Storied Dodger Stadium was the site for Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services’ 2013 Celebrating Children Awards Reception on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Some 400 people attended the annual event, which raised over $150,000 for the more than 9,000 children and families served each year by Hathaway-Sycamores, one of Los Angeles County’s largest, nonprofit, private children’s mental-health and welfare agencies.

Those attending this special event not only had the entire stadium to themselves, as the Boys in Blue beat the Giants in San Francisco, but they also were treated to private tours of the stadium, and a meet-and-greet photo/autograph session with Dodger great Maury Wills, and Delano Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s sister-in-law. A standout MLB shortstop, Wills is best remembered for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959 – 1966, and 1969 – 1972), and was an essential component of the Dodgers’ championship teams is the mid-1960s. Roger Owens aka “The Peanut Man,” who is famous for pitching peanuts in Dodger Stadium, was also in attendance entertaining guests with his throwing prowess!

Guests of the 2013 Celebrating Children event, which was emceed and chaired by Hathaway-Sycamores’ Board Member Ken Goldstein, also enjoyed a Stadium Club cocktail party replete with a Southern BBQ spread, and dodger dogs, followed by a live auction. The centerpiece of the Celebrating Children event, however, was the presentation of the Hathaway-Sycamores’ Celebrating Children Award, which honors an individual or family that exemplifies the values of integrity, leadership and commitment to the well-being of children, adults, families, and communities. This year’s award recipients were philanthropists and longtime Pasadena residents John and Linda Seiter.

The Seiters also have been longtime supporters of Hathaway-Sycamores. For her part, Linda Seiter served on Hathaway-Sycamores’ Board of Directors from 1996 through 2005. She also has been actively involved in the agency’s annual “Shot-At-A-Million” golf fundraiser, not only as a player, but also as the host of several post-event parties.

Additionally, for more than a decade, the couple has sponsored an annual holiday dinner for the youth in residential treatment at Hathaway-Sycamores’ El Nido campus in Altadena. Currently, the Seiters are directing their support toward Hathaway-Sycamores’ Transitional Independent Living Program, an innovative initiative designed to assist youth emancipating from the foster-care system by providing housing and helping them to master the skills needed to live independently.

The Seiters are dedicated philanthropists. “We really believe strongly in giving back and supporting the community,” said John Seiter, who, prior to retirement, spent the majority of his career with The Capital Group, where he served as a member of its Board of Directors, and as executive vice president of a subsidiary business, Capital Guard Trust Company. In addition to their generous support of Hathaway-Sycamores, the Seiters also donate to other worthwhile organizations through the Seiter Family Foundation. Their Foundation’s overarching focus is on the greater Pasadena area and the San Gabriel Valley, with a particular emphasis on education, children, and medicine.”

Commenting on the Celebrating Children Award recipients, Hathaway-Sycamores’ President and CEO William Martone said, “John and Linda Seiter have bettered the lives of so many people, particularly children, and Hathaway-Sycamores is extremely appreciative of their longstanding support. The Seiters, including their daughters, have always looked beyond themselves and instead focused on how they can help others. They truly are an inspirational family.”

Major individual and corporate sponsors for the 2013 Celebrating Children Awards Reception included: Linda and John Seiter; Southern California Gas Company/Sempra Energy; Morrison & Foerster LLP; Wells Fargo; Paulette and Henry Matson; Pelican Hill Resort; Llumina Press; Meadowood Napa Valley; and Target.