Actress Jane Seymour with Pianist Rueibin Chen

The American Red Cross San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter honored actress Jane Seymour at a formal gala on Sat., March 10, 2012, which raised funds for local Red Cross services. World-renowned pianist Rueibin Chen also gave an exclusive performance for more than 240 guests who attended the sold-out gala.

The event was held at the Cravens Estate in Pasadena, which inspired the gala’s theme, “Speakeasy with the Red Cross.” Built in the 1920s for Jon and Mildred Cravens, the estate exchanged hands several times before it was left to the American Red Cross in the 1960s.

A member of the national Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet since its inception in 2002, Seymour received the Crystal Cross Award for showing exemplary support of and service to the American Red Cross mission. She has been a Red Cross supporter since childhood and played an instrumental role in an America Red Cross campaign to eradicate measles in Africa. More recently, she was an active supporter of American Red Cross relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake relief efforts for Haiti.

“I am honored to receive this recognition from the American Red Cross, an organization that has been a part of my life since childhood,” said Seymour. “My mother was involved with the Red Cross during the Second World War, and I have memories of the safety courses I took as a child in England. I am truly proud to have an on-going and active association with a life-saving and life-sustaining organization recognized around the world.”

Guests were entertained by pianist Rueibin Chen’s moving performances and charmed by his altruistic and amicable personality. Chen is renowned for his technical brilliance and the ability to combine intense energy with a refined sense of touch. The distinguished pianist, who has performed with the world’s foremost conductors in addition to his solo achievements, has earned more than a dozen medals in various international piano competitions.

From Left, Director and Actor James Keach, Actress Jane Seymour, Congressman Adam Schiff and Red Cross San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter CEO Ben Green

“I am delighted to have had the opportunity to perform at an event supporting an organization as valuable as the American Red Cross,” said Chen. “Money raised at the event will help deliver disaster preparedness education to the public and assist those who have been affected by disaster.”

The gala was underwritten by Cathay Bank with additional support from several sponsors. Funds raised from the event will be used for American Red Cross support services. Each year, the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Red Cross volunteers and staff respond to numerous house fires, wildfires and natural disasters, providing shelter and hot meals, and facilitating access to health and mental health services for victims.

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Volunteers at the "Dance for Disaster"

About 100 Red Cross youth from Red Cross high school clubs from around the Los Angeles Region gathered for the second annual “Dance for Disaster” in February at the Villa Park Community Center in Pasadena, raising funds for at-risk youth and their families.

The dance was organized by the San Gabriel Pomona Valley East and West Youth District Executive Boards.  These 16 volunteers worked to put on a great show.  The hundreds raised will be used to purchase starter kits and disaster supplies. The Red Cross 16 youth volunteers will then assemble disaster kits for the foster families at Optimist Youth Homes, a Pasadena-based non-profit helping at-risk youth and families.

The evening talent show featured Red Cross volunteer youths from various schools in the region.  The evening also featured a flash-mob dance, a fun photo booth,  a disaster preparedness booth and a disaster Q&A with prizes for the winners.

The city of Pasadena was a co-sponsor of this year’s event.

Volunteer Christian Nunez treats a patient at the Rose Parade.

The American Red Cross has provided first aid services to the Rose Parade celebration for more than 30 years.  This year’s record heat in Pasadena, with temperatures topping out in the 80′s, kept the 13 Red Cross first aid stations on their toes during the course of the day.

“We were very busy this year,” says Paul Emmons, a Red Cross volunteer who has worked 23 Rose Parades and just spent his sixth year as the event’s senior coordinator.  “We handled it all.”

Brandon Anderson is one of 150 volunteers who assisted at the parade.

The staff and volunteers at the 13 aid stations dealt with approximately 82 people who needed help during the parade.  Of those, Pasadena Fire Department paramedics evaluated 15 patients and 10 were transported to area hospitals for additional care.  In the following two days, the four remaining first aid stations handled about 20 cases each day in the float viewing area.

Most of the high-level of activity was caused by the heat.

“We were hit hard at the end of the parade,” said Emmons.  “Our first aid teams on Sierra Madre had five patients at the same time, four band members reacting to the heat and one asthmatic.  Two of those were also treated by paramedics.”

Of the 150 Red Cross volunteers who joined the parade effort, 25 Red Cross coordinators and support personnel worked with the first aid teams and 25 Red Cross vehicles were used in the operation.

Red Cross volunteers (from left) Marla Keeth, Emily Thomas and Ray Avesian

In total, Emmons estimates that over 4,000 volunteer hours were involved in setting up and running the three-day operation.

“I want to express my deep respect to all the volunteers and staff who worked for more than three months preparing for this event,” concludes Emmons.  “Our job at the parade is to support the Fire Department and paramedics.  This year, among our volunteers were two doctors, EMT’s, nurses, and ER personnel. I want to give everyone who worked to make this event a success my personal thanks.”

Photos by Roxanne Schorbach

Story by Sue Reiner

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, a member of the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter Leadership Cabinet, welcomed the crowd at the Inaugural Holiday Challenge Luncheon on December 2.

