First published in the Oct. 21 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook
The 13th annual Black Tie & Burgers gala, with a “Passport to Italy” theme benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena, recently brought more than 250 people together in the Italian-inspired backyard of Connie Holguin. Guests were treated to burgers from the Habit, an auction and entertainment during the night which raised more than $250,000 for club programs focused on academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character and leadership development. “Our work right now is about the 3 R’s – we are helping kids recover academic loss, recharge with their favorite physical activities, and rebuild their college and career pathways,” said Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena CEO Lisa Cavelier. “This includes going deeper — deeper with how we think about our programs, with our relationships with kids and families, with how we work to retain great staff, and with how we measure our impact.” Melina Montoya, the event’s chair, added: “Everyone was so happy to be together and it was a great evening for the club.” The top-level sponsors included CIT Bank, the Spaulding family, Lisa and Michael Burke, Capital Group Companies, the Clayton family, LittleMachineShop.com, Margaret and David Mgrublian, Moon Realty, Preferred Bank, the Pyle Family, Carl and Jan Siechert, Mary and John Snider, and Alyce deRoulet Williamson.
