YMCA club soirée soars to all new heights
The 4th annual Anderson Munger Family YMCA Summer Soirée was held Aug. 14, under the usual perfect summer evening skies on the YMCA rooftop. Hundreds of people, including board members, supporters and award recipients enjoyed the YMCA’s rooftop views, appetizers, drinks and each other’s company as they gazed out upon Koreatown and the Los Angeles skyline.
Master of Ceremonies Chase Campen opened the evening with words of wisdom and purpose, saying that “since 2014, on this rooftop, thousands of children have found their confidence on the basketball court, seniors struggling with food insecurity come here and always get a meal, kids head off to camp, shy and timid, but they come back braver that they ever thought possible.”
VICE CHAIR Connie Su and Anderson Munger YMCA Executive Director Rae Jin flank Community Leader Award recipient Alex Cha.
The 79th Youth Gov. Devon Jasiukonis, of the YMCA Youth & Governor program, spoke of how the Y community helped him gain the confidence to run for that important statewide role.
Attendees dove into the large dinner spread, which included pasta Bolognese, spareribs, summer salad and a curry bar featuring three different rice choices and three curry options. While supporters enjoyed the bountiful meal, the Y raised money through both live and silent auctions, including items such as sports jerseys, children’s books from Chevaliers, a skincare basket from local dermatologist Rebecca Fitzgerald Dermatology, Dodgers tickets, and a Diptyque gift basket.
After an emotional and personal speech by Anderson Munger YMCA Executive Director Rae Jin, who spoke of challenges and the resolve to continue to feed some of Koreatown’s 24,000 seniors after enduring cuts from the city’s FeedLA Grant Program, three awards were presented for outstanding community service: Athens Services (Community Partnership Award), Alex Cha (Community Leadership Award) and June Bilgore (Community Leadership Award).
GUESTS ENJOY appetizers and drinks before the big live auction and awards show.
“In a nutshell,” said Bilgore, “this one YMCA, with a multitude of programs, incredibly helps over 17,000 families a year. Just this one Y. I’ve always believed that one of the best things we can do with our lives is to find some way, large or small, to make life a little better for others, and that is what the YMCA does every single day.”
Category: People
