From L to R: Five Acres Vice Chair, Advancement Board Member and Gala Committee Member Chris Selak, Five Acres Co-Chairs Nicole Rasic and Trish Gonzales, and Five Acres Board Member and Gala Committee Member Shoshana Puccia attend this year’s Five Acres Annual Board Installation and Community Awards on March 8 at The Athenaeum located at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Photo Credit: Jennie H. Kim of Bichuda
Tickets to Five Acres annual gala, “The House of Five Acres,” which will be held on Saturday, May 20, are now available. The Altadena-based children’s foster care agency is celebrating its 135th birthday and the gala is inspired by the year the agency was founded in 1888 during the Victorian era.
Long-time supporters Nicole Rasic and Trish Gonzales will serve as co-chairs of the Five Acres annual gala. Rasic and Gonzales met years ago through a mutual friend. Rasic invited Gonzales to be her guest at Five Acres’ gala and the rest is history.
Actors Sam and Amber Jaeger will serve as the emcees. Sam Jaeger, who played Joel Graham on NBC’s television series “Parenthood,” showed support for Five Acres in 2013 during the show’s fifth season premiere party. He is a former special friend to a foster child who was living at Five Acres and has continued his involvement with the charity for 10 years. He can be seen playing Peter on Netflix’s “Devil in Ohio,” and Mark Tuello in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” to name a few of his shows. Amber, Jaeger’s wife, is known for “Take Me Home,” “Solitary,” and “After We Leave.”
The annual gala will be held at the historic estate of Connie Holguin in Pasadena, which was built in 1897 and designed by Frederick Roehrig, American architect of landmark building Hotel Green, once the home of the Tournament of Roses and the Valley Hunt Club. Castle Green, which was built as an annex to Hotel Green, and the Andrew McNally House in Altadena were also designed by Roehrig.
The Victorian era, which was marked by great change in the world due to new inventions, scientific discoveries, and social change, gave birth to notable movements. At the time, orphanages were being founded to ensure children were kept safe when they had no home, were abandoned, or had a parent who died. Five Acres opened its doors as one of those orphanages that offered safety to the most vulnerable children.
“Over the course of its 135 years, our community of supporters have helped us transform more than 100,000 vulnerable children and families,” said Jennifer Berger, Five Acres’ Chief Advancement Officer. “Throughout the decades, we have expanded to focus on well-being and mental health while also ensuring that every child has their own loving and permanent family. We are able to advance our mission with the ongoing generous support of our sponsors and underwriters.”
The annual gala sponsors include Silver sponsors Dr. Annette Ermshar & Associates, Specialized Psychological Services, Kirsten L. Hansen, and Nicole Rasic and John Palacio; Sage sponsors Richard and Carla McDonald, Sue McGuirl and Bob Musselman, and Rasic Family; Blue sponsors LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Hahn & Hahn LLP, Susan and John Reitnouer, Grace and Kenneth Russak, and U.S. Bank (Formerly Union Bank); Tech sponsors Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Celeste and Samuel Liversidge, and Tucker Ellis, LLP; Pink sponsors Kris Ordaz and Mike Gagnon, Trish and Mike Gonzales, David and Laura Quigg, and Chris and Steve Selak; and Lavender sponsors Jay and Meta Berger, Mimi and Paul Carter, Longo Toyota – Longo Lexus, Mariann and Tom Nolan, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation, John and Charlotte Reith, and Sindee and Steve Riboli.
Underwriters include Andrew Crowell and Family – Victorian Dining; Carol Alexis Chen and Winston & Strawn LLP – Reception; Deka Law Group – Entertainment; Beth Fishbein Hansen – 1888 Lounge; Jason and Billie Melillo – Children’s Legacy of Wishes; Zoe Walrond and Myron Levin – Décor; Dodie Gregg and The Thiara and Gusinow Family – Desserts; Harrington Group, LLP – 135th Swag; The Federal Bar – Bar; Mission Driven PR – Vintage Goblets; Dennis Duran and Lori Sandoval and Michele Boghossian – Champagne; Gil Family Estates – Wine; and Jacob and Genevieve Fakoory.
For tickets, more event information, and updates, visit https:// 5acres.org/. For sponsorship opportunities, call Brandon Ito, associate director of development, at 626-390-8453 or email bito@5acres.org.
