The Junior Women’s Club announcement of grant awards is eagerly anticipated in Pacific Palisades. This year proved to be no different as the group awarded a record amount of money ($104,040) to a record number of groups (37). ‘It’s an exciting night for the club and the community,’ Club President Annie Barnes said. ‘It brings joy to be able to do so much for the community.’ The nonprofit organization raises money from the annual Holiday Home Tour, the boutique and the ads sold for the event. They also sponsor Fiesta Night and Casino night. Barnes was quick to thank the community for its support, which in turn makes the grants possible. ‘The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose,’ Barnes said before introducing Christine Bishop, grant chairperson. ‘This year we had more applicants than we’ve ever had,’ Bishop said. ‘The diverse groups who are receiving funds support our community in so many ways.’ The recipients were divided into four groups: beautification, education, arts and recreation, and community and charitable groups. In the beautification category, a total of $11,000 was awarded to five groups. Palisades Beautiful received money for tree planting; Palisades PRIDE for additional sidewalk benches, Palisades Garden Club for money for speakers; and the Village Green Committee for motion sensor lights for nighttime security. The Rotary Club received a one-time grant to install a solar-powered irrigation control system for watering new plants that will be grown at the corner of Temescal Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway. Junior Women gave $24,000 for various projects at local public schools. At Canyon Elementary, the grant will fund a new kindergarten playground structure and landscaping. Marquez’s money will help fund two additional teachers to lower class size, and Palisades requested money to complete renovations in its library. Paul Revere Middle School received grant money for new computers, and Palisades High got money for its college center. Arts and recreation received $43,100 and included grants to the Palisades Recreation Center for refurbishing the little gym’s floor; Palisades-Malibu YMCA for beautification of the Temescal/Sunset corner; and the Maggie Gilbert Aquatics Center at Palisades High. ‘The pool will be a tremendous boon to the high school, but also a tremendous boon for the community,’ Beverley Auerbach said in accepting the grant for the aquatics center. Movies in the Park received money in order to keep the program free to the public and possibly purchasing new equipment. Chamber Music Palisades and Palisades Symphony Orchestra both received grants to continue their programs. The Palisades Art Association received money for its speaker series and Theatre Palisades will use its grant to complete the building of the storage facility. ‘Thank you no only for what you do for us, but what you do for the rest of the community,’ Theatre Palisades acceptor Eva Holberg said. ‘We have set aside 100 tickets for the Junior Women to use for a fundraiser.’ Local AYSO Commissioner Debbie Held received money to investigate putting artificial turf on the PaliHi baseball field, and Calvary Christian School received money for benches for its athletic field. The Historical Society received money to continue preserving Palisades historical photos, and the Camp Josepho Scout Facility in Rustic Canyon was awarded money to refurbish the barbecue area with gas grills. The Palisades Community Center, a nonprofit organization that funded the building of the Field of Dreams, received money for its newest venture: stairs from the parking lot on Frontera to the baseball fields. Dubbed ‘Stairway to the Field of Dreams,’ the project completion date is August, according to Rick McGeagh, who accepted the award. Recipents of the $25,940 that was given to community and charitable groups included the Woman’s Club, Chamber of Commerce holiday decorations and disaster preparedness, Boy Scout Troops 223 and 400, The Kris Kelly Foundation, Nature of Wildworks, Meals on Wheels, the Wellness Community and Palisades Hunger Walk. Palisades Cares received money to buy recycling bins for the Rec Center and playing fields. In accepting the grant for the Palisades Americanism Parade Association, Rich Wilken said, ‘This is helpful in kicking off our fundraising campaign. We are going to need about $80,000 this year, so this will help.’ Firemen from Stations 23 and 69 were grateful to the Junior Women’s Club and thanked them not only for this year, but for their past grants. Firefighters at 69 will use their grant for equipment for the weight-training room, and Station 23 will use its money for landscaping at the station. ‘On behalf of all the members of Station 23, thank you,’ Captain James Varney said. ‘I’ve never seen such a closeness in a community as there is here in the Palisades.’ ‘It is so neat to support your own town,’ Christine Bishop said in summing up the evening.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
