Everybody Wins

There was no game, but there was plenty of cheering at Dodger Stadium Tuesday, September 16, as Hathaway-Sycamore Child and Family services held their 2014 Celebrating Children Awards Reception.

More than 400 donors, friends and supporters attended the event, which raised nearly $155,000 to help fund therapeutic and other support services that Hathaway-Sycamores—one of Los Angeles County’s largest mental health and welfare agencies—provides each year to thousands of children, youth, young adults, and families.

Attendees met Dodger great and six-time National League All-Star Ron Cey, and were also treated to some nifty peanut bag tossing from Dodger favorite, Roger Owens, “The Peanut Man.”

Among the activities were a behind-the-scenes stadium tour, including a trip down to the field, a visit to the Dodger dugout, a look at the Dugout Club that houses the Dodgers’ six World Series trophies, and a walk through the Vin Scully Press Box.

This year’s award recipients were philanthropists and longtime La Cañada residents Annsley and George Strong whose roots with the agency run particularly deep. Specifically, Strong was first introduced to the organization when she was a member of the Los Altos Auxiliary, which raises funds for the children and teens who are in residential treatment at Hathaway-Sycamores’ El Nido campus in Altadena.

“Annsley and George Strong are clearly committed to helping others, and Hathaway-Sycamores is unquestionably fortunate that they’ve devoted so much of their time, talents, and generosity to benefit the children and families we serve. They truly are an inspirational couple, said Hathaway-Sycamores’ President and CEO William Martone.

Annsley Strong – along with her husband George Strong, Jr. – has been actively involved in Hathaway Sycamores for many years. She served on the agency’s Board of Directors for 13 years and held the position of Board Chair from 2006 to 2008. She currently serves on Hathaway-Sycamores’ Advisory Board, and is a member of the agency’s Strategic Planning Committee.

The event was chaired by Hathaway-Sycamores’ Advisory Board member Ken Goldstein, as well as Michael Galper, Chair of the Board, who recalled his own childhood baseball dreams to the gathered audience, saying he would have been a Dodger, except that he “couldn’t hit the curve ball. Or the fast ball. Or the slider.”

Major corporate sponsors of the event included Morrison & Foerster LLP; Southern California Gas/Sempra Energy; The Capital Group; Wells Fargo; KCB Management; Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, LLP; Pelican Hill; Lucas Horsfall; and Earthlink.

Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services is an accredited mental health and welfare agency with 11 locations throughout Southern California, licensed by the Community Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services and is certified by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

More information is available at http://www.hathaway-sycamores.org/.