Honorees Yun and Richard Byrd at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Jeannie Vaughn, Villa Esperanza CEO Kelly White, Villa Esperanza Board President Peter Vaughn at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Kathleen Pastre, Charlie Pastre, Jack Seto, Diana Seto, Gioia Pastre at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Pasadena City Manager Miguel Márquez and former Pasadena City Manager Cynthia Kurtz at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Brendan Quinn, Jeff Iko, J.D. Peters, Betsey Iko at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Damion and Nicole Lee at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Kylie Hirrel, Chiara Benadeti, Kristen Hirrel, Brian Hirrel, Sliver Johnson at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Rebecca Occhiline and Justine Fonseca at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Jazmin Beltran, Brian McCarthy, Michelle Cox at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Gary Olsen, Chris Benter, Patsy PInney, William Pinney at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Diana Seto, Noreen Johnson, Jenny Seto at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Mark Alvarez, Candice Rogers, Kevin McMann, Karen McMann, Brian Dunn at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Duncan Tooley and Eva Margueriette at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Roseanne Hall, Cynthia Holmberg, Song Kao, Angela Polanco, Gregory Franco at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Honoree Yun Byrd, Alex Byrd, Susan Cabarloc at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Vanessa Castillo and Vicky Castillo at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Liz Seitz, Sarah Soifer, Lindsey Hollingsworth, Melissa Wu at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
John Casillas and John Caulfield at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Brij Lal, Bina Lal, Villa Esperanza CEO Kelly White at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Daniel Nay, Noelle White, Alex Greenhut, Bonnie Francisco at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Jason Brown and Diane Doolin at Villa Esperanza's Blue and White Fundraising Gala, held on May 13, at the Huntington Langham Hotel
Villa Esperanza Services held their annual Blue & White fundraising gala on Saturday, May 13. More than 160 guests joined together at the Langham Huntington Hotel to enjoy cocktail hour with a silent auction and photo booth, as well as dinner with a program and live auction. The theme for this year’s event was “Villa Land,” inspired by the Candyland board game. Villa is known for its customized services, amazing staff, and continuum of care over the course of a lifetime, making it a special home for individuals with special needs.
As part of the evening’s festivities, Villa honored Yun and Rich Byrd for their incredible commitment to Villa over the past two decades. Yun volunteered in Villa’s Speech Center weekly for thirteen years, receiving the Robert Loebecke Volunteer of the Year award in 2014. Rich currently serves on Villa’s Board of Directors and Capital Campaign Cabinet, and he was instrumental in helping secure the $1 million lead gift from Wells Fargo for the first phase of Villa’s capital campaign. “Yun and Rich have both been dedicated champions and ambassadors of Villa for many years,” shared Villa Esperanza Services CEO, Kelly White. “We are pleased to honor them for all they have done for our children, adults, and seniors with intellectual/developmental disabilities.”
The evening began with cocktails and nibbles on the terrace overlooking the beautiful grounds of the Huntington Langham Hotel. With the setting sun as a backdrop, guests sipped on their favorite cocktails and enjoyed small bites ranging from crab cakes to short ribs. There was also a lively silent auction with choices for every interest. Dinner was served in The Viennese Ballroom where participants dined on their choice of beef, fish or vegetarian entrees. A live auction and awards ceremony were part of the program.
Villa Esperanza Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children, adults, and seniors with intellectual/developmental disabilities achieve their goals and live fulfilling lives, was established in 1961. Villa offers nine programs, including the Villa Esperanza School for children up to 22 years of age; a Speech and Language Center and Occupational Therapy Clinic providing children, adults, and seniors with comprehensive therapies; employment services; day programs for adults; independent living services; and adult residences in Pasadena. To learn more about Villa’s collaborative approach, visitors may visit www.VillaES.org.
