
to $58.
a.m. Tickets are $20 ($18 for members).
the Northern Renaissance, reflected in
The Rose is located at 245 E. Green St.,
Sept. 28 — The Old Pasadena Pub Crawl
displayed paintings by Dutch, Flemish
cert at the Arboretum with “MGM Movie
Pasadena. Call (888) 645-5006 or visit
is held from 2 to 5 p.m. on the fourth
and German masters, including Hans
Classics,” celebrating the 80th anniver-
wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com.
Saturday of each month. Guests experi-
Memling, Gerard David, Dieric Bouts and
sary of The Wizard of Oz with original
ence some of the city’s most famous
Jan Massys.
arrangements of such songs as “If I
Heritage Tours Visit Boulevards, Beer Halls
and infamous watering holes. Stops in-
Sept. 7 — The California String Quartet
Only Had a Brain,” “Over the Rainbow”
clude a handful of pubs that are distinc-
offers a lighthearted program of works
and others. Other hit film scores include
Meeting locations are provided with
tive for their history, architecture and, of
by Beethoven and Borodin from 6 to 7
“That’s Entertainment,” “Singing In the
ticket purchase:
course, beer. Beer tastings are included.
p.m.
Rain” and “The Trolley Song.” Broadway
Sept. 7 and 21 — Trained docents lead
Tickets are $45 ($40 for members) and
Sept. 14 — A 6 p.m. concert by Panic
Wilder) magical factory.
$15, $12 for seniors;
its final summer con-
–continued on page 44 09.19 | ARROYO | 43
THE LIST –continued from page 43
(previous page) are featured perform-
Huntington Centennial Looks Back at 1919
ers. Michael Feinstein conducts. Gates
Sept. 21 — The Huntington Library, Art
open at 5:30 p.m. and the concert starts
Collections and Botanical Gardens
at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 to $95.
celebrates its 100th anniversary with
The L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic
the opening of the exhibition Nineteen
Garden is located at 301 N. Baldwin
Nineteen, which explores the facility’s
Ave., Arcadia. Call (626) 793-7172 or visit
founding through the lens of a single,
pasadenasymphony-pops.org.
tumultuous year. In 1919, Henry and
stars Gavin Creel and Karen Ziemba
Arabella Huntington signed the trust
Horrible Plant Invades Playhouse
document that transformed their
Sept. 17 — The run of the musical comedy
property into a public institution, just as
classic Little Shop of Horrors starts at 8 p.m.
the U.S. was recovering from World War
at the Pasadena Playhouse. The hit show
I. The show, organized around themes
centers on a power-hungry, R&B–singing
of Flight, Return, Map, Move and Build,
carnivorous plant with its eyes on world
features some 250 objects drawn from
domination, in a science-fiction comedy
The Huntington’s collections, including
starring George Salazar, Mj Rodriguez
rare books, posters, letters, photographs,
and Amber Riley. It continues at 8 p.m.
diaries, paintings, sculpture and ephem-
Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Sat-
era, some displayed for the first time. The
urdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays through
exhibition continues through Jan. 20.
Oct. 20. Ticket prices start at $25.
Ramo Auditorium is located on the
The Pasadena Playhouse is located at
Caltech campus at 1200 E. California
39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena. Call (626)
Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 395-4652 or
356-7529 or visit pasadenaplayhouse.org.
visit pasadenafolkmusicsociety.org. –continued on page 46
44 | ARROYO | 09.19
THE LIST
–continued from page 44
Zoo Goes Out with Roar East European Folk Music at Caltech
Sept. 27 — The summer’s final installment
Sept. 21 — An American ensemble
and older, features special animal feed-
performs Eastern European folk music at
ings, pop-up zoo talks, food trucks, cock-
the Pasadena Folk Music Society show
tails and lawn games, from 6 to 10:30 p.m.
in Caltech’s Ramo Auditorium at 8 p.m.
Look for music from former KROQ deejay
The L.A.-based women’s folk chorus
Richard Blade, Deejay Severe, Flashback
Nevenka performs music from Russia,
Heart Attack, The Detroit Nights and Hush
Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece. Visit
Silent Disco. Tickets cost $21.
nevenkafolk.bandcamp.com for infor-
The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333
mation. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $5 for
Zoo Dr., L.A. Call (866) 949-8007 or visit
Caltech students and children.
lazoo.org/roaringnights.
of Roaring Nights at the Zoo, for visitors 21
Ramo Auditorium is located on the
Chamber Orchestra Season Opens with Beethoven, Berlioz
Caltech campus at 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 395-4652 or visit pasadenafolkmusicsociety.org.
Biking and Barbecue for Needy Kids
fall season opens at the Alex Theatre at 8
Sept. 22 — Olive
p.m. with new Music Director Jaime Mar-
Crest, an organiza-
tin conducting a program that includes
tion transforming the
a new commission by Andrew Norman,
Sept. 28 — LACO’s
lives of abused and neglected children,
Berlioz’ “Les Nuits d’Été” with mezzo
hosts a fundraising
soprano Anne Sofie von Otter (above)
ride along Pacific Coast Highway, start-
and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Ticket
ing at Bartels’ Harley-Davidson in Marina
prices start at $28.
Del Rey, with Grand Marshals Lorenzo
The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N.
Lamas, Perry King and Dave Ekins. Regis-
Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (213) 622-7001
tration starts at 8 a.m., and the ride takes
or visit laco.org.
off at 10:30 a.m., ending at Paramount
fee is $35.
Senior Center Day for Healthly Aging
Bartels’ Harley-Davidson is located at
Sept. 28 — The
4141 Lincoln Blvd., Marina Del Rey. Visit
Pasadena Senior
Ranch with a barbecue lunch and concert. The event ends at 3 p.m. Entry
olivecrest.org/rideforthechildren2019.
Center hosts #Age Well Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring speakers on healthy
Alex Brings Barnum, Swan Lake to Glendale
aging, demonstrations and workshops.
Sept. 22 — The
Alan Chapman (above), host of classical
Musical Theatre Guild
radio station KUSC-FM (91.5) and faculty
Presents Barnum, the
member at the Colburn Conservatory of
Speakers include Pilates instructor Monica Blake on the importance of exercise and
Tony–winning musical about legendary
Music, discussing the value of music in
showman P.T. Barnum, at 7 p.m. Tickets
our lives as we age. In addition, guests
cost $49.
can dance the years away to varied
Sept. 25 — The Russian Ballet Theatre
music, from ballroom to line dancing to
presents its new production of the Tchai-
salsa and disco. Admission is free, but visit
kovsky classic Swan Lake at 7:30 p.m.
tinyurl.com/agewellday.com or call (626)
Tickets range from $31 to $98.
685-6754 to RSVP.
The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N.
The Pasadena Senior Center is located
Brand Blvd., Glendale. Call (818) 243-
at 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena. Call (626)
2539 or visit alextheatre.org.
795-4331 or visit pasadenaseniorcenter. org for information about the center.
46 | ARROYO | 09.19
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