Hillsides Celebrates Donors and Volunteers at Annual Circle of Excellence Awards

The Circle of Excellence honorees are, from left to right: Angel Daniels of The Angell Foundation, Marisa Colon of The Angell Foundation, Dolores Holguin of Adelante, Astrid Fishbein, Kathy Golden, and Hillsides CEO Joe Costa. This annual event allows Hillsides to thank individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond in giving their time, talents, and resources to Hillsides.

Four outstanding individuals and organizations were recognized at Hillsides Circle of Excellence dinner held at Noor in Pasadena on October 21, 2014. This annual awards dinner recognizes donors and volunteers who have gone above and beyond in giving their time, talent, and resources to Hillsides.

Those honored were:

• Hillsides Lifetime Achievement Award – Astrid Fishbein. Fishbein, who resides in Encino, CA, has volunteered with the children of Hillsides for almost two decades. For 18 years, she prepared and delivered seasonal baskets to the teen cottages at Hillsides. She also decorated the cottages for Halloween each year, planned bowling outings twice a year for the children, and co-chaired Hillsides Day at the Races fundraiser.

• Hillsides Community Angel Award – The Angell Foundation. The Angell Foundation, a living legacy of David and Lynn Angell, supports Hillsides library and Hillsides Youth Moving On (YMO) program, which provides youth formerly in foster care and probation with affordable, quality housing and other services. Lynn Angell spearheaded the creation of Hillsides library 22 years ago, and today the library is named after her.

• Hillsides Angel Award – Adelante, Northrop Grumman, Electronic Systems. Adelante, an employee resource group located in the company’s Azusa, CA campus, supports Hillsides annual holiday wish drive, providing over 200 gifts each year to the children. The group is also active in other community service projects, such as hosting an annual pencil box drive for Azusa schools.

• Hillsides Special Recognition Award – Kathy Golden. Golden, a resident of Burbank, CA, mentored a Hillsides youth for two years, helped support the creation of the Peer Resource Center, a one-stop shop of support for youth in need, ages 16 – 25, and has supported Hillsides YMO program.

During the evening, guests also learned from Hillsides Chief Executive Officer Joseph M. Costa that Hillsides has received a $2 million bequest that will be used to fund the charity’s $12 million capital campaign project that will improve Hillsides Pasadena campus.

Another highlight of the evening was keynote speaker Jamie Steinberg, who lived at Hillsides when she was a child. Steinberg said that at Hillsides, for the first time in her life, she knew “people cared about my well-being.” Here, Jamie found an adoptive mom, and she says, “I give Hillsides credit for the matching of this beautiful relationship.”

Guests also watched a music video created by the children of Hillsides, “You Are Not Alone,” that was produced with the help of actress Ari Meyers and her philanthropic “My Purpose Party” program. The “My Purpose Party” program gives youth a chance to give back to others by raising goods, funds, or awareness about an issue.

Hillsides, headquartered in Pasadena, is a premier provider dedicated to improving the overall well-being and functioning of vulnerable children, youth, and their families throughout Los Angeles County. For more information, please visit www.hillsides.org.