Fundraising dynamo and neighborhood cornerstone
KIEL FITZGERALD
Once a month at exactly 5:20 pm., neighborhood friends arrive for a backyard “hangout” at the Windsor Square home of Kelley Kiel Fitzgerald and Jeff Reuben. “The start time is the same as our address,” Firzgerald explained, “so there is no confusion about when to arrive.”
This combination of humor, practicality and enthusiasm for her adopted neighborhood is a hallmark of Cleveland, Ohio-raised Firzgerald’s approach to everything she does, and she does many things. On the hyper-local level these include a monthly neighborhood cookbook club, as well as serving as her neighborhood block captain and former block party chair.
Fitzgerald’s journey to find her community had several stops. She wanted to leave the Midwest and planned to work in film and television in Hollywood. After graduating Oregon State – where she acquired the nickname “Kiel” because there were too many Kelleys—she followed a boyfriend to Los Angeles. Neither the boyfriend nor the production career panned out, but she pivoted, becoming a paralegal in the entertainment industry. She met Jeff Reuben, a tax attorney who worked a few floors above her. They married, settled in the Encino hills and had two children, Michael and Kayla.
Fitzgerald stopped working and threw herself into volunteering, organizing a gala at their children’s elementary school, Westland school. When Michael and Kayla went on to Campbell Hall for high school, Fitzgerald became president of the Parents Association for the school. She stays involved as co-chair of their Parents of Alumni group.
“When our son Michael went to college we wanted to move to a more neighborly place.” Fitzgerald said. After 20 years in the Valley she and her husband found the sense of community they sought in Windsor Square. A friend identified the perfect house for them. “It was always supposed to be our house!” Fitzgerald enthused. “A perfect 1919 Spanish Colonial. I love the backyard, love the neighbors!” She added, “We’ve been working on it since we moved in 12 years ago and no doubt it won’t be finished until we move into assisted living!”
Kiel’s self-deprecating humor belies the seriousness of purpose she brings to everything she does, often taking place in the fundraising arena. She served on the Assistance League Board for four years and is the current chair of the Anne Banning Auxiliary, which runs Operation School Bell, a program that last year distributed clothing, toiletries and backpacks to 10,000 local children. Fitzgerald works on their fundraiser “The Really Big Shoe,” which in 2024 raised $140,000 to purchase new shoes for children in need across L.A. This year the evening is scheduled for Saturday, August 23. She also joined the then Needlework Guild of America, now National Giving Alliance (NGA), a name change Fitzgerald was instrumental in making happen. Her volunteer work is “how I made my friends,” she said.
“The accomplishment I am most proud of is taking over the fundraising for NGA Hancock Park, because they were struggling,” stated Fitzgerald, who was fundraising chair for 10 years. “I turned it into a machine. They were raising $20,000. I set the goal at $50,000 for my 50th birthday, and we did it!” Over the years the fundraising dynamo helped the NGA bring in as much as $125,000 per event for NGA-supported charities.
An avid reader and passionate disco lover (in contrast to her husband’s favored ‘70s rock), Fitzgerald values her close-knit family. Her adult children live across the street from each other in West Hollywood and come home for Sunday dinners and to play with the family dog, Lily the Chiweenie, a Chihuahua dachshund mix. “I am the sous chef and grillardin,” Fitzgerald stated. “Jeff is an amazing cook!”
Jeff Reuben is as concerned as Fitzgerald about helping the community. This past Father’s Day, he suggested they hold a fundraiser to assist victims of local ICE raids. Together they are planning a by-invitation-only dinner to raise funds for the Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
“I just feel extremely fortunate,” said Fitzgerald. “I’m so happy to give back with all my free time.”
Category: People
