Five Acres celebrated 127 years of service with its Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on March 11 at the Altadena Town and Country Club. Over 125 guests were in attendance to honor Five Acres’ years of success in the field of children and family services. Dignitaries and guests included Congresswoman Judy Chu and Ed Honowitz, Education Policy Advisor to State Senator Carol Liu’s office.
An esteemed guest list of past board chairs, current board members, volunteers, agency ambassadors and special guest speaker, Mark Medley was on hand for the special ceremony. Mark shared his journey with Five Acres, from when he was introduced to the agency to today and working closely with our Adoption Promotion Support Services on the adoption of Victor, his eight year old son. Mark’s presentation moved the audience to tears and showed the true testament of important work Five Acres performs in greater Los Angeles, every day.
The annual awards ceremony gives special recognition to individuals and companies that have made a significant contribution to Five Acres’ mission and services provided to more than 8,400 children and family members, every year. Several awards were handed out, including the Special Recognition Award, given to Chantal and Stephen Bennett; supporters who have been part of the Five Acres family for over a decade. Anita Yagjian was acknowledged for her service to Five Acres as a volunteer for nearly twenty years and awarded Volunteer of the Year. Current board member and CEO of Concept Builders, Don Boline received the Person of the Year Award for his active involvement with Five Acres.
The Special Service Award was given to Bolton & Company and the Bolton Foundation for their tremendous partnership; beginning with Brad Reaume’s involvement twenty years ago and Brad’s strong endorsement once he joined Bolton & Company. Nancy and Hugh Helm and Heather and Matthew Lillard were jointly awarded the Five Acres Award for their inter-generational support and many years of devoted service to Five Acres. The Commitment to Service Award was given to Catherine Simms with Wells Fargo Bank; she started her commitment to the agency in the early 1990’s as a volunteer. Nearly thirty years later Catherine continues to be involved as an active board member. And finally, supporter and TV actor, Sam Jaeger was given the Special Friend Award; recognized for championing the work of Five Acres both as a celebrity advocate and as an active Special Friend Mentor for a child in residential care.
“As we celebrate 127 years of impacting hundreds and thousands of children and families throughout Southern California, we are honored to share this special occasion with generations of committed supporters, passionate leaders and inspiring clients who have all played a vital role in achieving Five Acres’ continued success, ” said Chanel Boutakidis, Five Acres’ Chief Executive Officer.
Departing board of directors Andrew Crowell, Josef Farrar, Alex Blecksmith, Catherine Simms, Brad Mohr, Anita Yagjian and Nishat Ahmed were recognized and the newly inducted board of directors, Keri Crowell, Peter Diedrich and Paul Maurin were welcomed.
Guests enjoyed a gorgeous view of the country club from the floor to ceiling picturesque windows in the ballroom, and dined on a menu of heirloom tomato bruschetta, eggplant caponata, shaved romano, garlic crostini mushrooms stuffed with crab, kobe sliders on Hawaiian bread, garlic aioli & dill pickles and thai vegetable spring rolls.
For the entire list of attendees and additional information about Five Acres, please contact Director of Communications Rebecca Haussling [email protected] or (626) 773-3809.
About Five Acres
Five Acres is a child and family services agency strengthening families and preventing child abuse through treatment and education in community based and residential programs. Established as an orphanage in 1888, today Five Acres offers an array of services including foster care and adoption, supporting nearly 8,400 children and adults in Los Angeles County. Learn more at www.5acres.org.
