Pasadena’s Sycamores Continues Wellness Support for Rose Parade Royal Court

As the 2024 Rose Parade approaches, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association and Sycamores, a behavioral health organization that’s also based in Pasadena, continue their partnership offering wellness support to the Royal Court members. 

Over the years, Sycamores has been an integral part of the Tournament of Roses, focusing on mental health, emotional well-being, and crucial life skills for the Rose Queen and her Court.

“We work with the team at the Tournament of Roses, including the group of volunteers that will oversee the next Royal Court, and we talk about any feedback or anything we can change from previous years that might be helpful,” Shannon Boalt, Chief Advancement Officer at Sycamores, said. “This year, one of the things that came up was we actually provided training to the volunteers who work directly with the Royal Court on how to help them with wellness support and things like that, and just helpful tips for people who may haven’t dealt with girls that age in a while.” 

Boalt said there was a specific instance where time management coaching made a profound impact on one Royal Court member’s ability to handle the demanding schedule. 

“She worked with her clinician to talk about ways that she could prioritize tasks and different things she needed to do in order to better manage her time,” Boalt said. “She was very clear that that made a huge difference for her during that busy season, and she also felt it was something that she could carry on into college and it would help her with her future endeavors.”

Understanding the unique challenges faced by these young women during their senior year, Sycamores has crafted flexible solutions that would respond to the girls’ willingness to adapt to their individual needs, providing support via in-person meetings or telehealth sessions and focusing on skills like stress and relationship management.

Every year, the partnership commences soon after the Royal Court’s selection, tailoring support to the evolving needs of the members.

“We work on time management, stress management, and relationship skills in terms of they’re young girls with friends in high school,” Boalt said. “They don’t have as much time for their traditional friendships, and are learning how to still stay in touch with those friends. There’s also issues that come up if friends might be jealous, or tension around that. So that’s relationship skills and how to manage  expectations, how to be a role model, and then how to manage disappointment.” 

Within two weeks of the Royal Court’s selection, Sycamores initiated the support process, addressing mixed emotions and preparing them for the responsibilities ahead, Boalt explained.

Boalt also shed light on the broad impact of this collaboration on the Pasadena community: “Our culture often emphasizes physical health, but recognizing the significance of mental well-being, especially post-pandemic, is crucial. This partnership serves as an example, emphasizing holistic wellness.”

Sycamores and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses have shared historic ties in the community dating back to the creation of Sycamores as Pasadena’s first orphanage in 1902. The Pasadena Children’s Training Society, which later became Sycamores, was established by Fannie Mae Rowland, the wife of Dr. Francis F. Rowland, a founder of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the first Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade in 1890. 

Today the agency provides innovative and effective programs and services through a network of locations throughout Southern California.

“Sycamores is honored to work with members of the Royal Court again this year,” Debra Manners, Sycamores President and CEO, said. “It’s a very exciting time for the accomplished young women on the Court, full of enriching experiences. We applaud the Tournament of Roses for recognizing the importance of providing wellness support to help them get the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” 

To learn more about Sycamores, visit www.sycamores.org/.