Category: Pasadena Features

It all started with a hat. In 1926, a community volunteer named Josephine Marsh passed a hat among her friends to collect money for a Pasadena family in need. From that $100 and the actions of three local ladies, a 90-year legacy of family services was born. While its name and leadership have changed more than a few times over the decades and its services have evolved with the times, the agency now known as Foothill Family remains true to its original mission to empower children and families in their lives through comprehensive counseling and mental health treatment. Continue reading “After 90 Years, Foothill Family Reflects on Past, Present and Future”

Joseph Stifter, a U.S. Army soldier who graduated from St. Francis High School, died Jan. 28 in Anbar province in Iraq from injuries he suffered when the armored Humvee he was in was involved in a rollover accident.
Educators and friends recently joined members of the community in gathering at St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church for a memorial service, which Stifter’s father, Fred Stifter, described in an email as “emotional and dignified.”
Joseph Stifter, 30, was a Glendale resident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, which is part of the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. He joined the Army in May 2011 and deployed in October to Iraq, where he was a field artillery cannon crew member. Continue reading “St. Francis Alumnus Dies in Iraq Accident”

If you’ve been to a live charity auction in the Pasadena area lately, there’s a good chance that the man behind the microphone was Sean Endicott. Over the past 12 years, the fast-talking, upbeat auctioneer has cemented himself as the go-to guy for many local schools and nonprofits’ major fundraising events, gaining as much praise for his charismatic personality as his ability to move high-end auction items at top dollar. Continue reading “Auctioneer Fast-Talks His Way Into Success at Fundraisers”

Nestled between the San Gabriel Mountains and San Rafael Hills in northwest Pasadena, Hahamongna Watershed Park represents one of the area’s last natural landscapes to remain unaltered by urbanization. The protected basin has not only fostered the development of several diverse ecologies, it also serves as home to the popular Tom Sawyer Camp, which this year is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Continue reading “Tom Sawyer Camp Celebrates 90th Year”

One month after hosting its most important event of the year, the Rose Bowl is a much quieter stadium on an afternoon in February. There are no cheering fans in the seats and the football yard lines on the grass have begun to fade.
Rose Bowl General Manager and CEO Darryl Dunn finds serenity in this atmosphere, as it offers him time to reflect on his immense responsibility to the iconic venue. Continue reading “Rose Bowl Has Blossomed Under the Upbeat Dunn”

Mike Simms is no stranger to the elements. Between volunteering with the Forest Service, curating the Echo Mountain ruins and running Friends of Echo Mountain, a local preservationist group, Simms spends each of his days hiking the trails of the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena. Continue reading “Hikers Step Up to Help the Homeless”

Before you don your Broncos or Panthers garb and head to a Super Bowl party this weekend, be sure you’ve made arrangements to get home safely. The risk of getting into a drunk-driving accident significantly increases on Super Bowl Sunday, according to research by the Automobile Club of Southern California.
Statewide, DUI crashes are 77% more common on Super Bowl Sunday compared to other Sundays in January and February, while Los Angeles sees a 57% increase in alcohol-related crashes on game day. The analysis, collected from California Highway Patrol data from 2009 to 2013, also reported 294 alcohol-related fatal and injury accidents on Super Bowl Sunday in California and 77 in Los Angeles County in the last five years. Continue reading “Increased DUI Risk on Super Bowl Sunday”

For the past 30 years, Door of Hope in Pasadena has stood as a beacon of optimism in the community, helping homeless families rebuild their lives through a variety of resources. Nearly 1,500 individuals who once lived on the streets have found better futures as a result of their experience at the Christian faith-based transitional housing service. This concept of looking ahead toward a brighter tomorrow is one of the nonprofit’s primary pillars. It makes sense, then, that instead of focusing on the past three decades of success, Door of Hope is choosing to celebrate what’s to come in the next 30 years and beyond at the organization’s upcoming gala on Feb. 20. Continue reading “Door of Hope Swings Open for Gala on Feb. 20”

For many foster youth, emancipation signifies freedom from years of displacement, confusion, confinement and often trauma. This freedom is short-lived, however, when emancipated foster youth face the reality that with it comes the loss of any structure or support, however scant, on which they previously relied. While some assistance is available after emancipation, after the age of 18, resources become few and far between as former foster youth “age out” of the system. By 24, emancipated fosters are more or less on their own, tossed out by a system that has taught them little about surviving, let alone succeeding, in the real world. Continue reading “After Foster Care, Youths’ Journey Starts Here”