Hillsides in Pasadena is hosting its biggest fundraiser of the year Saturday in the form of an online gala and silent auction to help further its mission to provide services to neglected and troubled children.
The event, titled “Raising Hope,” is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. online.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to celebrate the community that has been so supportive to Hillsides,” Hillsides CEO and President Emeritus Joe Costa said. “Hillsides has been around for 107, 108 years. And the community, especially the community in Pasadena and throughout the San Gabriel Valley, has been very, very supportive and generous to Hillsides.”
“As the largest or as the most significant fundraiser that we have, it’s an opportunity for the community to come together and for us then to share with them the compelling mission that we have as an organization and to continue to engage them in supporting us,” Costa said.
Moving the fundraiser to a virtual space is just one of many changes the organization has made over the past year in order to adapt its services to the challenges posed by the ongoing COVIID-19 pandemic, he said. Costa is scheduled to retire in June, turning over the CEO position to Stacey Roth
“We were able to pretty much convert our services to virtual delivery of care,” Costa said. “In an effort to keep both the clients that we have and the staff that we are so fortunate to have safe, we had to be very creative and figure out how to do that remotely.”
But some services simply cannot be provided electronically.
“The most challenging aspect was the fact that we have a residential program with 50 kids living on that campus, and obviously, those services needed to be provided in person,” Costa said. “So we quickly were able to put in place some protocols that kept kids and staff safe, while at the same time providing care for them.”
The investment required just to provide personal protective equipment has been significant, he said.
“There’s been a lot of additional costs and the need continues to grow,” Costa said. “We anticipate that the mental health needs of these kids and families who are so vulnerable to start off with are only going to be increased because of the pandemic.”
Founded in 1913 by Episopal Church Deaconess Evelyn Wile in order to care for 13 neglected children, “To date, Hillsides has been a partner in providing more hopeful futures to more than 110,000 individuals,” the organization said in a written statement.
Hillsides’s services include a residential program, an education center, family resource centers and provides adoption and foster care services.
And the group counts on the community to do its work.
Hillsides, like many organizations like it are,is dependent upon public dollars mostly for the care that we offer, and communities — Los Angeles County and other public entities — are really struggling to get the resources that they need to be able to maintain the level of care,” Costa said. “So it means that more than ever, we really do look to the community and for private dollars to be able to maintain the care that we offer our clients.”
Sponsors of the event include Pasadena Now.
Those interested in taking part in the event can view online or register to place bids on auction items at hillsides.ejoinme.org/
More information on Hillsides is available on the organization’s website at hillsides.org.
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