Los Altos Auxiliary and Friends Raise a Glass in Support of Hathaway-Sycamores

200 guests attended the sold-out Los Altos Auxiliary “Wines of France” benefit at the picturesque La Cañada Thursday Club in La Cañada Flintridge. The 6th annual wine event, the largest fundraiser of the year for the 40-member group, raises funds for Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services.

Guests, mingling under the oak tree shaded patio, enjoyed seven highly rated regional French wines, starting with a sparkling Crémant followed by crisp elegant whites and then moving on to heartier lush reds, including both a Bourgogne Blanc and a Vouvray and a Châteufneuf-du-Pape and a Côtes du Rhône. Light appetizers, prepared specifically to pair with the selected wines, were served and an impressive array of silent-auction baskets were on display for bidding.

For the second year, volunteer culinary students prepared and served the food offerings under the direction of Chef Jamie Colboth-MacLeod from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Los Angeles. Los Altos also partnered with the new Gelson’s Market in La Cañada, who underwrote a generous portion of the food costs, along with Trader Joe’s La Canada and Broadleaf Game.

Proceeds from the event, which was co-chaired by La Cañada Flintridge residents Michele Listo and Diane Poryes, will be used to help care for and brighten the lives of youngsters – many of whom have endured unimaginable trauma – who live at Hathaway-Sycamores’ El Nido campus in Altadena. (Hathaway-Sycamores is one of Los Angeles County’s largest, private providers of children’s mental-health services, delivering a comprehensive continuum of services to more than 8,700 children and families annually.) Nestled in the foothills of Altadena, the residential-facility provides therapeutic services and special education in a nurturing environment that fosters both healing and individual growth.

To learn more about these organizations, please visit: www.losaltosauxiliary.org and www.hathaway-sycamores.org.