Celebrities Step Up for Kids in Foster Care

May is Foster Care Awareness Month and it is important for us to make note of the more than 500,000 children nationally and 35,000 locally who are served through the foster care system and receive child welfare services. These numbers are especially overwhelming when you consider how difficult it is for a child to be separated from family and those things that are most familiar. A day for a child can seem like an eternity, let alone weeks, months, and years apart from family.

The decision to separate a family is a difficult one to make, but there are circumstances that warrant such a drastic action. For the children impacted by these decisions, we must provide safe, caring alternatives that are responsive to their needs and dedicated to their best interest. The foster care system at its best does just this and serves as an indispensable resource for both child and family to get through a challenging time.

The foster care system is often the focus of negative press. Inevitably the failure of an individual foster parent or an organization serving foster children can skew the community’s perspective of how effective foster care is. The truth, however, is that the vast majority of children and families served through the child welfare system appreciate how essential these services are in order to assure safety, well-being, and ultimately a stable future.

There is never enough we can do for these children, youth, and families, and as a result what we offer must be the best. No one organization can take on the responsibility of being such a resource without the extraordinary support of a generous community.

Once again during this month of celebrating foster care awareness, Hillsides is promoting a unique and fun way of generating much-needed support for the services we offer to children, youth, and families. This fundraiser, the Fifth Annual Hillsides Foster Soles, is an online auction of celebrity autographed items. The auction was launched on Wednesday, May 22, with a cocktail reception at Bar Celona in Pasadena. Co-chairing this event is Dr. Drew and Susan Pinsky, who have been supporting us for years and stepped right up to garner celebrity support for the auction.

Celebrity items can be viewed on eBay. The auction will last through the first week of June as we are continuing to list celebrity items throughout the weekend. To learn more about the auction, visit our website, www.hillsides.org. I encourage you to share this event with your family and friends. It’s an easy way to support what we do, bid on a few items you may want or give a gift to someone.

Centennial gala

Hillsides had the first of several celebrations of this centennial year at the fabled Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena on Saturday, February 23^rd.  This extraordinary gala event was a very successful event raising a record $655,000. Needless to say this was a great start to our yearlong celebrations marking 100 years of service.

The event was a combination of entertainment and testimonials that honored a number of people who have been especially dedicated to Hillsides and foster care. The testimonials that were provided by Jean Smart and Dr. Drew Pinsky were especially poignant, reminding everyone in attendance of how essential the services we offer are in transforming the lives of the children and families we serve.

This centennial is an opportunity to, once again, feature the challenges those we serve confront and how we are dedicated to being an essential resource for them.

To Liz Rusnak Arizmendi, the exceptional Chair and organizer if this event, Carrie Espinoza, the tireless director of our special events, all our Development Office staff, the legion of volunteers, our generous event sponsors and all our guests, thank you!

What follows are photos and excerpts from the press release that was issued making this great celebration.

Guests at Hillsides annual benefit, the Centennial Gala, raised $655,000 for vulnerable children and families living in Los Angeles County, far exceeding the amount raised in previous years.   On Saturday night, February 23, a sold-out crowd of more than 600 filled the ballroom of the iconic The Langham Huntington, Pasadena to celebrate the charity’s 100 years of service and to enjoy an evening of spectacular entertainment and fine dining.  

Elizabeth Rusnak Arizmendi, Rusnak Auto Group Vice President of Public Relations and chair of the event kicked off the evening by introducing the presenters who awarded Dr. Drew Pinsky of “Celebrity Rehab” fame and NBC4 Weatherman Fritz Coleman special “Hillsides Centennial” awards for all the hard work they do for the charity.  Tiffany Company of Pasadena generously donated the hand-cut crystal awards that were also given later in the evening to Emmy award-winning actress Jean Smart, comedian George Lopez, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Marcus Allen, and Paul Rusnak, Chairman/CEO of Rusnak Auto Group.

Presenters for the honorees were Colleen Williams, NBC4 anchor, Mike Catherwood, co-host of “Loveline,” NFL football players Willie Gault and Jason David, Robert C. Smith, CEO of Allied High Tech Company, Actress Kristen Renton, and Arizmendi.

“Hillsides Centennial Gala was truly a magical evening transformed into a winter wonderland with bursts of color everywhere once the new logo was unveiled,” said Arizmendi. “The honorees were extraordinary, the entertainers were flawless, the bidders were extremely generous, and the winners were the children and families served by this exceptional organization.”

The evening was action-packed with a live auction filled with unique and exceptional opportunities and items hosted by award-winning comedian and actor, Christopher Rich.   The live auction got fast and furious when a bidding war broke out among guests for a signed Elton John band guitar, with band members Davey Johnstone and John Mahon cheering the guests on.   Guests also rushed to outbid each other for a Danube Viking River Cruise and a weekend away at The Langham with a Maserati or Bentley from Rusnak Maserati Pasadena and Bentley Pasadena, part of the Rusnak Auto Group, among other items. 

During the evening, guests were treated to an incredible line-up of talented entertainers, including Nina Fetter & The Feds jazz quartet, “Dancing with the Stars” choreographer Christian Perry and his wife, Annette, violinist Lindsey Stirling, and three-time world champion of magic Jason Latimer, who wowed the audience with his awe-inspiring sleights of hand. Other performers included Jacky Ibarra, who sang the National Anthem, DJ Herick and DJ Lezlee, and recording artists CEEJ and Suzan Brittan Gault. Local talented students included The Polytechnic School dancers, who performed as ballerinas, and along with the Mayfield Senior Dance Conservatory were a flash mob.

