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PCF Fund Helps Armory Center for the Arts

Online drawing class with local teens, produced in collaboration with Day One and the library.

“Art has a way of keeping our souls full,” said Leslie Ito, executive director of the Armory Center for the Arts, one of the five art organizations that recently received a Rowe & Gayle Giesen Trust grant, a Pasadena Community Foundation fund that supports visual arts experiences for children and youth.
During a typical summer, the Armory coordinates with local partners to offer free community art programs complete with free art supplies. This summer, despite the challenges of COVID-19 restrictions, the Armory has teamed with select partners –the Pasadena Public Library, Adelante Youth Alliance, Stars Tutoring Group and more – to continue inspiring young people in the world of art.
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Pasadena Community Foundation Grants $372K in COVID-19 Relief Funding to Local Nonprofits

Pasadena Community Foundation has awarded the second phase of grants — totaling $372,000 — from its COVID-19 Response Fund to 26 local nonprofits. The grants will support local community-based organizations serving families and individuals experiencing extreme hardship from the economic, social and physical impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
PCF’s first round of COVID-19 emergency response funding was distributed on March 31. It benefited nine local organizations serving seniors and distributing food and supplies to low-income individuals and families. In addition, the Foundation also released restrictions on existing grants to allow the recipient organizations to use current grant funds for their most urgent needs. Continue reading “Pasadena Community Foundation Grants $372K in COVID-19 Relief Funding to Local Nonprofits”

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Rose Bowl Aquatics Director Leaves Legacy After 30 Years

Rose Bowl Aquatics Center Executive Director Kurt Knop and Board Chair Pat Amsbry (from left) are planning a celebration for Mary Pinola, who recently retired after nearly 30 years as director of development, leaving a legacy of educational programming at the nonprofit.

After nearly 30 years of working as director of development at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, it seems fitting that one of Mary Pinola’s favorite memories is a simple one, albeit repeated by nearly 30,000 children during her tenure.
It’s the moment a 3rd grader edges up to the end of a diving platform — gingerly, small toes curling over the edge — and then takes a leap into the deep end. It’s a leap of faith, both in the ability at having learned to swim and in the confidence that will last a lifetime, cheered on by the instructor in the water and teachers watching from the pool’s edge. Continue reading “Rose Bowl Aquatics Director Leaves Legacy After 30 Years”

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PCF Jumps to Relieve Nonprofits Serving Most Vulnerable Amid Coronavirus

In times of crisis, the Pasadena Community Foundation is ready to move.
PCF, which is dedicated to managing charitable assets and earmarking money to nonprofit organizations of all kinds, didn’t expect a deadly pandemic like coronavirus to become the crisis in question, but the Foundation was at the ready recently to distribute emergency grant funds. It has focused on relieving organizations serving seniors and distributing food and supplies to low-income individuals and families which will help fight the growing food insecurity amid economic and social distancing fallout from COVID-19.
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PCF Scholars Find Nonprofits Have Their Back at PCC

Pasadena Unified School District graduates Ramon Cano Cristobal, Mario Nicasio, Hannah Tellez, Kevin Morales, Mahely Cedillo Lambaren, Abigail Vides, Jaylin Jenkins and Alejandra Anaya Dia are attending Pasadena City College this fall as PCF Scholars. The Pasadena Community Foundation will support each student at PCC for up to four years.
Photo courtesy Pasadena Community Foundation
Pasadena Unified School District graduates Ramon Cano Cristobal, Mario Nicasio, Hannah Tellez, Kevin Morales, Mahely Cedillo Lambaren, Abigail Vides, Jaylin Jenkins and Alejandra Anaya Dia are attending Pasadena City College this fall as PCF Scholars. The Pasadena Community Foundation will support each student at PCC for up to four years.

As students across the region head off to college this fall, a contingent of Pasadena Unified School District graduates is proudly donning backpacks to attend an institution right here in town­ — Pasadena City College — in a quest to achieve a quality higher education at a lesser cost. Continue reading “PCF Scholars Find Nonprofits Have Their Back at PCC”