Mary Donnelly-Crocker to Retire After 32 Years of Service to Pasadena’s Children

Young & Healthy, the Pasadena-area nonprofit, announced today that Mary Donnelly-Crocker, who has served as the organization’s Executive Director since its inception 32 years ago, will retire from the organization at the end of June.

In a letter to the Young & Healthy community announcing her retirement, Donnelly-Crocker said that “it has been such a privilege for me to serve and lead Young & Healthy for all these years. This work has fed my soul,” she wrote. “I can’t imagine who I would be if I hadn’t had the experience of watching this place grow and become all that it’s become.”

Young & Healthy’s mission is to provide access to high-quality health care for uninsured and underserved children and families, and to improve the quality of life for all children in the greater Pasadena area through prevention, education, and enhanced health care services. Since the organization’s founding in 1989, Young & Healthy has provided $25,945,400 in volunteer medical services; has cared for 30,750 patients; and currently boasts 351 volunteer medical professionals.

Under Mary’s leadership, Young & Healthy has evolved and expanded into the access-to-care and Trauma Informed Care fields, as well as health insurance enrollment and even tax assistance, all to meet the growing and changing needs of Pasadena’s most vulnerable families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she pushed the organization to become an early leader in COVID testing and vaccination distribution, all while keeping the organization on sound financial footing.

Board Chair Sandy Roberts said that Donnelly-Crocker “deeply understands the needs of our community’s children, from both a data-driven perspective and a human one, and she has responded to those needs with effective solutions and good cheer. Her leadership and vision have positioned Young & Healthy well for its next chapter.”

The Young & Healthy Board of Directors has hired Morris & Berger, a nationally-respected, Pasadena-based search firm with more than 37 years’ experience in the nonprofit realm. They will be supported by a transition team led by Board Vice President Christopher Mayne.

For more information on Young & Healthy and its mission, please visit yhpasadena.org