HomePublicationPasadenaJenkins to Be Honored at Zest Gala on Oct. 28

Jenkins to Be Honored at Zest Gala on Oct. 28

Then-Tournament of Roses President Scott Jenkins (left) poses with Vin Scully, who was grand marshal of the 2014 Rose Parade. Jenkins, a San Marino resident, is being recognized by the Pasadena Senior Center at its Zest Gala later this month for his volunteerism.
Then-Tournament of Roses President Scott Jenkins (left) poses with Vin Scully, who was grand marshal of the 2014 Rose Parade. Jenkins, a San Marino resident, is being recognized by the Pasadena Senior Center at its Zest Gala later this month for his volunteerism.

Scott Jenkins laughed and offered up a jocular answer when asked about what drives his volunteerism.
“I try to stay out of trouble,” he said in a phone interview. “If I stay busy, I tend to stay out of trouble.”
In reality, growing up and having a career in Pasadena had planted and nurtured the seed of volunteerism and giving back. For his efforts and successes, Pasadena Senior Center is spotlighting Jenkins at its annual Zest Gala on Saturday, Oct. 28.
“It’s humbling and I’m quite honored to be recognized by them,” Jenkins said. “Years ago, my mom served on that board and some years after that, I did some pro-bono legal work for them. They do great work.”
Jenkins, who is a partner at Hahn & Hahn in Pasadena, has lived in San Marino with his family since 1989. He finished law school in 1979 and joined Hahn & Hahn in 1985, developing a specialty in business, real estate and land use entitlement law.
His first forays into the nonprofit world, as a professional, were with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, with which he still volunteers, and also the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. He joined the latter when a lawyer friend stepped down from the organization’s board, spending 12 years total with it and three years as president.
“In terms of my professional life, that’s about when it started,” Jenkins explained. “I knew some people on that board, and they wanted to have a lawyer on the board. I was only a couple of years out of law school, but I got on and started learning about a lot of nonprofits and charities.”
With the Tournament of Roses, Jenkins served as president for the 125th Rose Parade and 100th Rose Bowl Game in 2014 and presently chairs the Rose Bowl Management Committee, which links the Tournament of Roses Association with the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences, College Football Playoff officials and other colleges and universities.
Jenkins said he has particularly appreciated his time with the Tournament of Roses because of how it has showcased his hometown throughout the years and because it attracts a diverse pool of volunteers and not just lawyers and other white collar professionals.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “You meet people from all walks of life. We have probably over a thousand volunteers. You get an amazing cross section of the Pasadena community and you get to meet a lot of different people. When you get back to work, you can be walking around the block for something, and almost invariably, you’ll run into another Tournament person. It really helps make a tight community.”
In San Marino, Jenkins also has made his mark. While raising two daughters enrolled in the San Marino Unified School District, Jenkins joined San Marino Schools Foundation, chaired a citizens’ oversight committee to help develop a master plan to renovate school facilities and successfully advocated for the approval of two bond measures.
Jenkins also served one term on the SMUSD Board of Education, from 1999 to 2003, including one year as board president.
“Great experience being in politics,” he said. “One thing I learned was that you can’t just go to the store to buy a gallon of milk and expect it to be a 10-minute trip. People were always stopping me and talking to me about things at the schools or how their kids were doing. It was a great experience and I’m glad I did it.”
In addition, Jenkins serves on the board of directors for both Forest Lawn and Huntington Hospital and previously on the boards of the Foundation of San Marino Community Church, Salvation Army Pasadena Tabernacle, Pasadena Police Department Reward Advisory Board and Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce.
An elder at San Marino Community Church, Jenkins has made volunteer trips abroad to Malawi and Nepal alongside fellow congregants.
“When you try to help, you end up being benefited yourself, with seeing the world and learning about it,” he observed.
Jenkins credits his supportive family and law firm for helping him dedicate so much of his time giving back to his community and the world. He said it was humbling to be included among the plethora of people worthy of Zest Gala recognition.
“I’m sure there are a lot of worthy people out there,” Jenkins said. “I’m happy to lend my name and help them raise some funds. It’s nice to be recognized, so I’m quite appreciative.”
Akila Gibbs, executive director of Pasadena Senior Center, said in an announcement that Jenkins’ volunteer work has helped change the lives of thousands of people.
“I am so pleased the Zest Gala will recognize and celebrate Scott Jenkins,” Gibbs said. “His leadership and achievements in the community and abroad have had a profound effect on people of all ages, from children in Malawi to senior citizens in Pasadena.”

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