Toward the end of the evening, Costa thanked guests, telling them, “As people depend on us to provide unconditional support and access to programs and services that improve their lives, we rely on your unconditional support to help us impact their lives.”  He gave special thanks to the event’s major sponsors, which include Paul Rusnak, Rusnak Auto Group, Wells Fargo, Specialty Car Craft, The Walt Disney Company, Susan and Bill Noce, Bolton & Company Insurance Brokers, Marge and Sherm Telleen, THE Magazine, Susan and Bill Noce, Jacob Maarse Florists, San Antonio Winery & Maddalena Restaurant, EFX-Event Special Effects. 

The evening ending with the unveiling of Hillsides’ new logo, a colorful pinwheel, representing childhood innocence and the power to turn obstacles into opportunities. Guests were surprised by the confetti bursts in the air as  Mayfield Senior School Vocal Conservatory performed a song from Pitch Perfect.

The Centennial Gala is just one of many exciting centennial events the charity has planned throughout the year.  To learn more about upcoming events and about Hillsides, visit www.Hillsides.org.

Celebrity Experiences Auctioned on Foster Soles

At least a quarter of the $2.5 million that we raise each year is generated by special events. One event that is easy and fun to participate in is Foster Soles, an on-line auction of celebrity items conducted on eBay.com during National Foster Care Awareness Month. Because it is a virtual auction we encourage everyone to utilize social media links to promote the event. It is not only a chance to bid on some one-of-a-kind items, but more importantly, it gives us an opportunity to advocate for the children and youth we serve. It doesn’t cost anything to participate when we share items with our friends via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail, and provides a great benefit to Hillsides.

So please check out the website, http://celebrity.ebay.com/dr-drew-pinsky, hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky of “Dr. Drew” on HLN, “Celebrity Rehab” and “Loveline,” and pass it on to your contacts.

Below is a pictorial of the experiences we are offering in addition to celebrity autographed shoes! Don’t miss this opportunity to bid on your favorite celebrity item or raise awareness of foster care issues.

Celebrities Step Up for Foster Soles

Last night at Bar Celona in Pasadena's Old Towne was the festive launch of our annual fundraiser Foster Soles. Chaired by Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of Dr. Drew on HLN, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and Loveline, the kickoff event and the online auction of celebrity items in May has served in a particular way to increase awareness about the challenges facing children in the foster care system. More than 500,000 children are in foster are nationwide and 34,000 receive child welfare services in Los Angeles alone.

We are fortunate to have supporters like Dr. Drew and Susan Pinsky, who are so willing to advocate for the services and programs we provide to vulnerable children and families. They, along with Hillsides Foster Soles Committee, have reached out to their celebrity friends to garner more than 150 auction items for this year’s event.

Some highlights of this auction include:

• Elton John and band autographed guitar strap
• Foo Fighters autographed drum top REMO Weatherking Emperor X
• Burn Notice Cast of 7 donated items worn on the set of Burn Notice
• Janet Jackson autographed silver and blue Nike Shox TL2 tennis shoes size 7.5
• Jennifer Lopez autographed black and gold Adidas ME lace-up boots size 7.5, autographed Jennifer Lopez "LOVE?" album, autographed Glow by JLo eau de toiletter (100ml) and autographed Glow by JLo body lotion and autographed headshot
• Apparel and handbags from Alyssa Milano (t-shirts from her collection) and Jenny McCarthy (handbag)
• Shoes from Elton John Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank, Denzel Washington, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jon Cryer, Janet Jackson, Dancing With the Stars dancers, Mario Lopez, George Lopez, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel, to name a few
• Athletic shoes and apparel from Sugar Ray Leonard (shoes and robe!), Dodgers James Loney, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Horry, LA Strikers, Stan Smith, James Stewart Jr.
• Autographed books by Tori Spelling, Nancy Grace, James Van Praagh, Chelsea Handler, Kristi Yamaguchi, Lara Spencer
• Celebrity experiences include: Meet ‘N’ Greets on the set of "The Community" with Joel McHale; Meet ‘N’ Greet on the set of Extra! with Mario Lopez;  Behind-the-Scenes at HLN with Dr. Drew Pinsky; 30 minute session with self-proclaimed medium, James Van Praagh; VIP tickets to “The Price is Right;” Two tickets on the New TMZ Hollywood Tour - Secrets & Celebrity Hotspots
• Dress worn on the red carpet premiere of “True Blood” by Janina Gavankar
• Designer jeweler from Cristina Ferrare Design and SN Queens

We have many more items that can be viewed on our eBay.com store until May 5 when it closes. Funds raised as a result of this auction go directly to enhance services to foster children and youth in our care. 

One of the services supported by Foster Soles is the creative arts program offered to residents of Hillsides in-house treatment program in Pasadena. As an expression of their appreciation, a number of these children decorated their own used sneakers and had them displayed at the event as a tangible reminder of the direct benefit that they receive from the generous support of Foster Soles.

This event is a great opportunity to get involved to support our mission. You can participate in several ways: view our auction, share with your friends via Twitter and Facebook, bid for items, or visit our website and donate. Everyone can take a small step in making a difference in the lives of those we serve. Join with all those who gathered at the launch party to help make a difference in the lives of all we serve.