Pasadena Tournament of Roses Partners With Sycamores To Provide Wellness Support to 2023 Royal Court

For the second year, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses is again partnering with Sycamores to provide wellness support to members of the 2023 Royal Court.

Sycamores, a Pasadena-based behavioral health and child welfare agency, provides programs and services for the benefit of some of the most vulnerable children, young adults, adults and families in the community. Their services cover all of Los Angeles, spanning the San Fernando, San Gabriel, and Antelope Valleys, and San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

Through the partnership, Sycamores staff coach the 2023 Rose Queen and Royal Court members in public speaking and etiquette skills, and on how to face the media to enhance their self-confidence. The girls are also guided in leadership skills so they can better prepare for their duties as Ambassadors for Pasadena and the Tournament of Roses.

Sycamores said their clinical staff members will be available throughout the Royal Court experience to discuss behavioral health wellness, in both group and individual settings. They will be helping the Court members improve their coping strategies throughout the Rose Parade season, which takes place during the girls’ busy senior year of high school. 

“With all of the excitement and opportunities associated with this wonderful time, we recognize serving on the Royal Court can also call for extra coping skills,” Debra Manners, Sycamores President and CEO, said. “We are honored to be able to offer wellness support to the members of the Royal Court again this year.”

In October, the Tournament of Roses Association named Bella Ballard of the Ogburn Online School as the 104th Rose Queen. The other members of the Royal Court are Salia Baligh, from Alverno Heights Academy; Sahanna Rajinikanthan, from Arcadia High School; Zoë Denoncourt, from John Marshall Fundamental High School; Michelle Cortez-Peralta, from Pasadena High School; Uma Wittenberg, from La Canada High School; and Adrian Crick, from Sequoyah High School.

As Ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses, the seven members of the Royal Court will be attending numerous community and media events before they ride down Colorado Blvd. in the Rose Parade on Monday, January 2, 2023.

“The Tournament of Roses is committed to creating a network of support for the Royal Court,” Kathy Perini, Chair of the Tournament of Roses Queen and Court Committee, said. “Our goal is to prepare them for the next stage of life and an important part of their continued success will be utilizing the wellness tools that Sycamores provides.” 

To learn more about Sycamores and the services they offer, visit www.sycamores.org.