Dec. 2, 2011 –Over 100 friends and supporters of the American Red Cross gathered at the University Club in Pasadena for the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter’s Inaugural Holiday Challenge Luncheon, proudly sponsored by the Tawa Charitable Foundation. The event could not have been timelier, as an epic wind storm raged through Pasadena and the surrounding communities just two days earlier, emphasizing the need for Red Cross services in times of emergency

Actors Suleka Mathew and John Ducey, kicked off the program at the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter’s Inaugural Holiday Challenge Luncheon.

The event’s emcees, actors John Ducey and Suleka Mathew, kicked off the program and introduced the wide range of services the Red Cross provides—from services to the armed forces to disaster relief. Dr. Stephen Abrahamson of Pasadena recounted his story during World War II when the Red Cross flew him from Japan back to the United States to be with his ailing father. Chaplain Carol Bamesberger shared her experience as a Red Cross volunteer providing emotional support and comfort to a grandmother and her grandchildren after a tornado destroyed their home in the Midwest. Dr. Abrahamson and Chaplain Bamesberger’s stories provided a human face to the everyday work of the Red Cross.

The winning table: (from left to right) Leanne Rodgers, Chuck Waterman, Eileen Kanner, Fred Finocchiaro, Chuck Wert, Alan Munnecke, Angelle Roussel.

As the lunch and program concluded, the challenge portion of the event began. The 17 tables competed to see which one could donate the most to the American Red Cross at that very moment. After all donations were tallied, it was revealed that nearly $50,000 was raised, and the table that took home top honors was Table 3, hosted by board member, Chuck Wert, CEO and President of Evercore Trust. Thanks to the generous support of the Tawa Charitable Foundation, 100% raised at the event will directly support programs and services.

Weeds	7/2011
The Muppet Movie	1/2011
Glee	10/2010, 11/2010
Paul Reiser Show	10/2010
The Green Hornet	9/2009
Big Love	9/2009
The Forgotten	8/2009
Mad Men	7/2009 8/2009
Desperate Housewives	3/2009
Ghost Whisperer	1/2009
Without A Trace	9/2009
Chuck	12/2008
Lie To Me	11/2008
Celebrity Rehab	6/2008
Fan Boys	12/2007
Pretty Handsome	11/2007
Rush Hour 3	4/2007
The Under Belly	8/2006
Commander And Chief	2/2006
24	12/2006
Bones	10/2006, 7/2005
The Under Belly	8/2006
Commander And Chief	2/2006
The Cell	8/2005
Holly Hester	4/2005
Cold Case	4/2005
Lions Den	6/2004
Judging Amy	11/2004 3/2002
Be Cool	3/2004
Mrs. Harris	3/2004
The Practice	1/2004
First Monday	3/2001
Swordfish	12/2000
Murder She Wrote	8/2000
Traffic	6/2000
An American Daughter	11/1999
Enemy Of The State	2/1998
Jag	Most of 1996
The Fan	2/1996
Paul Fleiss Story	12/1995
Deidre Hall Story	8/1995
Down Periscope	8/1995
Clear And Present Danger	9/1994
The First Gentleman	4/1994
Unsolved Mysteries	6/1993
Significant Others	5/1993
And The Band Played On	11/1992
Being There	1979

Hassan is a active with Volunteer of America Los Angeles chapter, Rotary club of Pasadena, Habitat for Humanity, Upward Bound House, American Red Cross, Iman, Rotary international, and is a member of: ULI, ICSC, CAR, and MLS .

Hassan lives in Encino and is married to Fariba and has two daughters.

CEO Ben Green presents Consul General Junichi Ihara with a Red Cross disaster kit. Photo courtesy Roxanne Schorbach.

June 22, 2011 – Over three months have passed since a devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011. Consul General Junichi Ihara of the Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles visited the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter for a special evening reception to share the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain with local supporters.

Ben Green, CEO of the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter, began the evening’s program by reporting that over $200 million had been contributed to the Japan relief efforts by the American Red Cross, thanks to the generous outpouring of support by the American people. These donations are currently being used to improve the living conditions for people in evacuation centers, equip more than 90,000 families with household appliances, rebuild a temporary hospital in Ishinomaki City, and help build a nursing school.

Consul General Ihara thanked the room of supporters and the American Red Cross for their compassion and generosity. He explained that although the Japan earthquake was 900 times larger than the 2010 Haiti quake, immediate loss of life was minimal due to Japan’s strong preparedness efforts and strict building codes; it was the tsunami that caused most of the destruction and fatalities.

Consul General Ihara shared remarkable images of the recovery, but noted that Japan still faces numerous obstacles ahead. Many Japanese people continue to live in temporary shelters, which provide little privacy or normalcy; there is now extreme reluctance among the people to rely on nuclear power, yet energy demands rise in the hot summer months, and Japan plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by expanding its nuclear energy program; and the public debt as a percentage of GDP continues to rise.

However, one of the most important lessons Japan has learned is to be open to outside help, Consul General Ihara explained. This marks a major shift in the culture, and the Consul General has been touched by the many ethnic communities, non-profit organizations and community groups that have shown solidarity with and humanity towards the Japanese people.